RAPID: Natural Laboratories in the Chilean Fjords: Studying Reproduction and Development in Emergent Deep-Sea Corals

巴塔哥尼亚北部的峡湾位于东部安第斯山脉和南太平洋之间的界面上，这些峡湾是在数千年前通过冰川侵蚀活动和构造下沉形成的。大约1.2万年前，奇洛瓦尔内海的冰原开始开放，留下了超过1.5万平方公里的峡湾、水道和海湾。峡湾内的水域受到强烈潮汐、大量淡水径流、深海水上涌以及从北向南陡峭的气候梯度的影响。这种动态的环境导致了极高的生物多样性和地方性，但该地区是世界上研究最少的地区之一。就在几年前，人们发现深海珊瑚栖息在这个地区，它们的深度非常浅（不到10米），密度非常高（每平方米超过1500只）。其中有一种特别的珊瑚，石竹珊瑚，是全球深海栖息地中分布最广的硬珊瑚之一，但由于在传统的水肺采样深度以下取样困难，因此没有生态学研究。冷水珊瑚是重要的结构工程师，为成千上万的无脊椎动物和鱼类创造了栖息地，形成了许多底栖生态系统的基本基础。这些浅海峡湾群落提供了一个独特的机会，可以形成关于生态和人口过程的基线数据，作为进入深海生态系统的窗口。近年来，巴塔哥尼亚北部峡湾地区的环境和人为压力越来越大（特别是来自大规模鲑鱼养殖），导致这些独特的生态系统可能在被记录和充分了解之前就消失了。生殖是地球上每一个物种为了生存而必须经历的基本生态过程，也是了解物种补充、重新定居、种群连通性和从破坏中恢复的重要信息。本项目将研究该地区主要冷水珊瑚——石竹珊瑚的生殖生态学。该项目将利用国家地理全球探索基金资助的研究资金，在峡湾内的三个地点建立为期一年的监测点。来自NSF的RAPID资助将为国家地理研究增加一项重要的生态研究。更广泛的影响这些峡湾系统脆弱而独特的以珊瑚为基础的生态系统受到日益增长的渔业、旅游业和日益加剧的伐木活动以及气候变化的威胁。该项目将有助于了解人为影响如何影响该地区一种重要生境形成物种的基本生活史过程，并将为更深入地研究该地区的底栖生物资源提供基础。更广泛的影响还包括通过在沃勒实验室处理样品的为期5周的实习对本科生进行培训，以及由博客网站、PI的“在线探险”网站和国家地理网站报道的每日Twitter更新组成的公共宣传部分。该项目还将促进与Fundación Huinay的智利研究人员的国际合作，他们对这些生态系统的深入了解是该项目不可或缺的一部分。样本也将提供给其他合作者进行种群遗传学和古气候分析。

Intellectual MeritThe northern Patagonian fjords lie on the interface between the high Andes Mountains in the east and the South Pacific Ocean, formed thousands of years ago through erosive glacial activity and tectonic sinking. Around 12,000 years ago the icefields in the Chiloé Interior Sea began to open, leaving behind over 15,000km2 of fjords, channels and gulfs. The waters within the fjords are influenced by strong tides, large volumes of freshwater runoff, and upwelling of deep-ocean waters as well as steep climatic gradients from north to south. This dynamic environment has resulted in extremely high biodiversity and endemism, yet this region is one of the least studied areas of the world. It was just a few years ago that deep-sea corals were found inhabiting this region at unusually shallow depths (less than 10m) and in extremely high densities (greater than 1500 individuals per m2). One species in particular, Desmophyllum dianthus, is one of the most widespread hard corals in deep-sea habitats around the globe, yet there have been no ecological studies because of the difficulty in sampling at depths below traditional SCUBA sampling. Cold-water corals are important structural engineers, creating habitat for thousands of associated invertebrates and fish, forming the principle foundation of many benthic ecosystems. These shallow fjord communities present a unique opportunity to form baseline data on ecological and population processes, acting as an accessible window into a deep-sea ecosystem. In recent years environmental and anthropogenic pressures in the northern Patagonian fjord region have mounted (particular from intense salmon farming) leading to a situation where these unique ecosystems may be lost before they can be documented and fully understood. Reproduction is a fundamental ecological process for which every species on the planet needs to undergo to survive through time, and is essential information to understanding recruitment, recolonization, population connectivity and recovery from damage. This project will study the reproductive ecology of the primary cold-water coral in this region, D. dianthus. This project will leverage research funded through a National Geographic Global Exploration Fund grant to establish year-long monitoring sites in three locations within the fjords. RAPID funding from NSF will add a significant ecological study to the National Geographic study. Broader ImpactsThe delicate and unique coral-based ecosystem of these fjord systems are threatened by increased fishing, tourism and intensified logging in conjunction with climate change. This project will contribute to and understanding of how anthropogenic influences are affecting basic life history processes in an important habitat forming species in the region and will provide a basis for more in-depth studies of the region's benthic resources. The broader impacts also include undergraduate training through a 5 week internship to process samples in the Waller laboratory and a public outreach component consisting of a blog website, daily Twitter updates from the field from the PI's "Online Expeditions" site and National Geographic website coverage. This project will also foster international collaborative work with Chilean researchers from the Fundación Huinay, their intimate knowledge of these ecosystems is an integral part of this project. Samples will also be supplied to other collaborators for population genetics and paleo-climate analysis.