INTERNATIONAL: The energetic cost of an acidic, warm environment - Changes in lipid consumption of Pocillopora damicornis larvae

该奖项资助博士候选人艾米丽·里维斯特在台湾进行的关于海洋酸化对海洋珊瑚繁殖的影响的论文研究。Rivest女士将与台湾国立海洋生物与水族馆(NMMBA)的同事进行联合研究，她将在那里花三个月的时间进行实验测试，研究酸度和温度上升对珊瑚幼虫，特别是浮游状态下的珊瑚幼虫的生理、新陈代谢和生存的影响。研究范围从整个有机体的分析到其遗传学和分子生物学。系统的研究将产生数据，以加强对幼虫在不同胁迫条件下的能量成本变化的理解，这与珊瑚种群的可持续性有关。全球气候变化的巨大危险之一涉及海洋温度上升和酸度上升的共同作用，后者是大气中二氧化碳水平上升的结果。这些日益紧张的状况可能会对珊瑚礁的可持续性产生负面影响，而珊瑚礁对海洋生态至关重要。这项研究的结果可以量化珊瑚生存的风险，或许还可以指导修复方法。此外，该项目还将为未来的研究合作加强学生S的国际关系。

This award provides funding to support dissertation research in Taiwan by Ph.D. candidate, Emily Rivest, in her study of the impact of ocean acidification on propagation of ocean corals. Ms. Rivest will undertake joint research with colleagues at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (NMMBA) in Taiwan, where she will spend three months conducting experimental tests on the effects of acidity and temperature rise on the physiology, metabolism and survival of coral larvae, specifically Pocillopora damicornis larvae in the planktonic state. The study ranges from the analysis of the whole organism to its genetics and molecular biology. The systematic studies will produce data that can enhance understanding of the changing energy costs of larvae duration under varying stress conditions, which is relevant to sustainability of coral populations. One of the great dangers of global climate change involves the combination of rising ocean temperatures and rising acidity, which results from increased atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. These increasingly stressful conditions can impact negatively on the sustainability of coral reefs, which are critical to ocean ecology. The results of this study can quantify the risks to coral survival and perhaps guide methods of remediation. Also, the project will enhance the student?s international relationships for future research collaborations.