Collaborative Research: Nearshore larval transport: physical and biological processes

概述：这项研究将提供沿海资源管理所需的基本知识。本研究涉及近海岸跨海岸幼虫运输过程中，在广阔的地理区域在开放的海岸设置，即幼虫运输波循环/斯托克斯漂移，和内部涌潮。幼虫运输波循环/斯托克斯漂移是一个普遍存在的过程，还没有被研究观测，它是不知道如何内部涌潮提供幼虫潮间带栖息地。该项目将研究近海岸（20米深和潮间带之间的区域）的物理和生物过程，解释了幼虫向成虫栖息地的运送。在南加州的研究系统与大多数其他温带地区的相似之处，我们将研究海洋类群，广泛分布，并在各种环境中取得成功。智力优点：最近的研究表明，在近海岸区的幼虫运输在浅水物种的幼虫扩散和连接中起着核心作用。然而，这些最新的进展，还没有匹配的过程为导向的研究，解决流通和行为过程在适当的时间和空间尺度，只有少数幼虫运输机制已被认为是近海岸开放的海岸线。最近的进展，我们了解的水动力过程驱动的跨岸流和日益认识到的重要性，幼虫运输的过程，但是，使这项研究及时。研究人员假设，一系列物理和生物事件导致无脊椎动物幼虫进入潮间带栖息地。这些事件包括物理运输由于波环流/斯托克斯漂移附近的表面和内部潮汐环流附近的底部，终端幼虫阶段的行为改变，和幼虫使用的“自适应”行为反应，以利用事件相关的流量。此外，他们认为，波浪环流/斯托克斯漂移和内部潮汐环流的优势随季节变化，在春季/夏季，当水柱分层良好时，内部潮汐孔很重要，而波浪环流/斯托克斯漂移在秋季/冬季更普遍，与冬季风暴相吻合。在这项研究中的假设将进行测试的物理运输，幼虫供应和解决的估计。这些测量将与适应性取样相结合，以测试幼虫垂直分布对水动力条件变化的依赖性。这项研究的结果将具有重要的生态意义，因为波浪环流/斯托克斯漂移和内部运动可能代表必须返回到海岸附近栖息地以完成其生命周期的海洋生物幼虫的关键和定期运输机制，从而影响沿海规划者使用的人口连通性和管理策略（例如，生态系统为基础的渔业管理，海洋保护区的位置）。调查人员将通过讲座和建立网站向公众传播调查结果。此外，该项目有很强的教育组成部分，涉及两个机构（WHOI和圣地亚哥大学）的本科生和/或研究生。这项研究将被整合到由所有co-PI在各自机构教授的课程中，但这项研究的一个组成部分是通过在USD（一所文科大学）的前沿研究经验来加强学生的体验式学习。作为该项目的一部分，取样将纳入高年级本科生的实地海洋群落生态学课程，学生将被要求参加至少一次研究巡航。研究人员还计划为大学的夏季研究提供有竞争力的本科生津贴。为了传播结果，参与者将被要求参加年度本科生研究会议，突出在USD举行的师生互动。

Overview: This study will provide essential knowledge required for management of coastal resources. This study addresses near shore cross-shore larval transport processes that operate over wide geographic areas in open coast settings, namely larval transport by wave circulation / Stokes drift, and by internal tidal bores. Larval transport by wave circulation / Stokes drift is a ubiquitous process that has not been studied observationally, and it is not known how internal tidal bores deliver larvae to intertidal habitats. This project will examine near shore (region between 20 m depth and intertidal) physical and biological processes that account for the delivery of larvae to adult habitats. The study system in Southern California shares similarities with most other temperate areas and we will study marine taxa that are widely distributed and successful in a variety of environments.Intellectual Merit: Recent studies suggest that larval transport in the near shore zone plays a central role in larval dispersal and connectivity of shallow water species. These recent advances, however, have not been matched with process-oriented studies addressing circulation and behavioral processes at the appropriate temporal and spatial scales, and only a few larval transport mechanisms have been considered for near shore open coastlines. Recent advances in our understanding of hydrodynamic processes driving cross-shore flows and growing awareness of the importance of the processes to larval transport, however, make this study timely. The investigators hypothesize that a series of physical and biological events results in the delivery of invertebrate larvae to the intertidal habitat. These events include physical transport due to wave circulation / Stokes drift near the surface and internal tide circulation near the bottom, alteration of behavior for terminal larval stages, and larval use of "adaptive" behavioral responses to exploit event-dependent flows. Further, they suggest that the predominance of wave circulation / Stokes drift and internal tide circulation varies seasonally, with internal tidal bores important in spring/summer, when the water column is well-stratified, and wave circulation / Stokes drift more pervasive in fall/winter, coinciding with winter storms. The hypotheses in this study will be tested with estimates of physical transport, larval supply and settlement. These measurements will be combined with use of adaptive sampling to test the dependence of larval vertical distribution on changes in hydrodynamic conditions.Broader Impacts: Results from this study will have important ecological implications as wave circulation / Stokes drift and internal motions may represent critical and regular transport mechanisms for larvae of marine organisms that must return to near shore habitats to complete their life cycle, thereby impacting population connectivity and management strategies used by coastal planners (e.g., ecosystem-based fisheries management, placement of Marine Protected Areas). The investigators will disseminate their results to the public through lectures and the development of a website. Furthermore, this project has a strong educational component, involving undergraduate and/or graduate students from two institutions (WHOI and University of San Diego). The research will be integrated into courses taught by all co-PIs at their respective institutions, but an integral component of this research is to enhance student experiential learning with cutting-edge research experiences at USD (a liberal-arts university). Sampling as part of this project will be incorporated into a field-based Marine Community Ecology course for upper-division undergraduates and students will be required to participate in at least one research cruise. The investigators also plan to offer competitive undergraduate student stipends for summer research at USD. To disseminate results, participants will be required to participate in the annual Undergraduate Research Conference, highlighting student-faculty interactions held at USD.