OPUS: CRS: Phytoplankton whispering- Unraveling dynamics of the phytoplankton secret garden against the backdrop of a nutrient-rich, rapidly changing world

浮游植物是地球的引擎。它们构成了大多数水生食物网的基础，尽管非常微小，但它们产生了空气中的大部分氧气。我们对这些细胞如何发挥作用的许多想法是几十年前发展起来的。然而，湖泊和海洋正在发生变化，浮游植物也是如此。营养物污染是一个全球性的重大问题。气候也在变化，改变着温度、二氧化碳和海洋的物理和化学特性。所有这些因素都控制着哪种浮游植物在任何特定的时间或地点生长良好。虽然藻类生长在所有类型的水生生态系统中，但并非所有藻类都有利于鱼类和其他食物资源的生产。 有害藻华的发生率有所增加，往往导致环境和公共卫生风险。这项研究将提高对浮游植物群落如何随着环境变化而变化的理解。此外，这项工作将向研究人员、学生和管理人员传达这一信息对有效预防和管理藻华的重要性。在现代世界，还没有一个综合性的总结来揭开浮游植物的神秘面纱。本项目旨在提供这样的资源。此外，这项研究将使一名研究生有机会参与合成写作，这将对他们的职业发展产生积极影响。环境变化极大地改变了海洋的营养成分和化学计量，改变了我们对什么是限制和在哪里的理解。此外，我们现在了解到许多浮游植物不一定一直都是自养生物;现在了解到混合营养在许多分类群的生长中起着重要作用。OPUS的合成建立在PI数十年的研究基础上，遵循的路径表明，海洋从贫营养向富营养转变，浮游植物的生理营养从自养向自养和兼养转变，在一个越来越温暖的世界里，经历着其他与气候相关的变化。PI将出版一本书，综合这项工作，并更新它，以纳入快速环境变化对浮游植物动态的影响。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

Phytoplankton are the engines of the Earth. They form the base of most aquatic food webs and, although microscopic, they produce most of the oxygen in the air. Many of our ideas of how these cells function were developed decades ago. Lakes and oceans, however, are changing, and so too are phytoplankton. Nutrient pollution is a major problem worldwide. The climate is also changing, altering temperature, CO2 and the oceans physical and chemical characteristics. All of these factors control which species of phytoplankton may grow well at any particular time or place. While algae grow in all types of aquatic ecosystems, not all algae are favorable for the production of fish and other food resources. The prevalence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) has increased, often leading to environmental and public health risks. This research will improve understanding of how phytoplankton communities change as the environment changes. In addition, this work will convey to researchers, students and managers how critical this information is for effective prevention and management of algal blooms. There has not yet been a synthetic summary that unravels the mysteries of phytoplankton in a modern world. This project aims to provide such a resource. In addition, this research will give a graduate student the chance to participate in synthetic writing, which will have a positive impact on their career development.Environmental changes have dramatically altered the nutrient content and stoichiometry of the ocean, changing our understanding of what is limiting and where. Moreover, we now understand that many phytoplankton are not necessarily autotrophs all the time; mixotrophy is now understood to play an important role in the growth of many taxa. This OPUS synthesis builds on decades of research by the PI, following a path that has shown the oceans as shifting from oligotrophic to eutrophic, and phytoplankton physiological nutrition as shifting from autotrophic to osmotrophic and mixotrophic, in a world that is increasingly warmer and experiencing other climate-related changes. The PI will produce a book synthesizing this work, and updating it to incorporate the impact of rapid environmental changes on phytoplankton dynamics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.