Collaborative Research: RAPID: Storm and tropical cyclone effects on the spawning activity, larval dispersal, and ecosystem impacts of an endangered marine predator

合作研究：快速：风暴和热带气旋对一种濒危海洋捕食者的产卵活动、幼虫扩散和生态系统影响。Yannis Papastamatiou（佛罗里达国际大学），Alastair Harborne博士（FIU），Kevin博斯韦尔博士（FIU），Claire Paris-Limouzy博士（迈阿密大学）许多种类的珊瑚鱼在特定的地点形成大型的季节性聚集产卵。如果管理不善，这种聚集可能会导致种群过度捕捞。此外，浅水沿海地区的产卵群也可能容易受到长时间浪涌、大量淡水径流以及与大风暴和热带气旋有关的盐度可能变化的影响。然而，尚未对日益普遍的此类事件的影响进行研究。本研究调查飓风多利安对产卵活动的濒危goliath石斑鱼（Epinealus itajara）鱼类物种的东南沿海的佛罗里达。该项目更广泛的影响与其为goliath石斑鱼渔业管理计划提供信息的价值有关。该项目支持两名早期职业教师和一名博士后研究员，一名研究生和佛罗里达国际大学的几名本科生的培训。飓风多里安发生在佛罗里达的浅水沃茨，是石斑鱼产卵的高峰期。该项目将利用自2017年以来正在进行的声学调查，遥测，生物物理建模和产卵场的goliath石斑鱼行为研究，以评估飓风多利安如何：1）影响产卵事件的持续时间和聚集的大小，2）影响个体在产卵地点的居住和产卵行为，3）改变Goliath石斑鱼幼虫的扩散模式，并确定有/没有风暴或飓风事件的育苗栖息地，和4）根据较低营养水平觅食的变化，评估由于巨型石斑鱼产卵聚集在珊瑚礁生态系统水平上的潜在营养级联底栖生物的变化。我们的组合方法将提供洞察风暴如何影响产卵行为从个人到群体水平，以及如何随后的幼虫招聘可能会受到影响。最后，该项目测试了加速度传感器的实用性，用于识别自由放养鱼类的产卵行为，这将对跨类群的产卵研究具有重大意义。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

Collaborative Research: RAPID: Storm and tropical cyclone effects on the spawning activity, larval dispersal, and ecosystem impacts of an endangered marine predatorDr. Yannis Papastamatiou (Florida International University), Dr. Alastair Harborne (FIU), Dr. Kevin Boswell (FIU), Dr. Claire Paris-Limouzy (University of Miami)Many species of reef fish form large seasonal gatherings at specific locations to spawn. Such aggregations may lead to population overfishing if not well managed. Additionally, spawning aggregations in shallow coastal areas may also be susceptible to prolonged surge, high volumes of freshwater run-off and potentially changes in salinity associated with large storms and tropical cyclones. Yet, the impact from such events, which are becoming increasingly prevalent, has not been studied. This study investigates the impacts of hurricane Dorian on spawning activity of the endangered goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) fish species off the southeast coast of Florida. The broader impacts of the project relate to its value to inform fisheries management plans for goliath grouper. The project supports two early career faculty members and training of a postdoctoral researcher, a graduate student, and several undergraduate students at Florida International University. Hurricane Dorian occurred at the peak of goliath grouper's spawning aggregation in Florida's shallow waters. This project will take advantage of ongoing acoustic surveys since 2017, telemetry, biophysical modelling, and behavioral studies of goliath grouper at spawning sites to assess how hurricane Dorian: 1) influence the duration of spawning events and the size of aggregations, 2) affect individual residency to spawning sites and spawning behavior, 3) change the dispersal patterns of goliath grouper larvae and identify nursery habitats with/without storm or hurricane events, and 4) assess the potential for trophic cascades at reef ecosystem level due to goliath grouper spawning aggregations as determined by changes on lower trophic level foraging rates and the subsequent changes to the benthos. Our combination of methods will provide insight into how storms affects spawning behavior from the individual to the group level, and how subsequent larval recruitment may be influenced. Finally, this project tests the utility of acceleration sensors for identifying spawning behavior in free ranging fishes, which will be of major significance to spawning studies across taxa.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.