RAPID:Collaborative Research: Micro- and macro-ecological succession in anchialine habitats during creation via volcanism

熔岩流创造了新的、最初无菌的栖息地。这些栖息地的最初定居者、随后的入侵者的身份以及这一过程的可重复性对于理解诸如营养循环等生态系统过程的建立非常重要。确定栖息地成熟的步骤也形成了濒危物种和稀有环境的保护战略。这些过程在安恰林生态系统中几乎是未知的，该生态系统由受淡水和海洋水域影响的沿海、内陆水体组成。脊椎动物栖息地在世界范围内很罕见，但集中在夏威夷。夏威夷的珊瑚礁栖息地是各种各样的动物、植物和微生物的家园，其中许多是在其他地方找不到的。2018年，来自基拉韦厄火山的熔岩流在夏威夷东海岸创造了几个新的安恰林生境，这为研究安恰林生态系统中的生态是如何出现的提供了一个难得的机会。研究人员将利用这个机会详细说明这些不寻常的栖息地是如何随着时间的推移而变化的。微生物和动物群落将随着它们的建立而被具体化。这项研究将促进我们对山茶碱生态系统的了解，特别是其微生物，这可能被证明是有用的未来的医疗或商业应用。STEM中代表性不足的群体(包括夏威夷原住民和太平洋岛民)将在这项研究中发挥积极作用。在一个时间序列中，将收集数百个微生物样本，这些样本位于正在发育的棘齿动物栖息地。微生物群落结构将使用DNA测序技术进行分析。这些“年轻的”群落将被与以前从其他“成熟的”夏威夷珊瑚栖息地中表现出来的群落进行比较。这项研究将探讨Anchialine群落形成的可重复性，以及新的栖息地是否正在汇聚到与现有栖息地相似的微生物群落上。为了补充这些微生物分析，还将评估新的钩状生境中Keystone对虾物种的存在和丰度。种群基因组工具将被用来测试定居虾的起源，因为熔岩流可能导致了该物种的局部灭绝。还将进行对虾的生理实验，以检查火山活动导致的温度升高引起的热适应。由于虾在微生物群落中扮演着重要的食草动物角色，因此还将探索虾的丰度和微生物群落组成之间的相关性。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Lava flows create new, initially sterile habitats. The identity of the initial colonizers of these habitats, subsequent invaders, and the repeatability of this process is important for understanding the establishment of ecosystem processes like nutrient cycling. Identifying steps in habitat maturation also shapes conservation strategies for endangered species and rare environments. These processes are virtually unknown in the anchialine ecosystem, which consists of coastal, landlocked bodies of water influenced by fresh and oceanic waters. Anchialine habitats are rare worldwide but are concentrated in Hawaii. Hawaiian anchialine habitats are home to a diverse array of animals, plants, and microbes, many of which are found nowhere else. In 2018 lava flows from the Kilauea volcano created several new anchialine habitats on the east coast of Hawaii, presenting an exceptional chance to examine how ecology emerges in the anchialine ecosystem. The researchers will leverage this opportunity to detail how these unusual habitats change over time. Microbial and animal communities will be characterized as they become established. This research will advance our understanding of the anchialine ecosystem, especially its microbes, which may prove useful for future medical or commercial applications. Underrepresented groups in STEM (including native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders) will take an active role in this research. Hundreds of microbial samples will be collected during a time series in anchialine habitats undergoing development. Microbial community structure will be analyzed using DNA sequencing technology. These “young” communities will be compared to ones previously characterized from other, “mature” Hawaiian anchialine habitats. This research will address the repeatability of anchialine community formation and whether new habitats are converging on microbial communities similar to those in established habitats. To complement these microbial analyses, presence and abundance of a keystone shrimp species in the new anchialine habitats will also be assessed. Population genomic tools will be used to test the origins of the colonizing shrimp, as the lava flows may have caused local extinctions in this species. Physiological experiments in shrimp will also be performed to examine thermal adaptations stemming from elevated temperatures due to volcanic activity. Because shrimp act as important grazers on the microbial communities, correlations between shrimp abundance and microbial community composition will also be explored.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.