CAUSES OF CHEMICAL VARIATION IN CORAL REEF INVERTEBRATES

这项研究将检验生物学和物理学的重要性 生物活性次生代谢物产生差异的原因 珊瑚礁无脊椎动物。这项研究具有重要的生物医学意义 后果，因为它将侧重于了解哪些因素影响 具有生物医学意义的重要海洋天然产品的产量。第一, 次生代谢物的种类和浓度的差异 在个体之间，在不同的生命历史阶段，以及在 将对选定的无脊椎动物种群进行检查。兼职 将检查化学防御系统的变化，包括海绵、海鞘和 软珊瑚暴露：L)鱼类和专家增加放牧 捕食者；2)不同环境水平的光照和营养物质；以及 3)已知的诱导防御的化学激发子。拟议的研究 将提供有关化学变化及其原因和 不同珊瑚礁无脊椎动物改变自己的能力和时机 化学防御系统的配置。这项研究将对我们有限的 海洋无脊椎动物和它们的化学相互作用的知识 捕食者与天敌自然适应功能之间的关系 次生代谢物及其生物医学潜力。 生物活性代谢物将被纳入既定的测试 课程(大学夏威夷加州大学圣巴巴拉分校韦恩州立大学 医学院、弗吉尼亚理工大学和大学。密西西比大学 药房)以确定其在特定情况下的药理活性 化验。这项研究计划将提供以下教育机会 博士后研究员、研究生和本科生 在关岛大学，以本科生和少数民族为主 机构。

This research will examine the importance of biological and physical causes of variation in the production of bioactive secondary metabolites by coral reef invertebrates. The research has important biomedical consequences since it will focus on understanding what factors affect the yields of biomedically important marine natural products. First, differences in types and concentrations of secondary metabolites within and among individuals, at different life history stages, and among populations of selected invertebrates will be examined. Facultative changes in chemical defenses will be examined for.sponges, ascidians, and soft corals exposed to: l) increased grazing by fishes and specialist predators; 2) different environmental levels of light and nutrients; and 3) known chemical elicitors of induced defenses. The proposed research will provide information on chemical variation and its causes and the ability and timing of different coral reef invertebrates to change their allocation of chemical defenses. The study will contribute to our limited knowledge of the chemical interactions of marine invertebrates and their predators and the relationship between natural adaptive functions of secondary metabolites and their biomedical potential. Bioactive metabolites will be incorporated into established testing programs (Univ. of Hawaii, UC Santa Barbara, Wayne State University Medical School, Virginia Tech, and Univ. of Mississippi School of Pharmacy) to determine their pharmacological activities in specific assays. This research program will provide educational opportunities for a postdoctoral researcher, a graduate student, and undergraduate students at the University of Guam, a predominantly undergraduate and minority institution.