Evolutionary ecology and arctic marine mammals

全球变暖的日益严重的影响在极地环境中最大。北极海洋生态系统将如何应对全球变暖日益加剧的物理影响，变化是逐步发生还是迅速发生？以与气温升高相关的环境变化作为解释变量，海洋哺乳动物的分布和丰度的变化作为因变量，我建议研究它们之间的相互作用。我将通过观察能量如何在食物链中移动，以及能量集中在哪个营养水平来衡量能量和健康与人口变化的联系。为了理解健康，我将使用遗传学和生殖成功。这个想法是为了应用这一知识来理解与全球变暖和北极海洋哺乳动物相关的能量和健康变化。最终，我计划建立模型来预测海洋哺乳动物的数量将如何变化，以及它们将在哪里生活。模型将整合知识，帮助我们了解北极海洋生态系统是会抵抗变化、快速变化，还是会随着全球变暖而持续变化。为了更好地理解这些问题，我将使用卫星遥测、因纽特人收获的生物收集和饮食研究。将这些信息结合到数学模型中，可以对北极地区的气候变化如何展开提供可检验的预测。了解极地海洋生态系统的变化将有助于我们为依赖海洋哺乳动物作为食物和文化食物的鲸鱼、海豹和因纽特人制定适应性保护和管理计划。

The increasing effects of global warming are greatest in polar environments. How will Arctic marine ecosystems respond to the increasing physical affects of global warming and will change occur gradually or will it come quickly? Using environmental changes associated with rising temperatures as the explanatory variable and changes in distribution and abundance of marine mammals as the dependent variable, I propose to study their interaction. I will measure energy and fitness connections to population changes by looking at how energy moves through the food web and at which trophic level is energy concentrated. To understand fitness, I will use genetics and reproductive success. The idea is to apply this knowledge to understand energy and fitness changes associated with global warming and Arctic marine mammals. Ultimately, I plan to build models to predict how marine mammal populations will change in numbers and where they will live. Models will integrate knowledge and help us understand whether Arctic marine ecosystems will resist change, change quickly, or change in a constant manner with global warming. To better understand these questions I will use satellite telemetry, biological collections from Inuit harvests, and diet studies. Combining this information into mathematical models provides testable predictions on how climate change will unfold in the arctic. Understanding how polar marine ecosystems change will help us to develop adaptive conservation and management programs for whales, seals, and the Inuit that rely on marine mammals for food and cultural sustenance.