Collaborative Research: Midwater animal models: Optical measurement of metabolic transitions in pelagic biota

合作研究：中层水域动物模型：远洋生物群代谢转变的光学测量

• 批准号: 0852160
• 负责人: Brad Seibel
• 金额: $ 21.06万
• 依托单位: University of Rhode Island
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-06-01 至 2013-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0852160&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Midwater; animal; models

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."Despite encompassing more than 99% of the livable space on the planet, the midwater environment and its inhabitants are among the least studied on the planet, primarily due to their remoteness and the technological limitations that have precluded direct study. The use of optical techniques, including spectroscopy and video image analysis, for direct, non-invasive imaging of physiological function transforms midwater animals (zooplankton and micronekton) into ideal physiological models. In this case, transparency, a ubiquitous camouflage strategy in the pelagic environment, allows, literally speaking, insights into animal physiology (i.e. it facilitates physiological imaging). Thus, it is now possible to conduct physiological experiments on midwater animals that are of equal complexity, but greater temporal resolution, to those routinely performed on more robust fishes and mammals. The present project is a novel combination of less invasive sampling and optical physiological methods that will elucidate the metabolic strategies employed by midwater organisms for survival in the extreme hypoxia characterizing much of the midwater environment. The investigators will further use the changing CO2 concentrations through these oxygen minimum zones as a natural laboratory to test physiological responses to ocean acidification. They will quantify metabolic transitions relating to oxygen concentration for ecologically important, but understudied, midwater organisms. They will test hypotheses relating transparency (i.e. visibility by predators) and metabolic rates as an indication of the capacity for predator avoidance. Specifically, the investigators will measure blood oxygen binding, heart rate, stroke volume, ventilation rate and volume, oxidation state of the tissues (NAD+:NADH) and whole-animal oxygen consumption rates. Not all of the above parameters are relevant to all species to be studied. They will study transparent representatives from a broad spectrum of zooplankton and micronektonic groups, including fishes, larvaceans, chaetognaths, polychaetes, jellies, salps, amphipods, and gastropods but will focus on cephalopods because of 1) their closed circulatory systems and blood oxygen binding proteins allow the full development and utilization of optical physiological techniques and 2) because unique aspects of their physiology are of special interest for hypoxia tolerance and render them vulnerable to ocean acidification.This project provides a model for an integrated approach to studying the ecological physiology of pelagic organisms. The approach has potential to reveal the tolerance of oceanic organisms to global warming and ocean acidification. Furthermore, oxygen minimum zones are expanding with potentially severe consequences for oceanic biota. The project includes training at both URI and Duke University for three graduate students in a unique suite of techniques relevant to optical physiology. The investigators will also provide opportunities to go to sea for several graduate and undergraduate students. The project will foster collaboration with German scientists and their students. The ship and submersible time requested will be shared to the extent possible with scientists and students from diverse institutions. Further, the public appeal of deep-sea and oceanic biology is great. The investigators will make the images and video obtained (some of the most close-up and detailed ever taken) available to the public via the Bloom Association (www.bloomassociation.org). Bloom is a non-profit association whose mission is to protect the oceans and, more particularly, the deep sea, through education of the greater public about environmental problems. The creator of Bloom, Claire Nouvian, has participated in cruises in the past and has agreed to take part in the proposed expeditions.

“该奖项是根据《2009 年美国复苏和再投资法案》（公法 111-5）提供资金的。”尽管中层水域环境及其居民覆盖了地球上 99% 以上的宜居空间，但它仍然是地球上研究最少的地区之一。行星，主要是由于其地处偏远和技术限制阻碍了直接研究。使用光学技术（包括光谱学和视频图像分析）对生理功能进行直接、非侵入性成像，将中层水动物（浮游动物和微游生物）转变为理想的生理模型。在这种情况下，透明度是远洋环境中普遍存在的伪装策略，从字面上讲，可以深入了解动物生理学（即它有助于生理成像）。因此，现在可以对中水动物进行生理实验，这些实验与在更强壮的鱼类和哺乳动物上常规进行的实验具有相同的复杂性，但具有更高的时间分辨率。本项目是微创采样和光学生理方法的新颖结合，将阐明中层水域生物在大多数中层水域环境的极度缺氧中生存所采用的代谢策略。研究人员将进一步利用这些氧气最低区不断变化的二氧化碳浓度作为天然实验室来测试对海洋酸化的生理反应。他们将量化与生态上重要但尚未充分研究的中层生物体的氧浓度相关的代谢转变。他们将测试与透明度（即捕食者的可见度）和代谢率相关的假设，作为躲避捕食者能力的指标。具体来说，研究人员将测量血氧结合、心率、每搏输出量、通气频率和通气量、组织氧化状态（NAD+：NADH）和整个动物的耗氧率。并非所有上述参数都与所有要研究的物种相关。他们将研究来自广泛的浮游动物和微游动物群体的透明代表，包括鱼类、幼虫、毛颌动物、多毛动物、水母、樽海鞘、片足类动物和腹足类动物，但将重点关注头足类动物，因为 1) 它们的封闭循环系统和血氧结合蛋白允许充分开发和利用光学生理学技术，2）因为其生理学的独特方面对缺氧特别感兴趣该项目为研究远洋生物生态生理学的综合方法提供了一个模型。该方法有可能揭示海洋生物对全球变暖和海洋酸化的耐受性。此外，氧气最低区正在扩大，可能对海洋生物群造成严重后果。该项目包括在 URI 和杜克大学对三名研究生进行与光学生理学相关的独特技术套件的培训。调查人员还将为几名研究生和本科生提供出海机会。该项目将促进与德国科学家及其学生的合作。所请求的船舶和潜水时间将尽可能与来自不同机构的科学家和学生共享。此外，深海和海洋生物学对公众的吸引力也很大。调查人员将通过布鲁姆协会 (www.bloomassociation.org) 向公众提供获得的图像和视频（其中一些是有史以来拍摄的最特写和最详细的图像和视频）。布鲁姆是一个非营利协会，其使命是通过对广大公众进行有关环境问题的教育来保护海洋，特别是深海。 Bloom 的创始人 Claire Nouvian 过去曾参加过邮轮旅行，并同意参加拟议的探险活动。