RAPID: Collaborative Research: Nematostella as an Estuarine Indicator Species for Assessing Molecular and Physiological Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

RAPID：合作研究：线虫作为河口指示物种，用于评估深水地平线漏油的分子和生理影响

• 批准号: 1057354
• 负责人: Ann Tarrant
• 金额: $ 7.49万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2012-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1057354&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Collaborative; Research; Nematostella; Estuarine

PROJECT SUMMARY Collaborative Research: Nematostella as an estuarine indicator species for assessing molecular and physiological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.Dr. Matthew J. Jenny (PI), Dept. Biological Sciences, University of AlabamaDr. Ann M. Tarrant (Co-PI), Biology Dept., Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionAs a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, millions of gallons of oil have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico and much of that oil has and will continue to wash up along the Gulf Coast of the United States. In an attempt to minimize the amount of oil to reach the coast, an unprecedented of amount of dispersant has been used both on surface oil and at the source of the leak. The impact of this unprecedented use of dispersant on the marine environment, food webs and the bioavailability of oil remains to be investigated. Furthermore, the microbial degradation of oil and dispersed oil in the marine environment or estuarine marshes can produce very low oxygen levels (hypoxia) that will further stress marine and estuarine invertebrates. Unfortunately, very little information is available on the impact of oil or dispersed oil and additional abiotic stressors (hypoxia) on the physiology of marine and estuarine invertebrates. Nematostella vectensis is a sea anemone (an organism related to reef-building corals) found in salt marshes along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast of the United States. This project will use Nematostella as a model to address the urgent need to understand the physiological responses of estuarine invertebrates to oil exposure, combined exposure of oil and dispersant and possible synergism between oil exposure and hypoxia (low oxygen). First, Nematostella will be collected from Gulf Coast populations. Contaminant load, energetic stores and reproductive status will be quantified. Molecular techniques will be used to determine which genes are affected (?turned on? or ?turned off?) in anemones from oil-exposed sites. Second, laboratory experiments will be conducted to determine the effects of oil exposure and combined exposure to oil and dispersant under normal oxygen (normoxic) and hypoxic conditions. Brine shrimp will be reared in the presence of a range of concentrations of oil, dispersant, and oil with dispersant. These shrimp will be fed to Nematostella under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Effects of exposure will be characterized by assessing changes in gene expression, lipid analysis, histological examination and biochemical assays. The results of these experiments will provide insight into the different molecular and cellular processes that are used to protect the organism from combinations of stressors that are associated with the oil spill and exposure to oil or dispersed oil. This project will also enable development of biomarkers that can be used to assess responses of organisms collected in the field. Broader Impacts: This project will provide insight into the ecological consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Results from field sampling will be posted and linked with other emerging results (e.g., EPA sediment analysis). Gene expression and sequence data will be curated, and posted to publicly accessible databases. Two PhD students will be trained in lipid analysis and ecological genomics. This project will identify cellular and molecular responses of a cnidarian (sea anemone, related to reef-building corals) to oil exposure through an understudied route of exposure (feeding). In addition this project will provide direct measurements of gene expression, lipid stores and contaminant burdens an indicator species of anemones from potentially impacted populations along the Gulf Coast. The identification and characterization of various pathways being affected by oil exposure and related stressors (e.g., hypoxia) will assist in development of ecological forecasting tools to predict the physiological responses of organisms and subsequent impacts on local populations and ecosystems.

项目摘要 合作研究：线虫作为河口指示物种，用于评估深水地平线漏油事件的分子和生理影响。 Matthew J. Jenny (PI)，阿拉巴马大学生物科学系博士。 Ann M. Tarrant（联合首席研究员），伍兹霍尔海洋研究所生物部由于深水地平线漏油事件，数百万加仑的石油已泄漏到墨西哥湾，其中大部分石油已经并将继续被冲走沿着美国墨西哥湾沿岸。 为了尽量减少到达海岸的石油量，在地表石油和泄漏源头都使用了前所未有的大量分散剂。 这种前所未有的分散剂使用对海洋环境、食物网和石油生物利用度的影响仍有待调查。 此外，海洋环境或河口沼泽中的石油和分散石油的微生物降解会产生非常低的氧气水平（缺氧），这将进一步给海洋和河口无脊椎动物带来压力。 不幸的是，关于石油或分散的石油以及其他非生物应激源（缺氧）对海洋和河口无脊椎动物生理学影响的信息非常少。 Nematostella vectensis 是一种海葵（一种与造礁珊瑚有关的生物），发现于墨西哥湾和美国大西洋沿岸的盐沼中。 该项目将使用线虫作为模型，以满足了解河口无脊椎动物对石油暴露、石油和分散剂联合暴露以及石油暴露和缺氧（低氧）之间可能的协同作用的生理反应的迫切需要。首先，将从墨西哥湾沿岸种群中收集线虫。污染物负荷、能量储存和繁殖状态将被量化。分子技术将用于确定来自石油暴露地点的海葵中哪些基因受到影响（“打开”或“关闭”）。其次，将进行实验室实验，以确定在正常氧气（常氧）和低氧条件下，油暴露以及油和分散剂联合暴露的影响。丰年虾将在一系列浓度的油、分散剂和含分散剂的油中饲养。这些虾将在常氧和缺氧条件下喂食线虫。将通过评估基因表达、脂质分析、组织学检查和生化测定的变化来表征暴露的影响。这些实验的结果将提供对不同分子和细胞过程的深入了解，这些过程用于保护生物体免受与漏油和接触石油或分散的石油相关的压力源组合的影响。该项目还将开发可用于评估现场收集的生物体反应的生物标志物。 更广泛的影响：该项目将深入了解深水地平线漏油事件的生态后果。现场采样的结果将发布并与其他新出现的结果（例如 EPA 沉积物分析）相关联。基因表达和序列数据将被整理并发布到可公开访问的数据库中。两名博士生将接受脂质分析和生态基因组学方面的培训。该项目将通过未充分研究的暴露途径（进食）来确定刺胞动物（海葵，与造礁珊瑚有关）对石油暴露的细胞和分子反应。此外，该项目还将直接测量墨西哥湾沿岸潜在受影响种群的海葵指示物种的基因表达、脂质储存和污染物负荷。受石油暴露和相关压力源（例如缺氧）影响的各种途径的识别和表征将有助于开发生态预测工具，以预测生物体的生理反应以及随后对当地人口和生态系统的影响。