Collaborative Research: Establishing baselines for nearshore marine ecosystems by examining sea otter trophic variation over 5,000 years of climatic and anthropogenic change

合作研究：通过检查 5,000 年来气候和人为变化造成的海獭营养变化，建立近岸海洋生态系统的基线

• 批准号: 1264306
• 负责人: Nicole Misarti
• 金额: $ 26.87万
• 依托单位: University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-06-15 至 2016-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1264306&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Establishing; baselines; nearshore

Intellectual Merit: The PIs will utilize natural stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen to define the trophic position of sea otters and how it has varied from pre-historic (5000BP) to historic (last 300 years) times in the Kodiak and eastern Aleutian regions of Alaska. Stable isotope data from known prey species in each area will be analyzed to construct an isotopic food web to compare with changes in sea otter bone isotope ratios over time. Prehistoric data will come from faunal remains in middens. Oxygen and carbon stable isotope data from archaeological and modern shells and paleo-proxy data from marine sediment cores will be used to evaluate changes in environment that may have affected nearshore ecosystems. These data will be used to evaluate mechanistic explanations for the dramatic recent changes in sea otter trophic position and abundance. One of the extant populations that will be studied is declining, while the other is doing well. Understanding the mechanisms behind these divergent modern trajectories is of fundamental ecological as well as management interest.Broader Impacts: The broader impacts of this project are founded in interdisciplinary research, conservation and management. This will be the first single-system, multiple-geographic, comparison of isotopic records of a keystone species that spans thousands of years. This study will promote interdisciplinary research, collaboration, and education across two universities, a museum, and local schools. Included in this project is an outreach program devised in conjunction with the local museum to provide youth education, participation in an ongoing lecture series for adults, and information on the project and results for the museum's library, which is accessed by bothlocals and visitors. Lastly, results of this study will benefit the long-term conservation and management of sea otters, nearshore marine ecosystems, and fisheries.

智力优势：PI 将利用碳、氮和氧的天然稳定同位素来定义海獭的营养位置，以及科迪亚克岛和东阿留申群岛从史前（距今 5000 年）到历史时期（过去 300 年）的变化情况阿拉斯加地区。将分析每个区域已知猎物物种的稳定同位素数据，以构建同位素食物网，并与海獭骨同位素比率随时间的变化进行比较。史前数据将来自于墓穴中的动物遗骸。 来自考古和现代贝壳的氧和碳稳定同位素数据以及来自海洋沉积物岩心的古代理数据将用于评估可能影响近岸生态系统的环境变化。 这些数据将用于评估海獭营养位置和丰度最近发生的巨大变化的机制解释。 将要研究的现有种群之一正在减少，而另一种群则状况良好。 了解这些不同的现代轨迹背后的机制具有基本的生态和管理意义。更广泛的影响：该项目的更广泛影响建立在跨学科研究、保护和管理方面。这将是对跨越数千年的关键物种同位素记录的首次单系统、多地理比较。这项研究将促进两所大学、博物馆和当地学校之间的跨学科研究、合作和教育。该项目包括一项与当地博物馆联合设计的外展计划，旨在提供青少年教育、参与正在进行的成人讲座系列，以及博物馆图书馆的项目信息和成果，当地人和游客都可以访问。最后，这项研究的结果将有利于海獭、近岸海洋生态系统和渔业的长期保护和管理。