Collaborative Research: Regional variation of phytoplankton diversity and biogeochemical functioning in the subtropical Indian Ocean

合作研究：副热带印度洋浮游植物多样性和生物地球化学功能的区域变化

• 批准号: 1559021
• 负责人: Michael Lomas
• 金额: $ 31.97万
• 依托单位: Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-02-15 至 2019-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1559021&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Regional; variation; phytoplankton

The Indian Ocean accounts for nearly a fifth of global ocean photosynthesis and is likely a key component in global ocean nutrient and carbon cycles. However, the Indian Ocean may be the least studied major marine body on the planet. Our limited understanding suggests extensive variations in physical and chemical environmental conditions, but how this variation influences biodiversity, nutrient stress, and more broadly regional differences in the functioning of phytoplankton is unknown. To help address these gaps, the investigators will conduct a study by joining an already-funded major research cruise to this region. It will cover a northern region with some of the highest temperatures recorded in open ocean waters, an area around 10°S of predicted (but not tested in situ) iron stress, and a southern subtropical gyre with unique nitrogen to phosphorous(or N:P) ratios. The focus of this project is to quantify and synthesize the interconnectedness of environmental conditions, phytoplankton diversity and genome content, and nutrient biogeochemistry, with the goal of understanding how these may lead to unique biogeochemical regions in Indian Ocean. The research will have broader impacts on many levels. First, it will increase public awareness of the role of phytoplankton on ocean functioning, climate, and people's lives through a new partnership with the Aquarium of the Pacific (AOP), which is the fourth most-attended aquarium in the nation. Secondly, the project will train a postdoctoral scholar as well as a graduate and undergraduate students. Third, the research will dramatically increase our basic knowledge ocean biogeochemistry and in many cases will be the first measurements of their kind made in the Indian Ocean.This project will address two major questions: How do environmental conditions, phytoplankton diversity, phytoplankton physiology, and biogeochemistry vary across the central Indian Ocean? Are there distinct biogeochemical regimes in the central IO? The researchers hypothesize that environmental conditions, including the relative availability of nitrogen (N) and iron (Fe), lead to three distinct phytoplankton communities and biogeochemical regimes. They will employ a series of advanced analytical tools including high sensitivity measurements of dissolved and particulate nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron), genomics, bioassays to test for nutrient stress, and cell-sorting of specific taxa followed by measures of nutrient content and uptake. A focus of this project is to quantify and synthesize the interconnectedness of environmental conditions, phytoplankton diversity and genome content, and nutrient biogeochemistry, and how these lead to unique biogeochemical regions in Indian Ocean. This extensive set of observations can ultimately be linked to ocean models and satellite data to provide a comprehensive view of regional differences in chemistry, biodiversity and phytoplankton biogeochemical functioning in the Indian Ocean.

印度洋几乎占全球海洋光合作用的五分之一，可能是全球海洋营养和碳周期中的关键组成部分。但是，印度洋可能是地球上研究的主要海洋团体。我们有限的理解表明，物理和化学环境条件上有很大的差异，但是这种变化如何影响生物多样性，营养应激以及浮游植物功能方面的区域差异尚不清楚。为了帮助解决这些差距，调查人员将通过加入已经资助的主要研究巡游来进行研究。它将覆盖一个北部地区，其中一些在开放海水中记录的最高温度，一个约10°s的预测（但未被原位测试）的铁应力，以及南部的亚热带回旋，具有独特的氮与磷（或N：P）的比率。该项目的重点是量化和综合环境条件，浮游植物多样性和基因组含量以及营养生物地球化学的相互联系，目的是了解它们如何导致印度洋中独特的生物地球化学区域。这项研究将对许多层面产生更大的影响。首先，它将通过与太平洋水族馆（AOP）建立新的合作伙伴关系来提高公众对浮游植物功能，气候和人们生活的意识，这是美国第四大水族馆。其次，该项目将培训博士后科学以及研究生和本科生。第三，这项研究将大大增加我们的基本知识海洋生物地球化学，在许多情况下，这将是印度洋中其类型的第一个衡量。该项目将解决两个主要问题：环境条件如何，浮游植物多样性，浮游植物生理学和生物学化学在印度海洋中各地vary vary？中央IO中是否存在独特的生物地球化学制度？研究人员假设环境条件，包括氮（N）和铁（FE）的相对可用性，导致了三个不同的浮游植物群落和生物地球化学制度。他们将采用一系列高级分析工具，包括对溶解和特定营养（氮，磷和铁）的高灵敏度测量，基因组学，生物测定以测试营养应激以及特定的分类单元的细胞分类，然后通过养分含量和养分进行测量。该项目的重点是量化和综合环境条件，浮游植物多样性和基因组含量以及营养生物地球化学的相互联系，以及这些如何导致印度洋的独特生物地球化学区域。这组广泛的观察结果最终可以与海洋模型和卫星数据联系起来，以全面了解印度洋化学，生物多样性和浮游植物生物地球化学功能的区域差异。