Collaborative Research: A New Baseline for Antarctic Blue and Fin Whales

合作研究：南极蓝鲸和长须鲸的新基线

• 批准号: 1927709
• 负责人: Ari Friedlaender
• 金额: $ 24.32万
• 依托单位: University of California-Santa Cruz
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2022-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1927709&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; New; Baseline; Antarctic

Blue and fin whales are the two largest animals on the planet, and the two largest krill predators in the Southern Ocean. Commercial whaling in Antarctic waters started in the early 1900?s, and by the 1970's whale populations were reduced from thousands to only a few hundred individuals. The absence of data about whale biology and ecology prior to these large population reductions has limited our understanding of how the ecosystem functioned when cetacean populations were more robust. However, an archive of baleen plates from 800 Antarctic blue and fin whales harvested between 1946 and 1948 was recently rediscovered in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History that will shed insight into historic whale ecology. As baleen grows, it incorporates circulating hormones, and compounds from the whale's diet, recording continuous biological and oceanographic information across multiple years. This project will apply a suite of modern molecular techniques to these archived specimens to ask how blue and fin whale foraging and reproduction responded to climate variability, changes at the base of the food web, and whaling activities in the early 1940s. By comparison with more modern datasets, these investigations will fill major gaps in understanding of the largest krill predators, their response to disturbance and environmental change, and the impact that commercial whaling has had on the structure and function of the Antarctic marine ecosystem. This project will improve stem education through annual programming for middle and high school girls in partnership with UNCW's Marine Quest program. Public outreach will occur through partnerships with the Smithsonian and the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators to deliver emerging research on Antarctic ecosystems and highlight the contemporary relevance and scientific value of museum collections. Examination of past conditions and adaptations of polar biota is fundamental to predictions of future climate change scenarios. The baleen record that will be used in this study forms an ideal experimental platform for studying bottom-up, top-down and anthropogenic impacts on blue and fin whales. This historic baleen archive includes years with strong climate and temperature anomalies allowing the influence of climate variability on predators and the ecosystems that support them to be examined. Additionally, the impact of commercial whaling on whale stress levels will be investigated by comparing years of intensive whaling with the non-whaling years of WWII, both of which are captured in the time series. There are three main approaches to this project. First, bulk stable isotope analysis will be used to examine the trophic dynamics of Antarctic blue and fin whales. Second, compound-specific stable isotope analyses (CSIA-AA) will characterize the biogeochemistry of the base of the Antarctic food web. Finally, analyses of hormone levels in baleen will reveal differences in stress levels and reproductive status of individuals, and inform understanding of cetacean population biology. This project will generate a new public data archive to foster research opportunities across various components of the OPP program, all free from the logistical constraints of Antarctic field work.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

蓝色和鳍鲸是地球上两种最大的动物，也是南大洋中两个最大的磷虾捕食者。南极水域的商业捕鲸始于1900年代初，到1970年的鲸鱼种群从数千人减少到只有几百个人。在这些大量人群减少之前，缺乏有关鲸鱼生物学和生态学的数据，这限制了我们对生态系统在鲸类人群更加稳健时如何运作的理解。然而，最近在史密森尼国家自然历史博物馆重新发现了1946年至1948年收获的800个南极蓝色和鳍鲸的档案，这些档案将使历史上的鲸鱼生态学深入了解。随着Baleen的成长，它结合了循环激素和鲸鱼饮食中的化合物，在多年内记录了连续的生物学和海洋学信息。该项目将在这些存档的标本中应用一套现代分子技术，以询问蓝色和鳍鲸的觅食和繁殖如何应对气候变化，食物网的基础上的变化以及1940年代初期的捕鲸活动。与更现代的数据集相比，这些研究将填补对最大磷虾捕食者的主要空白，对扰动和环境变化的反应以及商业捕鲸对南极海洋生态系统的结构和功能的影响。该项目将通过与UNCW的Marine Quest计划合作，通过中学和高中女生的年度编程来改善STEM教育。公众推广将通过与史密森尼和国际南极旅游经营者协会的合作伙伴关系，以提供有关南极生态系统的新兴研究，并强调博物馆收藏的当代相关性和科学价值。对过去的状况和极性生物群的适应性的检查是对未来气候变化情景的预测的基础。这项研究将使用的Baleen记录构成了研究自下而上，自上而下和人为影响蓝色和鳍鲸的理想实验平台。这个历史悠久的Baleen档案包括具有强烈气候和温度异常的岁月，允许气候变异性对捕食者和支持它们进行检查的生态系统的影响。此外，将通过比较多年的密集捕鲸与第二次世界大战的非鲸鱼年份进行比较，将研究商业捕鲸对鲸鱼应力水平的影响，这两者均在时间序列中捕获。该项目有三种主要方法。首先，将使用大量稳定同位素分析来检查南极蓝和鳍鲸的营养动力学。其次，化合物特异性稳定的同位素分析（CSIA-AA）将表征南极食品底部的生物地球化学。最后，对Baleen中激素水平的分析将揭示个人的压力水平和个体生殖状况的差异，并告知对鲸类种群生物学的理解。该项目将生成一个新的公共数据档案，以促进OPP计划的各个组成部分的研究机会，这一切都没有南极现场工作的后勤限制。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的评估来获得的支持。智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。

项目成果

Investigation of keratinase digestion to improve steroid hormone extraction from diverse keratinous tissues

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113795
• 发表时间: 2021-04-28
• 期刊: GENERAL AND COMPARATIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY
• 影响因子: 2.7
• 作者: Dillon, Danielle;Ajo, Alejandro Fernandez;Buck, C. Loren
• 通讯作者: Buck, C. Loren

Optimizing hormone extraction protocols for whale baleen: Tackling questions of solvent:sample ratio and variation

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113828
• 发表时间: 2022-01-01
• 期刊: GENERAL AND COMPARATIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY
• 影响因子: 2.7
• 作者: Fernandez Ajo, Alejandro;Hunt, Kathleen E.;Loren Buck, C.
• 通讯作者: Loren Buck, C.