Collaborative Research: Reevaluating calcification response to changes in seawater chemistry by testing the Proton Flux Hypothesis and the Coral Metabolism Model

合作研究：通过测试质子通量假说和珊瑚代谢模型重新评估钙化对海水化学变化的响应

• 批准号: 2049406
• 负责人: Keisha Bahr
• 金额: $ 38.15万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-04-01 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2049406&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Reevaluating; calcification; response

Corals build calcium carbonate skeletons to maintain the three-dimensional structure of a coral reef, which provides habitat for many organisms and protects shorelines from bioerosion and storm damage. However, changes in ocean chemistry threaten the ability of corals to build and sustain these ecological important structures. To further the understanding of how climate change impacts coral reefs, this project investigates how changes in ocean carbonate chemistry directly influence coral calcification. The researchers are conducting a series of experiments on corals grown in seawater tanks to study corals responses to seawater chemistry in a changing ocean. Broader impacts of the project include student research opportunities, science-inquiry labs, and virtual learning. This project supports the training of several early career researchers, Ph.D. students, undergraduates, and high school students in the disciplines of chemistry, engineering, and marine ecology. Researchers partner with the Texas State Aquarium to communicate with the general public through a virtual research expedition series that will focus on coral reef health. This series includes interviews, behind the scene tours, and virtual dives on coral reefs in Hawaii.This project examines the fundamental connections between seawater chemistry and coral physiology by investigating the modulation of seawater chemistry in the microenvironment surrounding corals. Specifically, this project 1) examines the response of corals to differing carbonate chemistry and 2) characterizes the proton gradient across the corals' boundary layers under differing ocean acidification conditions. Results of this work isolate whether carbonate ions or hydrogen ions have a stronger influence on calcification rates. This work utilizes a state-of-the-art experimental mesocosm facility that combines an automated systems to simultaneously and independently control both total alkalinity and carbon dioxide in the tanks to examine coral response under different carbon chemistry scenarios. Small-scale gradients in carbon chemistry surrounding the corals are being characterized using an innovative solid-state, reagentless sensor capable of making simultaneous measurements of two critical carbon system parameters. Coral biological response variables are quantified during short-term incubations and long-term mesocosm manipulations to understand physiological implications across multiple scales (i.e., individual and community scales) and across boundary layers.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.

珊瑚建立碳酸钙骨架以维持珊瑚礁的三维结构，该结构为许多生物提供了栖息地，并保护海岸线免受生物膜和风暴损害。但是，海洋化学的变化威胁着珊瑚建立和维持这些生态重要结构的能力。为了进一步了解气候变化如何影响珊瑚礁，该项目研究了海洋碳酸盐化学的变化如何直接影响珊瑚钙化。研究人员正在对在海水储罐中生长的珊瑚进行一系列实验，以研究珊瑚对海水化学的反应。 该项目的更广泛影响包括学生研究机会，科学侵犯实验室和虚拟学习。该项目支持对几位早期职业研究人员博士的培训。在化学，工程和海洋生态学科的学生，大学生和高中生。研究人员与德克萨斯州水族馆合作，通过虚拟研究探险系列与公众沟通，该系列将着重于珊瑚礁健康。该系列包括访谈，场景之后的访谈以及夏威夷珊瑚礁的虚拟潜水。该项目通过调查围绕珊瑚的微环境中海水化学的调节，研究了海水化学与珊瑚生理学之间的基本联系。具体而言，该项目1）检查珊瑚对不同碳酸盐化学的反应，2）在不同的海洋酸化条件下，珊瑚对珊瑚边界层的质子梯度表征。这项工作的结果隔离了碳酸盐离子还是氢离子对钙化速率的影响更大。这项工作利用了最先进的实验中辅助设施，该设施结合了自动化系统，可以同时且独立地控制储罐中的总碱度和二氧化碳，以检查不同碳化学方案下的珊瑚反应。使用创新的固态，无试剂的传感器，可以同时测量两个关键的碳系统参数。在短期孵化和长期中辅中心操作中，量化了珊瑚生物学反应变量，以了解多个尺度（即个人和社区量表）和边界层之间的生理含义。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过基金会的知识优点和广泛的影响来评估NSF的法定任务，并被视为值得通过评估来进行评估。