Collaborative Research: Visual adaptations in hydrothermal vent shrimp and the role in feeding modalities and habitat selection

合作研究：热液喷口虾的视觉适应及其在摄食方式和栖息地选择中的作用

• 批准号: 2154168
• 负责人: Heather Bracken-Grissom
• 金额: $ 41.42万
• 依托单位: Florida International University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-08-01 至 2025-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2154168&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Visual; adaptations; hydrothermal

Hydrothermal vents have given rise to remarkable marine ecosystems that contain organisms with specific adaptations for surviving in this extreme environment. Alvinocarid decapod shrimp are among the most abundant animals inhabiting these habitats and can be found in massive swarms at Pacific, Indian and Atlantic vent sites. Different species are found at different vent sites; and when species occupy the same vent site, some species are found close to the vents, with others on the periphery. Previous studies have demonstrated that vent shrimp species with enlarged eyes on their backs rely primarily on carbon provided by bacteria on the sides of black smokers, while others with fused, forward-facing eyes are predators/scavengers, around the vent periphery, suggesting that there may be a correlation between eye structure, feeding mode and habitat selection. However, adult vent shrimp are thought to be blind, but this conclusion may have resulted from the eyes being severely damaged due to collections under extremely bright submersible lights. Using methods the PIs have developed over decades to collect deep-sea species with extremely sensitive visual systems without blinding them, the visual systems of vent shrimp will be examined. These studies will be coupled with a systematic survey of pelagic and benthic light production (luminescence – both non-living chemiluminescence and triboluminescence as well as biological bioluminescence) at the vents to determine if vent shrimp can see any of these light sources. The results of this research will significantly advance the fields of vent biology and visual ecology, potentially transforming our current understanding of how light is generated at vent sites and how animals use this light to survive, as well as providing possible hypotheses as to how vent shrimp find these locations, and why different vents (diffuse, white smokers, black smokers) are dominated by different shrimp species. This proposal will support three graduate students, one postdoc and six undergraduate students, and outreach will be extended to secondary schools in underserved regions in three states by creating curriculum and activities correlated with this research that will help teachers blend this research into their STEM curricula. Originally described as eyeless, vent shrimp are now known to undergo dramatic transformations in eye morphology with some species having massive fused eyes on their backs (dorsal eyes), while others have fused anterior eyes, and these different eye structures may be correlated with their feeding preferences. However, all the structural studies that have been undertaken on the benthic adults suggest that they are blind or the eyes are degenerating. In addition, the supposition that the vent environment lacked enough ambient light to make the metabolic costs of vision worthwhile supported this conclusion. Other structural studies, however, demonstrated that the pelagic post-larvae/juveniles have stalked eyes with normal ultrastructure, and it is therefore unlikely that the metamorphosis from normal stalked eyes (post-larvae) to the huge dorsal eyes (adults) results in a degenerated eye. The “degeneration” likely resulted from photoreceptor destruction occurring during collections of benthic adults under extremely bright submersible lights. There may also be several sources of sufficient ambient light produced by both abiotic triboluminescence/chemiluminescence as well as bioluminescence. Although several studies suggest bioluminescence does not exist at these vent sites, incorrect methodology may have resulted in this conclusion. This project will use genetic techniques to allow for post-larvae-adult matching; physiological experiments to provide information on photosensitivity (absolute sensitivity as well as color sensitivity, as there has been speculation that the benthic adults may be able to see infrared light) in both post-larval and adult shrimp; ultrastructural techniques to characterize eyes collected in the dark as well as under bright submersible lights; and low-light imaging techniques to examine sources of abiotic and biotic light in the vent environments. These data will be utilized together with computation modeling to determine if vent light sources are visible to hydrothermal vent shrimp eyes over relevant distances. These unusual visual systems of vent shrimp, likely serving as extremely sensitive light receptors, may also serve as a model for low-light camera systems, much as the optics of lobster eyes served as a model for designing an ultra-sensitive X-ray telescope.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.

水热通风孔引起了显着的海洋生态系统，这些生态系统包含在这种极端环境中具有特定适应生存的生物的生物。 Alvinocarid Decapod收缩是居住在这些栖息地中最丰富的动物之一，可以在太平洋，印度和大西洋通风口的大量群中找到。在不同的排气位置发现了不同的物种；当物种占据同一排气位置时，有些物种靠近通风口，而另一些物种则在周围。先前的研究表明，背部眼睛上越来越多的眼睛的通风虾依赖于黑人吸烟者侧面提供的细菌提供的碳，而其他具有融合的，前向眼睛的眼睛则是捕食者/清除剂，这表明眼睛结构，喂食模式和栖息地的选择之间可能存在相关性。但是，人们认为成年的排气虾是盲目的，但是由于在极明亮的潜水灯下的收集，这一结论可能是由于眼睛严重受损而导致的。使用方法，PI已开发了数十年来，以极其敏感的视觉系统收集深海物种，而不会使它们视而不见，将检查Vent Shrimp的视觉系统。这些研究将与通风孔的骨髓和底栖光生产的系统调查（发光 - 非生存的化学发光和生物发光以及生物发光）相结合，以确定通风虾是否可以看到任何这些光源。这项研究的结果将显着推进通风生物学和视觉生态学领域，有可能改变我们对排气场所如何产生光以及动物如何利用这种光生存的理解，并提供通气虾如何找到这些位置的可能的假设，以及为什么不同的通风孔（差异，白人吸烟者，黑人吸烟者，黑人吸烟者，黑人吸烟者）由不同的shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink shrink sprinins。该建议将支持三名研究生，一名博士后和六个本科生，外展将通过创建与这项研究相关的三个州服务不足地区的中学，以帮助教师将这项研究融合到他们的STEM课程中。最初被描述为无眼的缩水，现在已经知道眼睛形态会发生急剧变化，一些物种的背部有大量融合的眼睛（背侧眼），而其他物种则融合了前眼睛，而这些不同的眼睛结构可能与其喂食偏好相关。但是，对底栖成年人进行的所有结构研究都表明他们是盲目的或眼睛退化。此外，通风孔环境缺乏足够的环境光以使视力的代谢成本值得支持这一结论的假设。然而，其他结构研究表明，上骨后大型/少年的眼睛具有正常的超微结构，因此不太可能在变性眼中从正常的缠扰眼（肺部后）到巨大的背眼（成年人）的变形。 “变性”可能是由于在极明亮的潜水灯下的底栖成年人收集期间发生的感光受体破坏而引起的。也可能有几种由非生物互动/化学发光以及生物发光产生的足够环境光的来源。尽管几项研究表明在这些排气位点不存在生物发光，但错误的方法可能导致了这一结论。该项目将使用遗传技术来允许在大量成年后进行匹配。提供有关光敏性信息的物理实验（绝对灵敏度和颜色敏感性，因为有人猜测，底栖成年人可能能够在大流球后和成人收缩中看到红外光）；超微结构技术的特征是在黑暗和明亮的潜水灯下收集的眼睛；以及低光成像技术，可在通风孔环境中检查非生物和生物光的来源。这些数据将与计算建模一起使用，以确定在相关距离上，水热虾眼是否可见。这些不寻常的视觉系统的视觉系统可能充当极敏感的光受体，也可以作为低光相机系统的模型，就像龙虾眼的光学元件是设计超敏感的X射线望远镜的模型一样。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过评估了基金会的范围，并通过评估了基金会的Merit和BroadItal and tobleit and Intervial and throughia and Intervial and tobleit and Intervial and Intervial and Intervial and Intervial and Intervial and Intervial and Intervial and throbiria and robleit and throbiria and robleit和broaditial and robleit。