Predicting spatial and temporal responses of herbivorous coral reef fishes to sediment runoff

预测草食性珊瑚礁鱼类对沉积物径流的时空响应

• 批准号: 2210070
• 负责人: Jacob Johansen
• 金额: $ 117.38万
• 依托单位: University of Hawaii
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-02-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2210070&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Predicting; spatial; temporal; responses; herbivorous

Tropical coral reefs are one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems but are rapidly degrading due to anthropogenic threats. Sediment runoff is associated with coral decline and algal dominance, yet we have a limited understanding of the impacts of sediment on reef organisms, including on herbivorous fishes that prevent uncontrolled algae growth. The investigators are examining the effects of sedimentation on several species of herbivorous reef fish, including whether they remain in or evacuate affected reefs. They are also characterizing the relationship between sedimentation, herbivory rates, and coral cover. Outcomes are informing reef management efforts by identifying critical sediment thresholds that may preserve herbivore biomass and algal removal rates. This project will provide research training for undergraduates, graduate students, and a postdoctoral scientist. The investigators are promoting coral reef education to local communities through a new partnership with the Hawai’i Science Inquiry Education Program (SIEP), an “early admit” college course that includes a culturally framed research experience for high school students. Finally, results of this project are being shared widely via a TV episode on Voice of the Sea, an established TV and online streaming series that connects research and culture.Sediment runoff is associated with coral degradation and shifts from coral- to algal-dominance. Herbivorous fishes are critical in preventing and/or reversing phase shifts, yet recent findings reveal extreme sensitivity of herbivorous reef fishes to sediment exposure, which in turn may lead to rapid decline in abundance and top-down algal control. The main goal of this project is to reveal how and to what extent sediment exposure erodes fish function in coral reef ecosystems. The investigators are combining field ecology, animal behavior, and mathematical modeling to address three main objectives: 1) Assessment of spatio-temporal functional responses of herbivorous fishes to sediment gradients in the wild; 2) Validation of behavioral responses of herbivorous fishes to sediment exposure in-vivo; and 3) Construction of a mechanistic framework for predicting consequences of sediment runoff for the delivery of herbivorous fish functions and coral-algal dynamics on vulnerable reefs. Overall, this study offers an integrated view of what characterizes sediment exposure limits and what goes wrong when limits are surpassed, while clarifying the mechanistic links between sedimentation, herbivory, and the risk of ecological phase shifts. Outcomes are establishing sublethal limits to sedimentation to inform conservation and management efforts and are being shared with stakeholders in Hawai’i. This project is jointly funded by the Biological Oceanography Program in NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.

热带珊瑚礁是世界上生物多样性最丰富的生态系统之一，但由于人为威胁，沉积物径流正在迅速退化。沉积物径流与珊瑚衰退和藻类优势有关，但我们对沉积物对珊瑚礁生物（包括草食性鱼类）的影响了解有限。研究人员正在研究沉积物对几种草食性珊瑚鱼的影响，包括它们是否留在或撤离受影响的珊瑚礁。该项目将为本科生、研究生和博士后科学家提供研究培训，研究沉积作用、食草率和珊瑚覆盖率之间的关系，通过确定可保护食草动物生物量和藻类去除率的关键沉积阈值，为珊瑚礁管理工作提供信息。研究人员正在通过与夏威夷科学探究教育计划 (SIEP) 建立新的合作伙伴关系，向当地社区推广珊瑚礁教育，这是一门“提前录取”大学课程，其中包括为高中生提供文化框架下的研究体验。最后，该项目的结果通过《海洋之声》的电视剧集得到广泛分享，这是一个连接研究和文化的成熟电视和在线流媒体系列。沉积物径流与珊瑚退化以及从珊瑚主导向藻类主导的转变有关。食草鱼类对于防止和/或逆转相变至关重要，但最近的研究结果表明，食草珊瑚鱼对沉积物暴露极其敏感，这反过来可能导致丰度迅速下降和自上而下的藻类控制。研究人员将野外生态学、动物行为和数学模型结合起来，以揭示沉积物暴露如何以及在多大程度上侵蚀了珊瑚礁生态系统中的鱼类功能，以实现三个主要目标：1）评估草食性鱼类的时空功能反应。野外沉积物梯度；2) 验证草食性鱼类对体内沉积物暴露的行为反应；3) 构建预测沉积物径流影响的机制框架；总体而言，这项研究提供了沉积物暴露限制的特征以及超过限制时会出现什么问题的综合观点，同时阐明了沉积物、食草性和生态风险之间的机制联系。成果是建立亚致死的沉积限制，为保护和管理工作提供信息，并与夏威夷的利益相关者共享该项目由美国国家科学基金会海洋部门的生物海洋学计划共​​同资助。科学和刺激竞争性研究的既定计划 (EPSCoR)。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。