Collaborative Research: Revealing the changing trophic niches of large herbivorous fish on modern coral reefs using an interdisciplinary approach

合作研究：利用跨学科方法揭示现代珊瑚礁上大型草食性鱼类营养生态位的变化

• 批准号: 2232882
• 负责人: Matthieu Leray
• 金额: $ 13.45万
• 依托单位: Smithsonian Institution
• 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: 2023-09-01 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2232882&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Revealing; changing; trophic

Globally, coral reefs are experiencing human-induced disturbances with growing intensity and pace. Coral recovery after a disturbance is shaped, in part, by whether grazing herbivores prevent harmful algae from blooming and taking over the reef. This important grazing activity is carried out by a diverse group of co-existing herbivorous fish species, such as parrotfishes and surgeonfishes, which collectively control algae and thereby facilitate coral recovery. However, the specific types of algae that many of these fish feed on is largely unknown. It is also unknown if the feeding behaviors of these herbivores are constant, or instead depend on reef condition such as loss of coral. More detailed studies of herbivore diets are needed to understand how these species co-exist, as well as which species have unique roles and underpin key ecosystem processes on modern reefs. The aims of this project are thus to (a) define the feeding behaviors and diets of herbivorous fishes on healthy coral reefs – using both traditional and cutting-edge techniques – to better quantify resource partitioning among these herbivores, and (b) determine whether and how the feeding ecology of each herbivore shifts with changing reef conditions. To accomplish these objectives, the research team is focusing on core members of the coral reef herbivorous fish assemblage and quantifying their feeding ecology on reefs that range from minimally impacted to heavily degraded. By revealing hidden aspects of herbivore feeding, as well as which herbivorous fishes serve unique ecological roles, this project stands to reshape our understanding of coral reef ecology. More broadly, this project is: (1) cross-training a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students in cutting-edge scientific methods, (2) augmenting public data repositories to foster scientific discovery across the wider scientific community, (3) sharing results with resource managers to enhance decision-making processes, and (4) increasing public science literacy and engagement via the co-development of visual art.On coral reefs, many herbivorous fish species co-exist and exert strong impacts on benthic communities via top-down control of a diverse algal assemblage. However, resource partitioning among these species is not fully understood and the extent of niche overlaps that exist among herbivorous fishes remains unknown. It also remains unknown how the feeding activities and diet (i.e., the “trophic niche”) of each herbivore shifts in response to changing ecosystem context, such as the loss of coral. Broad, higher-resolution studies are thus needed to understand how these species co-exist, as well as which species are functionally unique and underpin key ecosystem processes on modern reefs. The researchers’ preliminary work showed that DNA metabarcoding of gut contents, a cutting-edge tool, vastly improves niche descriptions for herbivorous fishes. This technique illuminates fine-scale differences among species, thus complementing previous approaches that, albeit coarser, quantify the niche at larger scales of space and time. The aims of this project are to (a) define the trophic niches of key herbivorous fishes on healthy reefs – using a combination of field observations, traditional diet tracing methods, compound-specific isotopes, and high-resolution DNA metabarcoding of gut contents – to better quantify the types and degree of trophic niche partitioning in such ecosystems, and (b) determine whether and how herbivore niches shift with changing reef condition. To meet these objectives, the researchers are characterizing the trophic niches of key members of the coral reef herbivorous fish guild (via the aforementioned methods) at numerous study sites that span a gradient of reef condition. By quantifying herbivore niche overlaps on healthy reefs, species-level niche expansions or contractions as a function of reef decline, and resultant impacts to total trophic niche breadth, this research is reshaping our understanding of large consumers on coral reefs, with implications for managing fisheries and reef processes simultaneously. More broadly, this study provides new insights into the niche – a fundamental concept in ecology that underlies topics ranging from species coexistence to the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function.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.

在全球范围内，珊瑚礁正在经历人类引起的灾难，强度和空间不断增长。灾难后的珊瑚恢复是部分原因是放牧食草动物是否可以防止有害的藻类开花和接管礁石。这项重要的放牧活动是由一群共存的草食性鱼类（例如鹦鹉鱼和外科医生）进行的潜水员群体进行的，它们共同控制藻类，从而最受欢迎的珊瑚恢复。但是，许多这些鱼类的特定藻类类型在很大程度上未知。这些食草动物的饲喂行为是否恒定，还是取决于珊瑚礁状况，例如珊瑚的丧失，这也未知。需要对草食动物饮食进行更详细的研究，以了解这些物种如何共存以及哪些物种在现代礁石上具有独特的作用和基础关键生态系统过程。因此，该项目的目的是（a）使用传统和尖端技术来定义健康珊瑚礁中草食性鱼类的饲养行为和饮食，以更好地量化这些草食动物之间的资源分配，以及（b）确定以及如何以及如何以及如何以及如何以及如何随着礁石状况而变化的每种草食动物转变。为了实现这些目标，研究团队专注于珊瑚礁草食鱼组合的核心成员，并量化其对从微小影响到严重退化的礁石的饲养生态。通过揭示草食动物喂养的隐藏方面，以及草食鱼类扮演着独特的生态角色，该项目代表着我们对珊瑚礁生态学的理解。 More broadly, this project is: (1) cross-training a divers group of undergraduate and graduate students in cutting-edge scientific methods, (2) augmenting public data repositories to foster scientific discovery across the wider scientific community, (3) sharing results with resource managers to enhance decision-making processes, and (4) increasing public science literacy and engagement via the co-development of visual art.On coral reefs, many herbivorous FISH物种通过自上而下的潜水员藻类组合对底栖群落产生强烈影响。但是，这些物种之间的资源分配尚不完全了解，而在草食性鱼类中存在的小众重叠程度仍然未知。尚不清楚每种草食动物转变的喂养活动和饮食（即“营养的生态位”）如何响应改变生态系统含量（例如珊瑚的丧失）。因此，需要进行广泛的高分辨率研究，以了解这些物种如何共存以及哪些物种在功能上是独特的，并且是现代礁石上的关键生态系统过程。研究人员的初步工作表明，DNA的肠道含量（一种尖端工具）极大地改善了食草鱼类的利基描述。这种技术照亮了物种之间的细尺度差异，从而完成了以前的方法，尽管更粗糙，但在更大的时空和时间范围内都量化了利基市场。该项目的目的是（a）使用现场观察，传统的饮食追踪方法，化合物特异性同位素和高分辨率DNA DNA质量编码的结合来定义健康珊瑚礁关键鱼类的营养壁ni，并确定是否可以更好地量化这种类型和程度的niche nichice and and-ecos and ecos and ecosing and ecos and-ecosing and ecos and-ecosing and ecos and-ecos and。食草动物利基因改变礁石状况而变化。为了实现这些目标，研究人员正在表征珊瑚礁草食性鱼协会的主要成员（通过优先的方法）在跨越礁石状况梯度的许多研究地点。通过量化对健康珊瑚礁，物种水平的利基扩张或宫缩的重叠，作为珊瑚礁下降的函数以及对总营养元素宽度的影响，这项研究使我们对大型消费者对珊瑚礁的理解，对渔业和珊瑚礁流程的含义重塑了我们的理解。从更广泛的角度来看，这项研究提供了对生态学的新见解 - 生态学的基本概念是基于物种共存到生物多样性与生态系统功能之间关系的主题的基础。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用该基金会的知识分子优点和广泛的影响来评估NSF的法定任务，并被视为诚实的支持。