Doctoral Dissertation Research: The role of early life-stage bottlenecks in Arctic benthic fjord communities

博士论文研究：早期生命阶段瓶颈在北极底栖峡湾群落中的作用

• 批准号: 2330851
• 负责人: Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser
• 金额: $ 6.06万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-02-15 至 2026-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2330851&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; role; early

Given the remoteness of much of the Arctic, fundamental ecosystem functions are still little understood in many parts of the region. For example, we know little about the early life stages of seafloor invertebrates - embryos, larvae, and juveniles – which are vital for the health of marine ecosystems but are especially vulnerable to environmental stressors. This dissertation research will focus on documenting the life cycles of seafloor invertebrate animals to understand how seafloor communities are impacted by a warming climate. While current research has shown that seafloor community changes over space and depth in Arctic glacial fjords, it is currently unknown how dispersal and mortality in the early life stages of these animals shape these gradients. This research will identify when and where young organisms settle to the seafloor and characterize mortality rates throughout a glacial fjord. The research will demonstrate how environmental stressors, such as warming temperatures or the introduction of invasive species, can impact animals’ life cycles and drive the gradients in their communities. This study will address three critical questions in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard: (1) How do the distributions of benthic invertebrate larvae vary across temporal and spatial scales? (2) How does settlement (e.g., rate and species composition) vary across a glacially dominated fjord? (3) What are the patterns of post-settlement mortality in an Arctic hard bottom system? A newly-invented camera system will be deployed in Kongsfjorden to continuously and autonomously observe settlement and post-settlement mortality in benthic invertebrates for the first time. Larval samples will be collected using plankton nets and identified using integrative morphological and molecular taxonomy to understand dispersal patterns for both local species and those moving north from lower latitudes. Additionally, the integrative taxonomy will yield a paired photographic and genetic dataset to aid in morphological identification of larvae that will be made available to other researchers. These innovative approaches will allow for refined predictions of climate impacts in glacially influenced polar fjords. This project will also promote Arctic education by producing interactive data and materials for use by a wide range of K-12 educators and students.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.

鉴于北极大部分地区地处偏远，该地区许多地区的基本生态系统功能仍然知之甚少，例如，我们对海底无脊椎动物的早期生命阶段（胚胎、幼虫和幼体）知之甚少，而这些阶段对北极至关重要。海洋生态系统的健康，但特别容易受到环境压力的影响，本论文研究将重点记录海底无脊椎动物的生命周期，以了解海底群落如何受到气候变暖的影响，而目前的研究表明海底群落发生了变化。在北极冰川峡湾的空间和深度上，目前尚不清楚这些动物生命早期阶段的扩散和死亡率如何影响这些梯度。这项研究将确定年轻生物体何时何地定居在海底，并描述整个冰川峡湾的死亡率。该研究将展示环境压力因素（例如气温升高或入侵物种的引入）如何影响动物的生命周期并驱动其群落的梯度。这项研究将解决 Kongsfjorden 的三个关键问题：斯瓦尔巴特群岛：（1）底栖无脊椎动物幼虫的分布在时间和空间尺度上有何变化？（2）在冰川主导的峡湾中，沉降（例如速率和物种组成）有何变化？ -北极硬底系统的沉降死亡率？将在 Kongsfjorden 部署新发明的摄像系统，以连续、自主地观察底栖动物的沉降和沉降后死亡率。将首次使用浮游生物网收集幼虫样本，并使用综合形态学和分子分类学进行识别，以了解当地物种和从低纬度地区向北迁移的物种的扩散模式此外，综合分类学将产生配对的摄影和遗传。这些创新方法将有助于对受冰川影响的极地的气候影响进行精确预测。该项目还将通过制作交互式数据和材料来促进北极教育，供广泛的 K-12 教育工作者和学生使用。该奖项是 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和知识进行评估，被认为值得支持。更广泛的影响审查标准。