Deep sea corals in the South Atlantic: new insights from an interdisciplinary study

南大西洋深海珊瑚：跨学科研究的新见解

基本信息

批准号：
NE/R005117/1
负责人：
Laura Robinson
金额：
$ 5.11万
依托单位：
University of Bristol
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2018
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2018 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FR005117%2F1
关键词：
Deep sea corals South Atlantic

项目摘要

Ubiquitous to all oceans, scleractinian corals have been the main framework builders in the shallow and deep-sea since the Triassic. In contrast to their shallow-water counterparts, cold-water corals (also known as azooxanthellate or deep-sea corals) do not live in symbiosis with photosynthetic dinoflagellates. This means that they can live deep within the ocean without the need for light. Occurrences of deep-sea corals have been reported from Antarctica to the Arctic and down to depths as great as 6,300 m. Despite their global distribution, and potential importance in forming habitats, little is known about the controls on their distributions. With ongoing changes to the ocean environment it is timely to consider the potential vulnerability of these important ecosystems. This proposal represents a unique opportunity to combine the efforts of deep-sea coral researchers in the UK (Laura Robinson and Michelle Taylor) and Brazil (Marcelo V. Kitahara). The project seeks to initiate a long-term partnership which aims to build a coherent view of the long term controls (both today and in the past) on deep-sea corals in the South Atlantic.The South Atlantic holds numerous records of deep-sea coral species, especially on the Brazilian Margin - extending onto seamounts and ridges. These records encompass more than 60 species of which some are purported to form the largest deep-water coral reefs in the world. Such large reefs are formed under the influence of several water masses originating in both the high northern and southern latitudes. These waters have very different properties such as nutrient concentrations, pH and temperature. With this diversity in habitat and water column properties the South Atlantic is an ideal testing ground to explore the large scale controls on deep-sea corals in space and time. With access to samples to the North and South of Brazil (UK collaborators) and within the South Atlantic (Brazil) and with world leading expertise in taxonomy, genetics, deep sea ecology and coral mineralogy, growth rate, geochemistry and past climates we are proposing to come together in a new collaboration to share our ideas, samples and techniques. Within the two-year program we will organise exchange visits, establish a shared data base, share samples and access to laboratories. During the project we will seek to establish additional support to continue these efforts beyond the scope of this initial pump priming proposal.

自三叠纪以来，石珊瑚在所有海洋中无处不在，一直是浅海和深海的主要框架构建者。与浅水珊瑚不同，冷水珊瑚（也称为偶黄藻或深海珊瑚）不与光合甲藻共生。这意味着它们可以生活在海洋深处而不需要光。据报道，从南极洲到北极，深海深处 6,300 米都曾出现过深海珊瑚。尽管它们分布在全球，并且在形成栖息地方面具有潜在的重要性，但对其分布的控制却知之甚少。随着海洋环境的不断变化，我们需要及时考虑这些重要生态系统的潜在脆弱性。该提案提供了一个独特的机会，可以将英国（Laura Robinson 和 Michelle Taylor）和巴西（Marcelo V. Kitahara）的深海珊瑚研究人员的努力结合起来。该项目旨在建立长期伙伴关系，旨在对南大西洋深海珊瑚的长期控制（今天和过去）建立一致的看法。南大西洋拥有大量深海珊瑚记录。珊瑚物种，特别是在巴西边缘 - 延伸到海山和山脊。这些记录涵盖 60 多个物种，其中一些据称形成了世界上最大的深水珊瑚礁。如此大的珊瑚礁是在源自北纬和南纬高纬度的几个水团的影响下形成的。这些水具有截然不同的特性，例如营养物浓度、pH 值和温度。由于栖息地和水柱特性的多样性，南大西洋是探索对深海珊瑚在空间和时间上的大规模控制的理想试验场。通过获取巴西北部和南部（英国合作者）以及南大西洋（巴西）的样本，并在分类学、遗传学、深海生态学和珊瑚矿物学、增长率、地球化学和过去的气候方面拥有世界领先的专业知识，我们建议进行新的合作，分享我们的想法、样品和技术。在两年的计划中，我们将组织互访、建立共享数据库、共享样本和实验室访问权。在项目期间，我们将寻求建立额外的支持，以在最初的泵启动提案的范围之外继续这些努力。