Physiological and biochemical insights into the biology of marine vertebrates and the ecosystems within which they function

对海洋脊椎动物及其功能的生态系统的生物学的生理和生化见解

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-04374
• 负责人: Iverson, Sara
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: Dalhousie University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=612925
• 关键词: Physiological; biochemical; insights; into; biology

My research program combines the fields of lipid biochemistry and metabolism, energetics, comparative physiology and ecology of marine vertebrates to better understand their varied life history strategies and how they cope with, or may be constrained by, changing environmental conditions. We use a suite of tools ranging from biochemical tracers to tracking technology to whole animal energetic measurements, in conjunction with measures of other life history characteristics. A major goal of my program has been to use my studies on fatty acid (FA) metabolism and biosynthesis to understand deposition and processing of FAs from diet, in order to develop a relatively non-invasive method to determine diets of free-ranging marine and terrestrial animals from their metabolically active fat stores (quantitative FA signature analysis, QFASA). Knowledge of diets is critical to understanding animal energetics, trophic dependencies and life histories of individuals and populations; it is thus also a critical component to understanding food web structure, ecosystem dynamics and responses of animal populations to environmental change. Over the next funding cycle, we will advance the accuracy and precision of QFASA procedures using new statistical techniques, develop methodology to address questions stemming from real-life data, and compile these new tools into a published QFASA package in “R” that will be readily accessible to other investigators. These tools, validated with additional new captive studies, will be used in all of our other work. Building on our newly initiated studies in the North Pacific Ocean, we will use a combination of physiological sampling and positional telemetry techniques to examine the potential drivers of both real-time and carry-over effects on physiology in marine animals, and how variations in ocean climate, winter migration patterns, and foraging effort before and during the breeding season differentially or collectively affect future pre-breeding condition, reproductive investment, and breeding success. We will expand our studies using grey seals as a model species to examine sources and drivers of variation in lactation performance, juvenile survival and recruitment, and lifetime reproductive success, and we will examine individual specialization in resource utilization, its impacts on the ecosystem, and the influence of long-term (4 decades) environmental and ecological change on this large marine predator. My research program will also train a new generation of scientists across multidisciplinary fields. My research program will continue to provide critical insight into physiological process, individual fitness, population dynamics, and ecosystem function, and will have important applications to the conservation and management of free-ranging marine mammal, seabird, and fish populations.

我的研究项目结合了海洋脊椎动物的生物脂质化学和代谢、能量学、比较生理学和生态学领域，以更好地了解它们不同的生活史策略以及它们如何应对或可能受到不断变化的环境条件的限制。我们使用一套工具。从生化示踪剂到跟踪技术，再到整个动物的能量测量，以及其他生命史特征的测量，我的项目的一个主要目标是利用我对脂肪酸（FA）代谢和生物合成的研究来了解沉积和加工。饮食中的 FA，以开发一种相对非侵入性的方法，从代谢活跃的脂肪储存中确定自由放养的海洋和陆地动物的饮食（定量 FA 特征分析，QFASA）。饮食知识对于了解动物能量学至关重要。 、个体和种群的营养依赖性和生活史；因此，它也是了解食物网结构、生态系统动态和动物种群对环境变化的反应的关键组成部分。 QFASA 程序使用新的统计技术，开发方法来解决来自现实生活数据的问题，并将这些新工具编译成“R”中已发布的 QFASA 包，其他研究人员可以轻松访问这些工具，并通过其他新的专属工具进行验证。研究将用于我们所有其他工作。在我们新近在北太平洋开展的研究的基础上，我们将结合使用生理采样和位置遥测技术来检查实时和残留的潜在驱动因素。对海洋动物生理的影响，以及海洋气候、冬季迁徙模式以及繁殖季节之前和期间的觅食努力的变化如何对未来的繁殖前条件、繁殖投资和繁殖成功产生差异或共同影响，我们将使用灰海豹作为模型物种来扩大我们的研究。哺乳表现、幼体存活和招募以及终生繁殖成功率变化的来源和驱动因素，我们将研究资源利用方面的个体专业化、其对生态系统的影响以及长期（4个十年）环境和生态变化的影响关于这种大型海洋捕食者的研究计划。我的研究项目还将继续培养跨学科领域的新一代科学家，为生理过程、个体健康、种群动态和生态系统功能提供重要的见解，并将在自由放养海洋的保护和管理方面发挥重要作用。哺乳动物、海鸟和鱼类种群。