Fundamental macroecology and energy pathways in the mesopelagic zooplankton and micronekton communities

中层浮游动物和微游生物群落的基本宏观生态学和能量途径

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-04905
• 负责人: Pakhomov, Evgeny
• 金额: $ 3.42万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=737942
• 关键词: Fundamental; macroecology; energy; pathways; mesopelagic

Greatest challenge marine scientists presently facing is concomitant with the ability of predicting oceanic ecosystem and food web responses to climate change and pollution impacts. These are both possible when changes are detected but meaningless unless they translated into policies and management actions. The twilight or mesopelagic zone (200-1000 m depth) comprises 20% of the Earth oceans volume. It is vast, currently underexploited and remains largely understudied. However, it holds a great ecosystem service potential for the food provision (food security), nutraceuticals (e.g. essential oils), climate regulation (climate change mitigation) and biodiversity (Earth system resilience). Mesopelagic layer is important in both controlling marine productivity and sequestering anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Biological processes (plankton trophic dynamics, vertical migrations, decomposing rates.) are highly significant to air-sea interactions. A long-term goal of the proposed research is to develop a broad understanding of foundational ecological principles driving the composition, diversity, density and stability of the oceanic mesopelagic plankton and micronekton. First, we would like to identify the diss-/similarities in the structure and carbon cycling of mesopelagic zones in polar, temperate and tropical regions; second, to build an ecosystem model (future collaborative effort) that provides mechanistic links between epipelagic-mesopelagic-bathypelagic realms. Short term goals of the proposed study in the mesopelagic zone will (a) contribute to a characterization of the composition and vertical structure of mesopelagic plankton and micronekton; (b) link structure, density and diversity of mesopelagic food webs to overlaying productivity, as well as to oxygen concentrations and acidity; (c) quantify the role of the mesopelagic zone in transferring energy to upper trophic levels, including fisheries production, as well as carbon sequestration, particularly carbon active transport from surface layers into midwaters by different groups of micronekton, and the "cryptic food web" responsible for the reverse carbon transport from mesopelagic to epipelagic layers; and (d) assess our abilities in predicting effects of mesopelagic processes on overall ocean productivity as well as future fisheries productivity. By providing novel information on midwater food webs, this proposal will lay foundation for the development of an interdisciplinary, multinational initiative to understand the mesopelagic ecosystem, its role in the marine carbon cycle, its ability to react to climate change and pollution challenges as well to develop ecosystem-based management in the open ocean.

海洋科学家目前面临的最大挑战是预测海洋生态系统和食物网对气候变化和污染影响的反应的能力。当检测到变化时，这些都是可能的，但除非转化为政策和管理行动，否则毫无意义。暮色区或中层带（200-1000 米深）占地球海洋体积的 20%。它面积广阔，目前尚未得到充分开发，并且在很大程度上仍未得到充分研究。然而，它在粮食供应（粮食安全）、营养保健品（如精油）、气候调节（减缓气候变化）和生物多样性（地球系统复原力）方面具有巨大的生态系统服务潜力。中深层对于控制海洋生产力和封存人为二氧化碳都很重要。生物过程（浮游生物营养动态、垂直迁移、分解率）对于海气相互作用非常重要。拟议研究的长期目标是对驱动海洋中层浮游生物和微游生物的组成、多样性、密度和稳定性的基本生态原理有广泛的了解。首先，我们要确定极地、温带和热带地区中层带结构和碳循环的不同/相似之处；其次，建立一个生态系统模型（未来的合作努力），提供上层-中层-深海领域之间的机械联系。中层区域拟议研究的短期目标将： (a) 有助于描述中层浮游生物和微游生物的组成和垂直结构特征； (b) 将中层食物网的结构、密度和多样性与覆盖生产力以及氧浓度和酸度联系起来； (c) 量化中深层区域在将能量转移到上层营养层方面的作用，包括渔业生产以及碳封存，特别是不同微游生物群体从表层到中层水域的碳活性输送，以及"神秘食物网"负责从中层到表层的反向碳传输； (d) 评估我们预测中层过程对总体海洋生产力以及未来渔业生产力影响的能力。通过提供有关中层水域食物网的新颖信息，该提案将为跨学科、跨国倡议的发展奠定基础，以了解中层生态系统、其在海洋碳循环中的作用、其应对气候变化和污染挑战的能力以及在公海发展基于生态系统的管理。