| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 18, 2012 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 18, 2012 |
| Award Number: | 1220648 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
David Garrison
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate For Geosciences |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2012 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2014 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $279,353.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $279,353.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1850 RESEARCH PARK DR STE 300 DAVIS CA US 95618-6153 (530)754-7700 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
Bodega Marine Laboratory Bodega Bay CA US 94923-0247 |
| Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | CRI-Ocean Acidification |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
This project is a renewal of an existing ocean acidification (OA) grant supporting an interdisciplinary research team (called OMEGAS) with expertise in oceanography, ecology, biogeochemistry, molecular physiology, and molecular genetics. Research to date has documented a dynamic oceanographic mosaic in the inner shelf of the California Current System (CCS) that spans 1,200+ km and varies at tidal, diurnal, event, and seasonal temporal scales at local to ocean basin spatial scales. In OMEGAS II, the project seeks to better understand the drivers of this striking time-space variability, and to link the OA seascape to the physiological and ecological performance of a key member of this ecosystem, the mussel Mytilus californianus. In addition, the investigators will explore the influence of this oceanographic mosaic on species interactions and community organization. As a dominant habitat-forming species, strong interactor, and major space occupant, M. californianus is arguably the core component of the rocky intertidal ecosystem along the upwelling-dominated CCS. Using an interdisciplinary, spatially extensive approach integrating inner shelf oceanography with ecology, physiology, and eco-mechanics, the interdisciplinary team will study the response of juvenile mussels M. californianus to OA. The studies span levels of biological organization, thereby allowing assessment of how the cost of forming a shell under field conditions might influence physiological performance and resistance to predation. This investigation will include modeling to link to larger-scale ecosystem and oceanographic dynamics in the CCS and beyond.
Results from OMEGAS I show that the growth, survival, and shell strength of mussel larvae are strongly negatively affected by elevated pCO2, and that growth of adult mussels varied among sites within regions and between regions. Emerging data on natural variability in seawater conditions will allow a deeper exploration of the organismal response of M. californianus, and the ecological consequences of traits, such as reduced shell thickness and strength. The present project will expand and strengthen the existing oceanographic network to increase our understanding of the coastal OA regime, and provide the environmental context for ecological and physiological research. Specifically, this project will (1) conduct field and laboratory experiments on the influence of OA on the growth, shell accretion, and resistance to predation of juvenile mussels collected from 10 sites spanning 1,400 km of coastline, (2) link the OA-sensor oceanographic "backbone" to an existing database of community structure via ecological modeling to assess the influence of OA on coastal variation in community organization, (3) determine the physiological responses of juvenile mussels following field deployments and culture under common garden conditions to evaluate mechanistic underpinnings to the responses observed in mussels from different sites, (4) explore the physiological and transcriptomic response of mussels in lab mesocosms to field-documented variability in pCO2, and (5) using modified ROMS models, evaluate the linkage between basin-scale oceanography and local-scale variation in inner-shelf oceanography to evaluate the relative influences of large-to-local scale factors on OA variability. This research aims to understand how coastal ecosystems will respond to OA, and thus to develop our capacity to predict the future impact of OA on coastal ecosystems.
Broader Impacts. This project will leverage complementary funding for research, training and outreach, and engage undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, as well as PIs. Part of an overall goal is to increase the visibility and familiarity of OA science for policy makers and the general public. Outreach will be facilitated through extensive ties to COMPASS (Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea), public lectures, websites, and multimedia outlets, such as films and television. Each campus is engaged in local-to-national displays on OA.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This one-year renewal grant supported the continuation of a coast-wide consortium called OMEGAS (Ocean Margin Ecosystems Group for Acidification Studies), a group of 13 principal investigators spread across six West Coast institutions from Oregon to southern California. The OMEGAS consortium was the first, and most comprehensive, effort to study the patterns and impacts of ocean acidification (OA) at the scale of a large marine ecosystem using a combination of field studies, laboratory experiments, and a network of oceanographic sensors. OMEGAS addressed the effects of OA using an approach that integrated across levels of biological organization (i.e., genes, genomes, individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems). Our prior results from OMEGAS (grant OCE-1041089) documented a mosaic of varying OA intensity along the US West Coast, and investigated the genetic and physiological mechanisms underlying ecological responses of sea urchins and mussels to these oceanographic conditions.
In this one-year project, we sought to better understand the oceanographic drivers of this striking mosaic of coastal pH. We also conducted coordinated field and laboratory experiments to link this OA seascape to the physiological and ecological performance of a key member of rocky intertidal communities, the mussel Mytilus californianus. At field sites exposed to both low pH and low food levels (chlorophyll-a), we found juvenile mussels grew less, had thinner shells, had different respiration rates, and were sometimes more vulnerable to predation by drilling snails. Paradoxically, the northern sites that were exposed to the most frequent low pH events had mussels that grew faster, had thicker shells, and contained the most tissue. However, these northern sites also experienced frequent phytoplankton blooms and had chlorophyll-a levels that were much higher. Thus, it appears that abundant food may help ameliorate the negative impacts of OA on mussel growth. In a separate controlled laboratory experiment, we also found that moderate warming can offset some of the detrimental effects of OA on mussel growth through temperature’s effects on physiology and seawater chemistry. Data from our network of pH sensors on rocky shores and in adjacent shallow waters demonstrated that (1) periods of unexpectedly low pH are already occurring along the California Current System (CCS) and are induced by upwelling events, and that (2) surprisingly, these low pH events are more severe in the north (Oregon), where upwelling is weaker but where phytoplankton blooms are denser. Decay of dense phytoplankton blooms is known to release carbon dioxide, which ultimately drives down pH, making waters more acidic. It appears that, combined with the naturally low pH in upwelled water, this additional source of acidity can drive coastal pH to exceptionally low levels in some regions, such as the central Oregon coast. Overall, results from the OMEGAS consortium have vastly increased our understanding of current and future OA regimes in the CCS, and have set the stage for investigation of broader, ecosystem impacts of OA, which remain as perhaps the greatest challenge imposed on marine systems in an era of accelerating climate change.
In addition to publishing results in scientific journals, OMEGAS scientists were actively engaged in training and outreach activities, and served on national committees and regional working groups. OMEGAS scientists forged strong connections with shellfish growers, and provided timely and accurate information on OA conditions. OMEGAS scientists routinely participated in outreach focused on OA through media interviews, short video micro-documentaries, and as speakers at events for school groups, teachers, and the general public. OMEGAS was a truly interdisciplinary consortium of scientists with expertise...
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