Award Abstract # 1851462
Coastal mosaics of local adaptation and the eco-evolutionary dynamics of a marine predator-prey interaction

NSF Org: OCE
Division Of Ocean Sciences
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
Initial Amendment Date: February 22, 2019
Latest Amendment Date: March 13, 2023
Award Number: 1851462
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Cynthia Suchman
csuchman@nsf.gov
 (703)292-2092
OCE
 Division Of Ocean Sciences
GEO
 Directorate For Geosciences
Start Date: April 1, 2019
End Date: March 31, 2024 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $519,028.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $519,028.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2019 = $519,028.00
History of Investigator:
  • Eric Sanford (Principal Investigator)
    edsanford@ucdavis.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of California-Davis
1850 RESEARCH PARK DR, STE 300
DAVIS
CA  US  95618-6153
(530)754-7700
Sponsor Congressional District: 04
Primary Place of Performance: UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory
2099 Westshore Rd.
Bodega Bay
CA  US  94923-0247
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
02
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): TX2DAGQPENZ5
Parent UEI: NUDGYLBB4S99
NSF Program(s): BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY
Primary Program Source: 01001920DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1097
Program Element Code(s): 1650
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

Historically, ecologists regarded evolution as a process that typically acts slowly over very long time scales. However, recent studies suggest that evolution might also shape the way species interact over much shorter timespans, ranging from weeks to years. Are these sorts of rapid feedbacks between evolution and ecology important in marine ecosystems? This project will address this question along the Pacific coast of the United States by studying predatory snails (Channeled Dogwhelks) that feed on California Mussels, an important habitat-forming species on rocky intertidal shores. Prior research shows that some dogwhelk populations are composed of an assortment of individuals that differ genetically in how effectively they can drill through mussel shells. This project will test whether short-term changes in the environment can impose rapid natural selection that favors some of these drilling variants over others, altering the effects that a dogwhelk population has on the surrounding mussel bed. At the same time, this project will examine whether regional differences in mussel shell thickness have influenced the evolution of drilling ability among dogwhelk populations distributed along >900 kilometers of the California and Oregon coasts. Overall, this study seeks to understand the dynamic feedbacks between evolution and ecology that might influence marine communities in the face of changing ocean conditions. This project will train diverse undergraduate and graduate students and will provide the foundation for a significant public outreach component, including the production of accessible video documentaries.

This project seeks to advance our understanding of eco-evolutionary dynamics in the sea by investigating links among oceanographic variation, natural selection, species interactions, and community succession. This project will use the interaction between the Channeled Dogwhelk (Nucella canaliculata) and the California Mussel (Mytilus californianus) as a model system to address two central objectives. (1) The research team will explore how spatial mosaics of selection drive adaptive differentiation among populations of consumers. Newly collected and archived mussels will be analyzed to characterize variation in shell thickness along the coasts of California and Oregon, and to evaluate whether this spatial mosaic has been consistent or variable over the past two decades. Laboratory experiments will test whether dogwhelk populations distributed across this mosaic have diverged in the thickness of shell that they can drill successfully. (2) The research team will examine whether temporal variation in selection on consumer phenotypes shapes predator-prey interactions, with cascading effects on ecological dynamics. In particular, the project will test whether short-term variation in prey recruitment and shell thickness can impose rapid selection on the frequency of drilling phenotypes within a dogwhelk population. A field experiment will also test whether selection on these predator phenotypes in turn alters the trajectory of mussel bed succession.

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.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Rose, Jeremy M. and Blanchette, Carol A. and Chan, Francis and Gouhier, Tarik C. and Raimondi, Peter T. and Sanford, Eric and Menge, Bruce A. "Biogeography of ocean acidification: Differential field performance of transplanted mussels to upwelling-driven variation in carbonate chemistry." PloS one , v.15 , 2020 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234075 Citation Details
Evans, Tyler G. and Bible, Jillian M. and Maynard, Ashley and Griffith, Kaylee R. and Sanford, Eric and Kültz, Dietmar "Proteomic changes associated with predator?induced morphological defences in oysters" Molecular Ecology , v.31 , 2022 https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16580 Citation Details
Kroeker, Kristy J. and Sanford, Eric "Ecological Leverage Points: Species Interactions Amplify the Physiological Effects of Global Environmental Change in the Ocean" Annual Review of Marine Science , v.14 , 2022 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-042021-051211 Citation Details

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