Descrizione del progetto
Traccianti biochimici alla base della rete alimentare nell’Atlantico
L’attività umana sta comportando gravi problemi per gli oceani, influenzando negativamente i processi degli ecosistemi marini. Per affrontare questa sfida, è necessario monitorare gli oceani a livello spazio-temporale. Il progetto ISOMOD, finanziato dall’UE, mapperà i traccianti biogeochimici alla base della rete alimentare per stabilire gli effetti dei fattori di stress antropologici. Verranno effettuate osservazioni ed elaborazioni dei dati relativi alla composizione dell’isotopo stabile mediante un approccio statistico spaziale innovativo allo scopo di generare isoscapi e sviluppare un quadro completo dell’area oggetto di studio in termini di tre misure di base relative ai processi degli ecosistemi marini: produttività, struttura delle reti alimentari e percorsi di migrazione animale. I risultati contribuiranno a migliorare lo studio dei cambiamenti alimentari nella pulcinella di mare e la previsione della distribuzione dello sgombro.
Obiettivo
The immensity of the oceans makes it difficult to monitor them at a spatio-temporal scale that is relevant for resolving ecological processes and responses to decades of pressure from multiple anthropological stressors. With IsoMod, I aim to map the biogeochemical tracers (stable isotope (SI) composition) at the base of the food web to inform three key measures of marine ecosystem processes that might be affected by these stressors: productivity, food web structure and animal migration pathways. The isoscapes will be developed at the scale of the North Atlantic Ocean and will be based on Calanus spp. carbon and nitrogen SI values, δ13C and δ15N. Lipid rich zooplankton organisms such as C. finmarchicus fuel a large part of the higher trophic level in the North Atlantic, including many species of fish, birds and mammals. I will use a recently developed spatial statistic approach where high resolution observational data (e.g. satellite data) are applied as predictors of SI variability, and apply these models to produce isoscapes with a full coverage of the study area. The application of these isoscapes will be showcased in two case studies. The first will test the role of changes in Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) winter diet in key life-history parameters (e.g. body condition, survival rate). Specifically, the isoscapes will be used to provide the trophic baseline needed to investigate changes in puffin trophic position associated with changes in diet. The second case study will use prey SI to improve forecast of Northeast Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) summer distribution. Variation in SI values can be linked to variation in secondary productivity and this will be used to identify best foraging conditions for mackerel ahead of their migration to the summer feeding grounds. This information will be investigated as a driver of mackerel summer distribution and their recent shift in distribution.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringsatellite technology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculeslipids
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesnutrition
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologymammalogy
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinatore
9019 Tromso
Norvegia