Summary
The pelagic food web plays an important role in nutrient recycling and the production of food for commercially harvested species, especially in highly productive marine ecosystems. However, processes controlling the structure, function and connectivity of inshore-offshore pelagic food webs in these systems are far from understood, although it is well-known that food supply is a key factor driving these processes. Therefore, a better understanding of nutrient sources and dynamics, as well as trophic connections modulating the pelagic food web in these ecosystems is required to design effective conservation and management strategies in a changing ocean. While analytical techniques to quantify and track nutrient fluxes across the food web were previously lacking, recent advances in compound-specific stable isotope (CSIA) biogeochemistry provide a unique opportunity to assess and quantify trophic linkages between inshore-offshore pelagic food webs. The main aim of my proposal (acronym: PelCon) is to distinguish the input of different sources of production associated with inshore productive and offshore oligotrophic pelagic food webs in Hawai’i (oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre) using stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in bulk tissues and individual amino acids (i.e. CSIA-AA). I also aim to develop indicators of trophic inshore-offshore connectivity based on stable isotope signatures that can be used to help predict global patterns in horizontal carbon and nitrogen flux in the coastal-ocean system. For this, I will compare the mechanisms coupling coastal-oceanic food webs between Hawai’i Island and a dynamic region in the NE Atlantic Ocean (Galicia, NW Spain) influenced by seasonal upwelling, for which I will apply the same isotopic techniques. Importantly, this proposal will allow me to gain new skills and learn the latest isotopic techniques, further developing my research portfolio, while advancing our knowledge of food web dynamics.
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More information & hyperlinks
| Web resources: | https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101150001 |
| Start date: | 01-08-2024 |
| End date: | 31-07-2027 |
| Total budget - Public funding: | - 261 380,00 Euro |
Cordis data
Original description
The pelagic food web plays an important role in nutrient recycling and the production of food for commercially harvested species, especially in highly productive marine ecosystems. However, processes controlling the structure, function and connectivity of inshore-offshore pelagic food webs in these systems are far from understood, although it is well-known that food supply is a key factor driving these processes. Therefore, a better understanding of nutrient sources and dynamics, as well as trophic connections modulating the pelagic food web in these ecosystems is required to design effective conservation and management strategies in a changing ocean. While analytical techniques to quantify and track nutrient fluxes across the food web were previously lacking, recent advances in compound-specific stable isotope (CSIA) biogeochemistry provide a unique opportunity to assess and quantify trophic linkages between inshore-offshore pelagic food webs. The main aim of my proposal (acronym: PelCon) is to distinguish the input of different sources of production associated with inshore productive and offshore oligotrophic pelagic food webs in Hawai’i (oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre) using stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in bulk tissues and individual amino acids (i.e. CSIA-AA). I also aim to develop indicators of trophic inshore-offshore connectivity based on stable isotope signatures that can be used to help predict global patterns in horizontal carbon and nitrogen flux in the coastal-ocean system. For this, I will compare the mechanisms coupling coastal-oceanic food webs between Hawai’i Island and a dynamic region in the NE Atlantic Ocean (Galicia, NW Spain) influenced by seasonal upwelling, for which I will apply the same isotopic techniques. Importantly, this proposal will allow me to gain new skills and learn the latest isotopic techniques, further developing my research portfolio, while advancing our knowledge of food web dynamics.Status
SIGNEDCall topic
HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01-01Update Date
24-11-2024
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