Response of the seagrass-bed ecosystem to global environmental changes with an emphasis on carbon sequestration and detrital food web

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25291098
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Miyajima Toshihiro 東京大学, 大気海洋研究所, 助教 (20311631)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 浜口 昌巳 国立研究開発法人水産研究・教育機構, 瀬戸内海区水産研究所, 干潟生産グループ長 (60371960) ; 堀 正和 国立研究開発法人水産研究・教育機構, 瀬戸内海区水産研究所, 主任研究員 (50443370)
• Research Collaborator: SATO Masaaki ; SHIMABUKURO Hiromori ; MORIMOTO Naoko ; HAMAOKA Akiko ; HAMAOKA Hideki
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 海草藻場 / 食物網構造 / 炭素循環 / 海洋酸性化 / デトリタス / 底生動物 / 環境DNA / 微生物群集

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Response of the seagrass meadow ecosystem to ocean acidification induced by the rise of atmospheric CO2 was studied with an emphasis on the detrital food web. Major achievements can be summarized as follows. A novel eDNA technique was developed for tracing production, accumulation, and decomposition processes of seagrass-derived detritus. A clone library of seagrass rhizosphere bacterial community was established and analyzed to extract characteristics specific to such an environment. A novel 2H-based pulse-chase experimental method was developed to evaluate turnover time and conversion efficiency associated individual channels within the seagrass meadow epibenthic food web. Differential responses to ocean acidification between the grazing and detrital food chains of the seagrass meadow food web was demonstrated by mesocosm manipulation experiments with the aid of the developed pulse-chase technique.

Free Research Field

海洋生態系の物質循環論