Project: CAREER: Small-scale plankton-aggregate dynamics and the biological pump: Integrating mathematical biology in research and education

Acronym/Short Name:PlanktonAggDyn
Project Duration:2017-07 - 2022-07

Description

NSF Award Abstract:
The global carbon cycle is in part modified by marine biological processes, which can impact the amount of carbon that is transported from surface waters to the deep ocean. This project will investigate interactions between planktonic grazers and marine aggregates - sinking particles that form in the surface ocean and have been shown to play an important role in marine food webs. The small scale of these biological processes makes them particularly challenging to study, but modern advances in mathematics and computer science have made direct observations of these interactions feasible. Experiments using high-resolution imaging will provide direct visual observations of zooplankton ingestion and the alteration of marine aggregates. These laboratory studies will guide the development of mathematical models to examine how these interactions affect particulate carbon sinking out of the surface ocean. This project will support an educational initiative focused on training undergraduate biology students in mathematical and computational techniques. This initiative includes the development of new interdisciplinary courses and undergraduate-focused independent research projects to help prepare the next generation of scientists in quantitative techniques that are essential to tackling the most challenging and complex biological problems.

Marine snow aggregates are particles that form in the surface ocean from organic and inorganic matter. These aggregates play a fundamental role in the biological pump, as sinking particles are a dominant contributor to the downward transfer of carbon in the ocean. However, much of the small-scale processes governing these particles and their role in the marine carbon cycle are still unknown. The goal of this project is to use mathematical and computational techniques to investigate interactions between aggregates and planktonic grazers, an understudied link in the planktonic food web that has important implications for carbon export. Three-dimensional trajectories of copepods within marine snow thin layers will be obtained to experimentally investigate copepod foraging behavior in response to patchy distributions of marine snow. In addition, high-speed imaging will allow for the direct observation of how copepods manipulate and ingest marine snow aggregates, thus affecting their size and settling velocity. Lastly, a mathematical model will be developed to study the impact of these small-scale interactions on large-scale carbon cycling and export. This project will also support the implementation of a comprehensive education plan focused on teaching undergraduate students how mathematical modeling and computational techniques can be used to address biological questions. This educational objective will be accomplished through the development of new courses in mathematical and computational biology and through the inclusion of undergraduate students in independent research projects.


DatasetLatest Version DateCurrent State
Filmography data from a set of 3 experiments of copepod and phytoplankton aggregate micro-scale interactions using high-speed filmography in 20202025-02-13Final no updates expected
Copepod gut pigment and tank water pigment data from a set of 4 experiments quantifying the foraging behavior and ingestion by copepods within different distributions of marine snow2022-09-20Final no updates expected
Copepod track data from a set of 4 experiments quantifying the foraging behavior and ingestion by copepods within different distributions of marine snow2022-09-19Final no updates expected
Fluorescence per phytoplankton cell from each of six experiments quantifying the ingestion by copepods of marine snow and phytoplankton at different phytoplankton growth phases2021-10-04Final no updates expected
Observations of Copepod Reactions to Sinking Aggregates Experiments 20192021-09-13Data not available
Effect of Marine Snow Distribution on Copepod Ingestion of Marine Snow Experiments 20182021-09-13Final no updates expected
Copepod gut pigment data from each of six experiments quantifying the ingestion by copepods of marine snow and phytoplankton at different phytoplankton growth phases2021-02-26Final no updates expected
Copepod ingestion rate as calculated through stable isotope analysis from experiments quantifying the ingestion by copepods of marine snow and phytoplankton at different phytoplankton growth phases2021-02-23Final no updates expected
Copepod density gradient experiments near Scripps Canyon in La Jolla, CA from August to September 20172019-07-30Final no updates expected

People

Principal Investigator: Jennifer Prairie
University of San Diego (USD)

Contact: Jennifer Prairie
University of San Diego (USD)


Data Management Plan

DMP_Pairie_OCE-award-pending.pdf (179.76 KB)
02/09/2025