| NSF Org: |
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 17, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | October 14, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 2032029 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
William Ambrose
wambrose@nsf.gov (703)292-8048 OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2020 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $71,397.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $71,397.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3211 PROVIDENCE DR ANCHORAGE AK US 99508-4614 (907)786-1777 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
3211 Providence Dr Anchorage AK US 99508-4614 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | ANT Organisms & Ecosystems |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.078 |
ABSTRACT
Ocean communities play an important role in determining the natural and human impacts of global change. The most conspicuous members of those communities are generally large vertebrates such as marine mammals and sea birds. But smaller animals often determine how the changes impact those charismatic animals. In the Antarctic, where some of the most dramatic physical changes are taking place, we do not know much about what small animals exist. This project will sample the sub-Antarctic and three different Antarctic seas with a hope of identifying, quantifying and discovering the variation in species of a group of small invertebrates. Comma shrimp, also called cumaceans, are rarely seen elsewhere but may be common and important in the communities of these locations. Antarctic sampling traditionally used gear that was not very effective at catching cumaceans so we do not know what species exist there and how common they are. This study will utilize modern sampling methods that will allow comma shrimp to be sampled. This will lead to discoveries about the diversity and abundance of comma shrimp, as well as their relationship to other invertebrate species. Major impacts of this work will be an enhancement of museum collections, the development of description of all the comma shrimp of Antarctica including new and unnamed species. Those contributions may be especially important as we strive to understand what drives the dynamics of charismatic vertebrates and fisheries that are tied to Antarctic food webs.
This project will collect cumaceans from benthic samples from Argentinian waters, Bransfield Strait, and the Weddell Sea using benthic sleds. Specimens will be fixed in 95% ethanol and preserved in 95% ethanol and 5% glycerin to preserve both morphology and DNA. The specimens will form the basis for a monograph synthesizing current knowledge on the Subantarctic and Antarctic Cumacea, including diagnoses of all species, descriptions of new species, additional description for currently unknown life stages of known species, and vouchered gene sequences for all species collected. The monograph will include keys to all families, genera and species known from the region. Monographic revisions that include identification resources are typically useful for decades to a broad spectrum of other scientists.
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.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Cumaceans are small (1–35 mm) benthic crustaceans that tend to be ignored, despite being common in benthic communities. The overall body shape is distinctive, characterized by an inflated carapace and slender abdomen, leading to the common name “comma shrimp”. Adult cumaceans are notably sexually dimorphic, such that males and females may not be identifiable as the same species unless they are collected simultaneously. Historically, Antarctic benthic sampling programs used gear that was not very effective at catching cumaceans, thus the cumacean fauna of the region is not well known, despite more effective sampling starting from the 1980s. Epibenthic sleds are very effective at sampling cumaceans, therefore cumacean specimens collected during this project are anticipated to include both new species and previously unknown life stages of known species. Currently, there is no overall synthesis of the Cumacea for the Antarctic and Subantarctic regions, and consequently very limited identification resources exist.
During this project, I collected 515 individuals, identifiable to 37 species, of which several are new to science. I created identification keys to all reported species of Cumacea from the Antarctic and Subantarctic. I took photos of all species while alive, to document pigmentation patterns and the presence of pigmented eyes (see attached images). Cumaceans can be quite colorful, but the coloration fades quite quickly in preserved individuals. All individuals collected were subsampled for COI sequencing, which was about 50% successful, although the samples are being re-run to see if improvements can be made. New species descriptions are in progress. This work will be published as a monograph or book.
A curriculum unit on Antarctic benthic biodiversity was developed and delivered to an Introduction to Oceanography course, both in an online format and face to face course format.
Last Modified: 01/08/2024
Modified by: Sarah A Gerken
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