Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Memorial University of Newfoundland
$23,100.00
Role of benthic marine invertebrates in carbon flow
FY 2010-11
Summary
The goal of this research is to study feeding, digestion and nutrition in a clam, Yoldia hyperborea, which lives in fine mud in coastal waters of Newfoundland at temperatures permanently below 0°C. The clam depends heavily on organic matter from the spring diatom bloom, which sinks to the bottom. A major objective is to determine how the clam responds to an intermittent food supply. Invertebrate animals that live in bottom sediments on the continental shelf in cold oceans play an important role in the ecology of the system, and represent a significant amount of the carbon tied up in the benthic community, yet their biology is not well understood. The close proximity of water that is below 0°C year-round provides a natural laboratory for studying cold-water ecology and ecophysiology and also permits frequent sampling. The work will also focus on the accumulation of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids by the clam, which are important in maintaining the integrity of biological membranes.
Program
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Recipient
Location
Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
9748-2007
Name nom
Thompson, Raymond
Department département
Ocean Sciences Centre
Organization id
89
Institution établissement
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Province en
Newfoundland and Labrador
Province fr
Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2010
Competition year année de concours
2007
Award amount
23100
Program id
RGPIN
Program name en
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Program name fr
Programme de subventions à la découverte - individuelles
Group en
Discovery grants programs
Group fr
Programmes de subventions à la découverte
Committee code
18
Committee name en
Evolution & Ecology
Committee name fr
Évolution et écologie
Area of application code
402
Area of application group en
Environment
Area of application group fr
Environnement
Area of application en
Oceans, seas and estuaries
Area of application fr
Océans, mers et estuaires
Research subject code
4602
Research subject group en
Oceanography
Research subject group fr
Océanographie
Research subject en
Biological oceanography
Research subject fr
Océanographie biologique
Partie
4
Nb partie
5
Application title
Role of benthic marine invertebrates in carbon flow
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
The goal of this research is to study feeding, digestion and nutrition in a clam, Yoldia hyperborea, which lives in fine mud in coastal waters of Newfoundland at temperatures permanently below 0°C. The clam depends heavily on organic matter from the spring diatom bloom, which sinks to the bottom. A major objective is to determine how the clam responds to an intermittent food supply. Invertebrate animals that live in bottom sediments on the continental shelf in cold oceans play an important role in the ecology of the system, and represent a significant amount of the carbon tied up in the benthic community, yet their biology is not well understood. The close proximity of water that is below 0°C year-round provides a natural laboratory for studying cold-water ecology and ecophysiology and also permits frequent sampling. The work will also focus on the accumulation of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids by the clam, which are important in maintaining the integrity of biological membranes.
