Award details

Marine biodiversity and agriculture: integrating metabolomics and traditional assessments of ecosystem health

Reference	BB/C510732/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Brian Reynolds
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Department	Contracts Officer
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	50,405
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	07/02/2005
End date	06/02/2008
Duration	36 months

Abstract

This proposal is joint between three institutes, University of Wales, Bangor, University of Wales, Aberystwyth and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology to look at agriculture and biodiversity in the Marine Environment. The main aim of this project is to determine the impact of agriculture on the biodiversity of mussel and fucoid communities in the Menai Strait and surrounding area. Two forms of agriculture will be investigated: direct effects of marine aquaculture of mussels and indirect effects of terrestrial agriculture via riverine transfer of agrochemicals, namely nutrients. The objectives are: 1) To characterise metabolomic signatures and immunological parameters of the mussel Mytilus edulis and the alga Fucus serratus in response to environmental drivers such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and nutrients. 2) To determine biodiversity associated with an established mussel fishery in the Menai Strait and to determine the effect of the fishery on the metabolomics, immunology and physiology of wild Mytilus edulis and the metabolomics and physiology of Fucus serratus. 3) To determine the effect of nutrient run off from terrestrial agriculture on the biodiversity of mussel and fucoid communities and the effect on the metabolomics, immunology and physiology of Mytilus edulis and the metabolomics of Fucus serratus. 4) To produce indices for measuring the health of the community using the response of Mytilus edulis and Fucus serratus as keystone species of this community, to stress and to assess these indices in the field. 5) To identify primary sources (diffuse and point source) of dissolved nutrients within river catchments in relation to agricultural land use using dynamic and export coefficient modelling to simulate changes in river nitrogen loading with flow and season; and to investigate the effects of different land use scenarios on river nutrient loading. The main methods undertaken to achieve these objectives are metabolomics, immunology, physiology, biodiversity, water analysis and modelling. (Joint with BB/C507129/1)

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Agri-food (AF)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

Associated awards:

BB/C507129/1 Marine biodiversity and agriculture: integrating metabolomics and traditional assessments of ecosystem health

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