Sample stations for the Neotrypaea COP (Community, Oxygen, & Productivity) Effects ground-truth cruises in 2021 and 2022

Benthic invertebrate communities, that the highly productive US West Coast fishery species and marine mammals rely on for food, are being increasingly impacted by low oxygen conditions. This project addresses the potential ecological consequences of a new member to these benthic communities, the ghost shrimp Neotrypaea. In estuaries, Neotrypaea continuously rework the sediment via their burrowing activities. Their high abundances and geological effects make them important in mitigating impacts of nutrient run-off (natural and human-induced), which can exacerbate low oxygen conditions. Neotrypaea are also considered threats to the oyster industry because of their sediment-excavating activities. An expansion of their distribution beyond estuaries may have additional consequences for the Dungeness crab fishery (regionally valued at $33-74M/y) as Neotrypaea sp. are both competitors with juveniles and prey for larger Dungeness crab. This project will ground-truth predictions of Neotrypaea’s new offshore distribution with video and sample collections. Using box core samples we will document differences in potentially interacting benthic communities within the Neotrypaea beds as compared to areas not colonized by the shrimp. These new data are needed to determine whether the existing species composition is altered by the recruitment of Neotrypaea. We will estimate the shrimp’s contribution to benthic oxygen and nutrient fluxes by using aquatic eddy covariance (EC) methods and core incubations in shelf areas with and without abundant shrimp. This dataset includes the sampling locations for the model ground-truthing/community changes (box core collections) and the EC lander deployment and slow core collections. Coastal waters along the OR-WA shelf are subject to growing human related management, extractive, cultural, and recreational activities. This research is particularly needed for commercial fisheries stakeholders in decisions regarding ocean-use planning and be valuable to oyster growers concerned over burrowing shrimp pest management.作为美国西海岸高产渔业物种与海洋哺乳动物核心食物来源的底栖无脊椎动物群落（benthic invertebrate communities），正日益受到低氧环境的冲击。本项目聚焦于该底栖群落中新加入的物种——鬼虾（Neotrypaea属，ghost shrimp）所可能带来的潜在生态影响。在河口区域，Neotrypaea属物种通过持续的掘穴活动不断扰动沉积物。因其极高的种群丰度与地质扰动效应，它们在缓解营养径流（包括自然来源与人为诱导来源）的冲击方面发挥着关键作用——而这类营养径流恰恰会加剧低氧环境的恶化。同时，Neotrypaea属物种的沉积物挖掘活动也被视为对牡蛎养殖业的威胁。若该物种的分布范围扩张至河口以外区域，可能会对年产值达3300万至7400万美元的区域性邓杰内斯蟹（Dungeness crab）渔业造成额外影响：Neotrypaea属物种既是幼年期邓杰内斯蟹的竞争者，同时也是成年邓杰内斯蟹的猎物。本项目将通过视频采集与样本收集工作，对Neotrypaea属物种新的近海分布预测结果进行实地验证。我们将利用箱式采芯（box core）样本，对比Neotrypaea属物种栖息床与未被该虾类定植的区域，记录二者之间潜在相互作用的底栖群落差异。此类新数据可用于探明Neotrypaea属物种的定植是否会改变区域原有的物种组成。我们将通过采用水生涡度协方差（eddy covariance, EC）方法，以及在有无高密度Neotrypaea属物种的陆架区域开展采芯培养实验，来估算该虾类对底栖溶解氧与营养盐通量的贡献水平。本数据集包含用于模型实地验证/群落变化研究的采样点位（箱式采芯采集点位），以及涡度协方差着陆器部署点位与慢速采芯采集点位。俄勒冈州（OR）-华盛顿州（WA）陆架沿岸海域正面临日益增多的人类相关管理、资源开发、文化活动与休闲娱乐活动的影响。该研究可为商业渔业利益相关方制定海洋利用规划提供关键决策依据，同时也能为关注掘穴虾类虫害治理的牡蛎养殖户提供重要参考价值。