Research Initiation Award: You are what you eat: Incorporating Stable Isotope Analyses (SIA) and food web ecology into undergraduate research and education

Non-technical Abstract: Catalyst Projects provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities to work towards establishing research capacity of faculty to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics undergraduate education and research. It is expected that the award will further the faculty member's research capability, improve research and teaching at the institution and involve undergraduate students in research experiences.

This project at Hampton University will examine food web characteristics of urban and rural oyster reefs using stable isotope analysis. Undergraduate students will participate in this research and gain technical training in field ecology, stable isotope analyses, and statistical analyses. Students will also engage in science communication trainings and their work will be featured in photo essays.

Research results will be disseminated through traditional efforts such as conferences and peer-reviewed publications, and through non-traditional approaches such as media articles or photo journals.

Technical Abstract: Biogenic habitats, such as oyster reefs, are critical estuarine habitats and nursery grounds for commercially and recreationally important species. These habitats provide dozens of ecosystem services including trapping sediment, improving water quality, reducing coastal erosion, and improving coastal resilience. Biogenic habitats are an essential buffer in the battle against climate change and sea level rise; however, in the case of oyster reefs, they have declined by over 85% globally.

The loss and degradation of critical habitat threatens the very ecosystem services coastal communities depend on, especially within highly modified, urbanized systems. Given the critical need to protect and re-establish living shorelines and biogenic habitats, like oyster reefs, in urbanized systems, a better understanding of energy flows, trophic complexity and connectivity, and food web vulnerabilities is essential.

This project assesses food web characteristics such as trophic position, resource pools, total niche space area, and trophic diversity of oyster reef fauna across urban and rural oyster reefs using stable isotope analysis (C, N, and S). Understanding the interactions between climate change and food webs is a critical step— particularly within urbanized systems where coastal community resilience hinges upon on ecosystem services produced by a dwindling number of species.

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.