The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $432,829 Project Grant under the Geosciences (CFDA 47.050) program to The Ohio State University to conduct collaborative research on the relationship between surface productivity and ecological structure in marine benthic communities. The key objectives are to (1) evaluate how productivity affects the energetic and trophic structure of marine benthic communities on both sides of the Panama Isthmus, (2) use this knowledge to analyze the fossil record of Caribbean benthic ecosystems before, during, and after the Panama Isthmus uplift, and (3) relate ecosystem changes driven by productivity shifts to the well-documented Caribbean extinction event ~2 million years ago. The project leverages the Panama Paleontology Project's extensive collections of modern and fossil mollusks to apply new imaging and morphometric analysis techniques. It also supports training and education initiatives, including an inclusive undergraduate field course, a graduate student cohort program, and the production of a bilingual graphic novel to increase scientific literacy. No subawards are planned for this award, which has a performance period from Sep 1, 2024 to Aug 31, 2027.
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