Collaborative Research: Thermal biology of hydrothermal vent paralvinellid worms

深海热液喷口的Alvinellid蠕虫生活在太平洋喷口温度最高的小生境中。Paralvinella属在2至55 ℃之间表现出极端的温度范围。 研究人员设计了一项对胡安·德富卡海岭奋进综合研究地点常见的三种海蛞蝓的比较研究。特别令人感兴趣的是P. sulfincola，他们发现它可以在短时间内耐受高达55摄氏度的温度。以前，没有研究过在45 ℃以上存活的水生外温动物。因此，这项研究为研究水生后生动物对极端温度的适应提供了前所未有的机会。将结合实验室和现场测量，以确定三个物种的热偏好，耐受性，临界热最大值，和温度范围的性质。将测量极端环境温度对细胞活力的影响。生理和生化研究将用于表征代偿机制。将研究代谢、循环在热调节中的作用、蛋白质周转、热稳定酶、保护性溶质和线粒体Arrhenius断点。 拟议研究的更广泛影响是阐明生物体的基本生化和生理机制。除了为本科生和研究生的研究做出贡献外，这项研究的结果将通过教学和外联活动向本科生和非专业人员广泛传播。

Alvinellid worms at deep-sea hydrothermal vents live in the highest temperature niches at vents in the Pacific. The genus Paralvinella exhibits an extreme thermal breadth between 2 to 55 C. The investigators have designed a comparative study on three paralvinellid species common at the Endeavor Integrated Study Site on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Of particular interest is P. sulfincola, which they have found to tolerate temperatures up to 55 C for short periods. Previously, no aquatic ectotherm has been studied alive above 45 C. Consequently, the research represents an unprecedented opportunity to investigate aquatic metazoan adaptation to extreme temperature. A combination of laboratory and in situ measurements will be implemented to determine thermal preference, tolerance, critical thermal maxima, and temperature ranges in nature for the three species. Affects of extreme environmental temperature on cellular viability will be measured. Physiological and biochemical studies will be used to characterize compensatory mechanisms. Metabolism, the role of circulation in thermal regulation, protein turnover, thermally stable enzymes, protective solutes, and mitochondrial Arrhenius breakpoints will be investigated. The broader impacts of the proposed research are to elucidate basic biochemical and physiological mechanisms of organisms. In addition to contributing to undergraduate and graduate research, results from this research will be widely be disseminated through teaching and outreach activities to undergraduates and non-specialists.