Symposium: Support for an International Symposium on Sequestered Defensive Compounds in Tetrapod Vertebrates, to be held August 17-22, 2008 in Manaus, Brazil

研讨会：支持四足脊椎动物隔离防御化合物国际研讨会，将于 2008 年 8 月 17 日至 22 日在巴西马瑙斯举行

• 批准号: 0813842
• 负责人: Mark Butler
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Old Dominion University Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-05-01 至 2009-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0813842&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Symposium; Support; International; Sequestered; Defensive

Many animals employ toxic chemicals to defend themselves against predators. Such toxic compounds may be synthesized by the animal or acquired from an environmental source, usually the diet, and stored (sequestered) in their original toxic form. Such sequestered defensive toxins are widespread among invertebrate animals, but few examples are known among vertebrates. In recent years, however, several examples of sequestered toxins have been discovered in vertebrates. Certain frogs obtain defensive toxins from ants and mites, and some snakes obtain defensive compounds by consuming toxic amphibians. Additional groups of vertebrates are suspected of sequestering defensive compounds from prey, suggesting that this phenomenon may be more widespread than previously recognized. This project will support participation by U.S. researchers in an international symposium on sequestered defensive compounds in amphibians and reptiles, which will be held at the Sixth World Congress of Herpetology in Manaus, Brazil, August 17-22, 2008. The symposium will bring together researchers from the several countries to present results of recent studies on sequestered toxins. The participants will seek to identify common patterns in the ecology and physiology of animals that rely on such toxins for their defense. For example, recent observations suggest that snakes that sequester amphibian toxins may be especially sensitive to ongoing amphibian declines. Other studies reveal that the cellular mechanisms underlying tolerance of prey toxins in some predators may provide insights into the physiological processes involved in certain cardiovascular diseases. Importantly, this symposium features a number of young scientists, whose work is transforming this field of study; the majority of the funding will support these individuals. By presenting this symposium at an international conference, especially in a region of high biodiversity (Amazonian Brazil), the organizers seek to encourage young researchers from many nations to pursue research on sequestered toxins in previously unstudied groups of vertebrates.

许多动物使用有毒化学物质来防御掠食者。 此类有毒化合物可由动物合成或从环境来源（通常是饮食）获得，并以其原始有毒形式储存（隔离）。 这种隔离的防御性毒素在无脊椎动物中广泛存在，但在脊椎动物中却鲜为人知。 然而，近年来，在脊椎动物中发现了一些隔离毒素的例子。 某些青蛙从蚂蚁和螨虫那里获得防御性毒素，而一些蛇则通过食用有毒的两栖动物获得防御性化合物。 其他脊椎动物群体被怀疑能够从猎物中隔离防御化合物，这表明这种现象可能比之前认识到的更为普遍。该项目将支持美国研究人员参加关于两栖动物和爬行动物中隔离防御化合物的国际研讨会，该研讨会将于 2008 年 8 月 17 日至 22 日在巴西马瑙斯举行的第六届世界爬虫学大会上举行。该研讨会将汇集来自多个国家的研究人员，介绍最近关于隔离毒素的研究结果。 参与者将寻求识别依赖此类毒素进行防御的动物的生态和生理学的常见模式。 例如，最近的观察表明，吸收两栖动物毒素的蛇可能对两栖动物持续减少特别敏感。 其他研究表明，某些捕食者对猎物毒素耐受的细胞机制可能有助于了解某些心血管疾病的生理过程。 重要的是，本次研讨会有许多年轻科学家参加，他们的工作正在改变这一研究领域；大部分资金将用于支持这些个人。 通过在国际会议上举办本次研讨会，特别是在生物多样性丰富的地区（巴西亚马逊流域）举办，组织者试图鼓励来自许多国家的年轻研究人员对以前未研究过的脊椎动物群体中的隔离毒素进行研究。