EAGER: Environmental Alterations of the Animal Development Plan: Testing the Heterokairy Hypothesis

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This project investigates a potentially transforming concept in developmental physiology - physiological heterokairy (restructuring of the animal's physiological developmental plan at the individual and population levels) - that currently is mostly theoretical. The goal of this project is to determine whether deprivation of oxygen during development affects the timing of the development plan for the start of aerial respiration in an air-breathing fish, the blue gourami. Measurements will be made of the structural development of the air breathing organ and of the onset of its effectiveness. The hypothesis being tested is that the onset of air-breathing and the development of supporting organs, which would "rescue" the larvae from the harmful effects caused by the lack of oxygen, will develop sooner in larvae growing with little oxygen, illustrating fundamental restructuring of key events in organ system development. Experimental support for heterokairy could create a major change in how developmental physiologists interpret the environment's effects on the developmental timetable at the organ system level. We suspect that heterokairy occurs, but this concept has yet to be systematically examined. Our preliminary experiments show that the gourami has the ability to change its development in response to environmental changes and so is a highly appropriate species for testing. Beyond the impacts of graduate training, this grant will create international research experiences through partnership with UNT's "sister institution" in Mexico, helping to enable "heritage rediscovery" in students of Hispanic/Latino descent who have drifted from their cultural origins. These activities will provide students with an appreciation for the international scope of biology; provide opportunities for scientific networking; and create awareness among students of Mexican descent of the rich scientific and cultural achievements of their ancestral home. This project is funded by the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (Directorate for Biological Sciences) and the Office of International Science and Engineering.