CAREER: Investigating environmental acidification and temperature as drivers of morphological alteration and physiological deficits in auditory systems of soniferous fishes

自工业革命以来，由于吸收二氧化碳，海洋的酸性增加了30%，由于邻近流域的自然和农业用地以及人类活动的影响，沿海地区和淡水的酸性往往更强。 这个CAREER项目的目标是研究温度和二氧化碳暴露对与黄鱼/鼓科石首鱼密切相关的发声鱼类的听觉（听觉）系统的结构和功能的影响。 这些鱼类是研究鱼类听觉和交流的模式生物，大多数支持从淡水到咸水的栖息地中有价值的休闲渔业，几乎所有的鱼类都能发出声音来帮助繁殖和/或在受到干扰或威胁时发出警报。虽然听觉对这些发声鱼类非常重要，但人们对不断变化的环境条件对鱼类听觉和交流的影响知之甚少。 该项目的跨学科方法将在这一迅速兴起的领域产生重大影响，这将引起海洋科学和休闲渔业利益攸关方社区的广泛兴趣。该奖项支持从STEM学科代表性不足的群体中招聘博士后，研究生和本科生研究人员的专业发展。学生培训包括掌握定量推理，批判性思维和沟通技巧，有关环境对水生生态系统的影响和未来生态系统的可持续管理。这个职业奖将扩大在汉普顿大学根据PI的早期研究启动奖开发的跨学科神经感觉实验室，以研究如何在下一个世纪不断变化的环境条件可能会影响依赖于听觉交流聚集产卵过程中的遗传相关的声波鱼类的听觉系统的形式和功能。该项目将应用电生理技术和形态分析，以分析温度升高和CO2浓度代表的预期变化，在未来世纪的听觉形态和神经感觉功能的影响，在代表性的淡水，河口，和完全海洋石首鱼。本项目将利用来自同一种同源但不同生境和生活史的相关鱼类，研究长期暴露于二氧化碳水溶液的影响（即酸化）和温度升高：（1）通过数字显微镜和计算机断层扫描（CT）的感觉结构的形态发育，（2）通过听觉脑干反应的听觉系统的神经感觉性能，和（3）操纵GABA神经递质以改变CO2暴露期间的感觉缺陷。这个CAREER项目将提高研究能力，并提供关键的基础设施，以支持PI，博士后助理，以及来自STEM领域代表性不足背景的研究生和本科生在该奖项的生命周期之后继续进行研究。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Since the Industrial Revolution, the ocean has become 30% more acidic due to its uptake of carbon dioxide, and coastal areas and freshwaters are frequently more acidic still due to inputs from natural and agricultural land and human activities in adjacent watersheds. The goal of this CAREER project is to examine the effects of temperature and carbon dioxide exposure on the structure and function of the auditory (hearing) systems of closely-related sound-producing fishes of the croaker/drum family Sciaenidae. These fishes are model organisms for the study of fish hearing and communication, most support valuable recreational fisheries in habitats ranging from fresh through salt water, and nearly all produce sounds to aid in reproduction and/or to raise alarm when disturbed or threatened. While auditory sense is of great importance to these sound producing fishes, little is known about the effects of changing environmental conditions on fish hearing and communication. This project's interdisciplinary approach will make significant impacts in this rapidly emerging field that will be of broad interest to both the ocean science and recreational fishing stakeholder communities. The award supports recruitment and professional development of postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate researchers from underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines. Student training includes mastery of quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and communication skills regarding environmental impacts on aquatic ecosystems and sustainable stewardship of future ecosystems. This CAREER Award will expand the interdisciplinary neurosensory laboratory developed at Hampton University under the PI's earlier Research Initiation Award to examine how changing environmental conditions over the next century may affect the form and function of auditory systems of phylogenetically-related soniferous fishes that rely on auditory communication during aggregate spawning. This project will apply electrophysiological techniques and morphological analyses to assay the effects of increased temperature and CO2 concentrations representative of projected changes over the next century on auditory morphology and neurosensory function in representative freshwater, estuarine, and fully marine sciaenid fishes. Using related fishes from a common phylogeny but differing habitats and life histories, this project will examine the effects of chronic aqueous CO2 exposure (i.e. acidification) and increased temperature on the: (1) morphological development of sensory structures via digital microscopy and computerized tomography (CT), (2) neurosensory performance of auditory systems via Auditory Brainstem Response, and (3) manipulation of the GABA neurotransmitter to alter sensory deficits during CO2 exposure. This CAREER project will enhance research capacity and provide critical infrastructure that will support continued research by the PI, a postdoctoral associate, and both graduate and undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM beyond the award's lifetime.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.