University of Oregon Animal Resource Improvements

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of this proposal is to improve animal husbandry in the University of Oregon's zebrafish and stickleback facilities. The University is a world-leader in establishing zebrafish and stickleback as model organisms for research in vertebrate development, genetics and evolution. More recently the University has begun to focus on using zebrafish as a model for specific human diseases, including genetic diseases and diseases that may result from interactions with gastrointestinal bacteria. The success of the zebrafish and stickleback research programs at the University of Oregon has resulted in a shortage of aquaria, the need for an improved procedure room and the need for additional monitoring equipment to ensure environmental stability. This application proposes the following aims to rectify these situations: To meet the increasing demand for zebrafish aquaria, we propose to replace many of our old, dilapidated racks with high-capacity racks. This will significantly increase the number of zebrafish we can house and provide more corrosion resistant and ergonomically-designed housing. To improve our ability to study the role of gastrointestinal bacteria in gut development and function, we propose to renovate a zebrafish procedure room. This will significantly upgrade our ability to produce and study germ free zebrafish reared in the absence of gastrointestinal bacteria. To ensure environmental stability in our stickleback facility, we propose to add monitoring equipment that will contact us if environmental conditions within the facility change. This will significantly increase our ability to ensure the health of our many genetically-distinct, and therefore irreplaceable lines of stickleback.