Osmoregulation and respiration in aquatic vertebrates

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My area of research is environmental physiology. Aquatic animals can live in environments that vary in terms of oxygen concentrations, salinity, temperature and other chemical parameters on a daily or seasonal basis. My research program focuses on how these environmental factors disturb physiological systems and the mechanisms that aquatic animals employ to compensate for these perturbations. We are particularly interested in understanding how fish balance water and ion levels, get rid of waste products (eg. ammonia) and obtain sufficient oxygen to function in changing conditions. We are studying a small mangrove fish (Kryptolebias marmoratus) that survives out of water for weeks. What special features of the gills, skin and/or kidneys allow them to balance body water and ion levels? Another aspect of our work concerns the changing enviornment that fish and amphibian embryos experience during early life stages. Neighboring embryos may deplete water oxygen levels and add metabolic wastes that impact early developmental processes. When do embryos first sense these changes in their environment? What mechanisms do they utilize to compensate for less than ideal water conditions? Some species (eg. trout) are especially sensitive to swampy water (eg. high ammonia), whereas other species (eg. goldfish) are highly tolerant. We will test whether in adult fish ammonia tolerance is linked to proteins that regulate ammonia uptake and/or enzymes that detoxify ammonia. Our approach is to study the genes, cells and intact animals to understand regulation of processes at many different levels. The insights gained from this research will potentially contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how aquatic ecosystems will be altered by climate change and provide fundamental knowledge of animal adaptation.