Ion, Water and Nitrogen Regulation in Aquatic Invertebrates: Larval Mosquitoes and Chironomids.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The overall aim of my research program is to discover how aquatic invertebrates regulate their internal salt and water levels. The laboratory is currently focused on the study of larval mosquitoes and midges. To achieve the overall aim of the research program, the function of specific organs that are involved in the maintenance of internal ion and water levels as well as the excretion of nitrogenous wastes (e.g. Malpighian tubules, anal papillae and rectum) are studied at the molecular, cellular and tissue level. These studies are then integrated into the whole animal. Regulation of these organs by the neural and endocrine systems is also studied. Mosquito and midge larvae are found in aquatic habitats of diverse composition. Species that can tolerate hyper-saline (salt levels above seawater) conditions are well adapted to live in a wide range of habitats including freshwater. Freshwater dwelling species must possess distinct mechanisms that allow for survival in a dilute habitat. Freshwater midge species like Chironomus riparius are also known to inhabit naturally brackish water as well as freshwater that is polluted by salty industrial effluent. Understanding these mechanisms is important because: 1. It will provide a physiological understanding of how mosquito and midge larvae respond to environmental changes. 2. It will provide valuable physiological information that can be utilized to develop new strategies to control the species that act as disease vectors. 3. With this research we can gain insight into the effect of climate change and/or anthropogenic stressors on the mosquito and midge species composition in affected areas. For example, the continued use of road salt is leading to increased salinity levels in freshwater environments. Climate change is leading to rising sea levels and flooding of coastal salt marshes that are habitats for many of the hyper-saline tolerant species. This research will attempt to find answers to the following questions: How will these stressors ultimately affect the species inhabiting these regions? Will the species composition in affected regions change? Can the hyper-saline tolerant species effectively invade inland habitats and what will this mean for the spread of disease?