Upgrade and expansion of microscopy and imaging suite for multifaceted studies

我正在申请资金，用于升级和更换关键的显微镜和成像系统，这是我所有研究的核心，包括我的NSERC资助的关于海洋生物的时间生物学和生物过程控制的项目。迫切需要新的设备来：(1)使我们的成像能力与现代世界级标准保持一致，使我们能够保持国际竞争力并保持关键合作；(2)满足学生和其他高素质人员日益增长的需求；以及(3)利用我们领域的最新技术，最大限度地提高我们的研究效率和原创性。我们使用明场、暗场、相位对比度和表观荧光技术来识别、测量和监测特殊细胞、发育配子、受精事件、胚胎和幼虫属性、共生关系和肠道内容物，以及准备视频和缩微照相底片以供出版。我的发现研究项目整合了生殖生物学、时间生物学和化学生态学的概念，以理清生物钟、外部线索和社会互动在生殖过程中各自扮演的角色。其主要目的是通过确定海洋类群多层次生物节律的驱动因素，包括气候变化可能引发的相变，更好地了解底栖生态系统的功能。微观调查和拟议的工具也是我的其他基础和应用研究重点的核心，如营养生态学、物种相互作用、分类学、深海珊瑚生物学以及应激源(污染物、海洋酸化)对钙化、脂肪储存、生长和繁殖的影响。来自我的实验室的80%以上的出版物依赖于显微镜和成像，预计拟议的工具套件将直接支持每年3到8名学生/实习生的培训。他们的发现不仅将为我们提供对人类进化历史的洞察，还将有助于开发水产养殖技术和基于时间尺度的管理和保护战略。

I am requesting funds for the upgrade and replacement of key microscopy and imaging systems, central to all my research, including my NSERC-funded program on the chronobiology and control of biological processes in marine organisms. New equipment is urgently needed to: (1) re-align our imaging capacities to modern world-class standards that would enable us to remain competitive internationally and retain key collaborations; (2) meet the growing needs of students and other highly qualified personnel; and (3) maximize our research efficiency and originality by making use of the newest technologies in our field. We use brightfield, darkfield, phase-contrast and epi-fluorescence techniques to identify, measure and monitor specialized cells, developing gametes, fertilization events, embryonic and larval attributes, symbiotic associations, and gut contents, as well as to prepare videos and microphotographic plates for publication. My Discovery research program integrates concepts of reproductive biology, chronobiology and chemical ecology to disentangle the respective roles played by biological clocks, external cues and social interactions in reproductive processes. Its principal aim is to gain a finer understanding of benthic ecosystem functioning by identifying the drivers of multileveled biological rhythms in marine taxa, including possible phase shifts triggered by climate change. Microscopic investigations and the proposed tools are also at the core of my other fundamental and applied research foci, such as trophic ecology, species interactions, taxonomy, the biology of deep-sea corals and the effects of stressors (pollutants, ocean acidification) on calcification, lipid storage, growth and reproduction. Over 80% of the publications coming out of my lab depend on microscopy and imaging, and it is expected that the proposed suite of tools will directly support the training of 3 to 8 students/trainees annually. Their findings will not only provide insight into our evolutionary past but also help develop aquaculture techniques and time-scale-based management and conservation strategies.