Physiological and behavioural effects of digestion in aquatic vertebrates

胃肠道是营养和能量获取的最前线的重要的多功能器官。这些功能最终可以产生影响多个生理系统的各种下游后果。因此，大多数生理学研究都集中在未喂食的动物身上。这消除了消化对正在研究的现象可能产生的任何复杂影响。然而，喂养和消化是生命所必需的，一个完美的生理学观点必须包括消化过程中的生理学。我的项目正是基于这一点--对消化对水生动物生理和行为的影响有一个基本的了解。消化对鱼类整体盐分和水分平衡的影响构成了我之前工作的基础，我打算继续探索这项工作，提出一些问题，如在消化过程中，鱼类的生理如何调节以保持动态平衡，以及周围环境有什么影响？具体地说，我将研究盐和水运输机制在消化过程中维持平衡的作用，揭示纠正盐和水失衡的机制。我还将研究荷尔蒙对这些转运机制的调节作用，以揭示这些转运蛋白是如何在整个动物中受到调节的。在消化过程中检查动物时，生理本身并不是唯一要考虑的因素--它们的行为也会受到影响，行为和生理之间存在着密切的联系，相互影响。利用我之前发现的信息，我将继续这项研究，提出一些问题，比如鱼在消化食物时行为是如何变化的，这些变化的生理驱动因素是什么？具体地说，我将研究鱼的盐度偏好，以及在喂食之前盐和水运输的任何预期变化。这些将揭示生理如何塑造动物在消化过程中的行为。所有这些主题开始形成我的研究计划的最终目标--从根本上理解消化对生理和行为的影响，并确定这些影响是如何随着环境的变化而演变的。大多数关于鱼类生理学的研究都是在禁食鱼类以消除消化对生理的影响上进行的。在这种情况下，我的工作将提供一个更完整的图景，了解鱼类是如何生存的，并改变鱼类生理领域。通过了解消化在塑造和控制整个生物体的生理过程中的作用，可以预测自然和人为应激源对鱼类物种的影响。这些预测可以用来保护我们的基本水产资源，方法是制定对鱼类如何生存和适应有更全面了解的政策。总体而言，生命是多种生理功能在所有整合水平上的复杂相互作用，它们完美地结合在一起，以维持动物在其环境中的生存。消化与其他生理系统的复杂相互作用是这方面的一个重要方面，事关水产资源的未来。通过更清楚地了解生物如何平衡和维持动态平衡，特别是在被忽视的消化过程中，我们可以更清楚地了解鱼类需要什么才能生存，以及它们如何适应变化。

The gastrointestinal tract is an essential, multifunctional organ at the front line of nutrient and energy acquisition. These functions can ultimately produce a variety of downstream consequences affecting multiple physiological systems. As a result, most physiological studies focus on unfed animals. This removes any complicating effects digestion may have on the phenomena being studied. However feeding and digestion are essential for life and a consummate view of physiology must include physiology during digestion. It is upon this that my program is based – to gain a fundamental understanding of the effects of digestion on the physiology, and by extension behaviour, of aquatic animals. The influence of digestion on the overall salt and water balance of fish forms the basis of my previous work which I intend to continue exploring, asking questions like how does the physiology of fish adjust to maintain homeostasis during digestion, and what influence does the surrounding environment have? Specifically, I will investigate the role of salt and water transport mechanisms in maintaining balance during digestion, revealing the mechanism responsible for correcting salt and water imbalances. I will also investigate the role of hormonal regulation of these transport mechanisms to uncover how these transporters are regulated across the entire animal. Physiology itself is not the only factor to consider when examining animals during digestion – their behaviour is affected as well and an intimate link exists between behaviour and physiology, each influencing the other. Using information that I have previously discovered I will continue this research asking questions like how does the behaviour of fishes change while digesting a meal and what is the physiology driving these changes? Specifically, I will look at the salinity preference of fish along with any anticipatory changes in salt and water transport prior to feeding. These will reveal how physiology shapes the behaviour of animals during digestion. All together these themes begin to form the ultimate goal of my research program – a fundamental understanding of the effects of digestion on physiology and behaviour and determining how these effects have evolved in response to a varying environment. A majority of research focusing on fish physiology is conducted on fasting fish to remove the consequences of digestion on physiology. In this light, my work will provide a more complete picture of how fish survive and transform the field of fish physiology. By understanding the role of digestion in shaping and controlling the physiology of the whole organism, predictions can be made regarding the effects of stressors, both natural and man-made in nature, on fish species. These predictions can be used to preserve our essential aquatic resources by forming policy with a more complete understanding of how fish survive and adapt. Overall, life is a complex interaction of a multitude of physiological functions at all levels of integration, meshing together perfectly to sustain an animal in its environment. The complex interactions of digestion with other physiological systems is an important facet of this and what is at stake is the future of aquatic resources. By understanding more clearly how organisms balance and maintain homeostasis, especially during digestion which has gone overlooked, we can more clearly understand what fish require to survive and how they adapt to change.