Implantable telemetry equipment for field and environmental physiology research

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Animals native to extreme environments, such as those with very little oxygen (hypoxia), represent exceptional models for investigating the underlying mechanisms of physiological function and the evolution of unique physiological traits. These animals exemplify how phenotypic plasticity and genetic adaptation interact to push physiological systems to their limits, sometimes supporting incredible feats of performance. Elucidating the mechanistic underpinnings for how some animals have solved the problems associated with hypoxia is a promising and innovative means of generating novel insights into a variety of pervasive diseases involving oxygen deprivation. This application is requesting funds to acquire a system for implantable telemetry and data logging to measure cardiovascular and metabolic physiology in freely behaving animals. It will allow us to study the unique physiological strategies used to overcome oxygen deprivation in mammals and birds living in the hypoxic environments at high altitudes, in both the lab and the field. We will thus be able to understand how a diversity of animals, from mice to high-flying geese, are able to not only survive in hypoxia, but to thrive and perform extreme feats of exercise in real-world conditions in the wild. We will also establish implantable telemetry as a shared resource that will be available to many rodent and other animal researchers at McMaster and nearby institutions for many years to come. The equipment will have a transformative effect on our research programs by enabling novel research that is at the forefront of environmental physiology, allowing us to make fundamental advancements that will be of interest to a broad range of biologists. The equipment will also greatly enrich the training environment we provide, benefitting at least 3 postdocs, 10 graduate students, and many undergraduates over the next five years.