Underwater information disruption

生命的许多相互作用都是基于生物内部和生物之间信息的获取和解释。从外部环境中获取信息的最复杂和最广泛使用的途径之一是嗅觉，即嗅觉。对于许多物种来说，嗅觉对于交配、移动、觅食和逃跑以及其他对生物体生存至关重要的活动至关重要。因此，毫不奇怪，嗅觉在水生物种中受到了相当大的关注，并被证明对指导鱼类的大规模运动和复杂生态系统中不同鱼类之间的相互作用具有核心重要性。拟议研究的主要目的是确定添加到水圈中的化学物质如何影响鱼类的生命。本文提出的研究有三个具体目标：(1)确定短期信息获取的损害；(2)评估长期信息干扰的变化情况；(3)探讨信息获取和反应的代际变化。探索信息中断的第一步是建立一个基本的、可靠的、可重复的生物嗅觉读出器。我们的特殊试验分析行为反应，并在一个盲的双选择网状槽中进行，鱼只有两个地方可去。通过这个实验，我们将确定鱼类对人类来源的化学物质的反应（我们的例子集中在防晒霜中的紫外线过滤器上），以及它们对天然气味的先天反应的影响。为了记录由于合成化学物质暴露导致的基于信息的反应的改变，我们将使用电嗅图分离鼻上皮的方法。此外，暴露后将提取脑组织，并使用分析化学对化学和代谢物浓度进行量化（确认化学摄取）。防御和补偿性体内平衡机制的变化也将在鱼类的整个生命过程中通过饮食暴露于相同的合成污染物来确定。方法将包括qPCR，转录组学和蛋白质组学，具体目标包括生物转化和代谢途径。我们工作的最后一个目标是确定化学物质暴露对鱼类嗅觉组织的影响是否会跨代转移。方法将包括印迹和行为分析以及持续的基因标记。这些实验的结果将对理解嗅觉组织在不断变化的水生环境中如何随时间发挥作用具有革命性意义。这项研究的重点是鱼类的化学感觉反应，因为这种分布在全球各地、种类繁多的脊椎动物生活在充满复杂气味混合物的液体中，它们用这些气味来指导自己的生活。

Many of life's interactions are based on the acquisition and interpretation of information, both within and between organisms. One of the most complex and widely used routes for acquiring information from the external environment is olfaction, i.e. the sense of smell. For many species, the olfactory sense is critical to mating, moving, foraging and fleeing, among other activities that are central to the survival of organisms. It is therefore not surprising that olfaction has received considerable attention in aquatic species and has been shown to be of central importance for guiding large-scale movements of fishes and interactions between different fish species in complex ecosystems. The main objective of the proposed research is to determine how chemicals added to the hydrosphere affect the life of fishes. There are three specific aims of the proposed research: (1) determine the impairment of short-term information acquisition; (2) assess the alteration of long-term information interference; and (3) explore the alterations of information acquisition and response across generations. The first step in exploring information disruption is the establishment of a basic, reliable and repeatable biological olfactory readout. Our particular assay assays behavioral responses and is performed in a blind two-choice reticular trough where fish have only two places to be. Using this assay, we will determine the responses of fish to human-sourced chemicals (our example focusses on the ultraviolet filters in sunscreen) as well as their effects on innate responses to natural odorants. To document the alteration(s) in information-based responses due to synthetic chemical exposure, we will use methods that isolate the nasal epithelium using the electro-olfactography. In addition, brain tissue will be extracted post-exposure and chemical and metabolite concentrations quantified using analytical chemistry (confirming chemical uptake). Changes in defensive and compensatory homeostatic mechanisms will also be determined over the course of fish's lives using dietary exposures to the same synthetic contaminants. Methods will include qPCR, transcriptomics and proteomics, with specific targets that include biotransformation and metabolic pathways. The last objective of our work is to determine whether the effects of chemical exposure of olfactory tissue of fish transfer across generations. Methods will include imprinting and behavioural assays as well as persisting gene markers. The results of these experiments will be transformative for understanding of how olfactory tissue functions over time in a changing aquatic environment. This research focusses on the chemosensory responses of fishes, as this incredibly diverse group of vertebrates that exist across the globe live their lives immersed in fluids replete with complex odorant mixtures that they use to guide their lives.