Relating Diversity of Brood Pouch Structure and Species Susceptability to Environmental Factors

雄性海马和海龙科海龙有特殊的结构，用于孵化胚胎，包括一个类似胎盘的结构，称为育儿袋。在两种密切相关的海龙类，海龙floridae和海龙fuscus的育袋中已经描述了显着的差异。具体来说，这两个物种在来自雄性和雌性亲本的蛋白质和脂质对发育中的胚胎的贡献方面存在差异。发展中的S. fuscus更多地依赖于雄虫通过育儿袋提供的营养，而S.花蟹胚胎更依赖于雌性父母提供给卵的营养。本研究的目的是利用稳定同位素来表征营养转移的速率，并通过采用乳胶铸型和扫描电子显微镜来跟踪育儿袋血管的生长。我们的研究是第一个探索营养分配和血管模式在育儿袋在这个多样化和有趣的家庭。结果将有助于确定具有相似育儿袋结构的密切相关物种是否具有非常不同的胎盘样功能。此外，这项工作将为未来的研究提供基础，旨在揭示育雏袋的形态和功能对物种特定的敏感性，如缺氧和水传播的污染物的环境压力的后果。一个广泛的推广项目，重点是在海龙及其栖息地的新的繁殖模式，将介绍科学发现的过程，进一步了解河口系统和提高参与大学预科学生的生物素养。

Male seahorses and pipefishes of the family Syngnathidae have special structures for brooding embryos, including a placental-like structure called the brood pouch. Significant differences have been described in the brood pouch of two closely related pipefishes, Syngnathus floridae and Syngnathus fuscus. Specifically, the species differ in the contribution of proteins and lipids from the male and female parent to developing embryos. Developing S. fuscus rely more on nutrients provided by the male parent via the brood pouch, whereas S. floridae embryos depend more on nutrients supplied to the egg by the female parent. The goal of this research is to characterize the rate of nutrient transfer using stable isotopes and track the growth of brood pouch blood vessels by employing latex casts and scanning electron microscopy. Our studies are among the first to explore nutrient allocation and blood vessel patterns in the brood pouch in this diverse and interesting family. The results will help determine whether closely related species with similar brood pouch structures can have very different placental-like functions. In addition, this work will provide the foundation for future studies aimed at revealing the consequences of brood pouch morphology and function on species-specific sensitivities to environmental stresses such as hypoxia and water-borne contaminants. An extensive outreach project, focused on the novel mode of reproduction in pipefish and their habitat, will introduce the process of scientific discovery, further the understanding of estuarine systems and improve biological literacy for participating pre-college students.