Coupling Between Physiology & Physical Environment

本文将以海洋巨藻为模型系统，探讨物理因素如何控制基本生理过程。这些研究将在两个沿海海洋环境中进行，这两个环境支持有利于邻近人口的生态系统，并日益受到沿海地区人类活动的影响。这些系统提供了一系列物理因素的变化，可以阐明有机体适应在微调生理对物理环境的作用。更好地了解大型藻类生理学及其与不断变化的物理环境的耦合可能有助于预测，也许还有助于减轻沿海海洋环境结构和功能的重要变化；这些变化通常会对人类种群产生级联效应。微藻也是解决生理控制问题的一个方便的模型系统，因为它们形态简单，对物理环境的变化反应相对较快，并且易于操作，可以进行实验。利用流体生物物理学和扩散原理，以及最先进的仪器和实验，提出了关于物理环境对生理过程的控制的具体假设，并将对其进行测试。这些方法同样适用于发生在所有流体环境中的类似扩散/传质过程，包括动物组织中细胞和流体基质之间的物质交换。

The research proposed here will address how physical factors control fundamental physiological processes, using marine macroalgae as a model system. The studies will be conducted in two coastal marine environments that support ecosystems that are beneficial to adjacent human populations, and are impacted increasingly by human activities in the coastal zone. These systems provide a range of variation in physical factors that can elucidate the role of organismal adaptation in fine tuning physiology to the physical environment. Achieving a better understanding of macroalgal physiology and its coupling with the changing physical environment may help predict, and perhaps mitigate, important changes in the structure and function of coastal marine environments; changes that often have cascading effects on human populations. Microalgae also are a convenient model system to address questions about physiological control because they are simple morphologically, respond relatively quickly to changes in their physical environment, and are manipulated easily, allowing experimentation. Using the principles of fluid biophysics and diffusion, and state-of-the-art instrumentation and experimentation, specific hypotheses are posed and will be tested about the control of physiological processes by the physical environment. These approaches Are the applicable equally to similar diffusion/mass transfer processes that occur in all fluid environments, including the exchange of materials between cells and the fluid matrix within animal tissues.