Small fish holding system

生物体对快速变化的环境作出反应的能力取决于遗传和非遗传因素。除了实地研究外，实验试验有助于理清遗传、环境、母体和发育因素对性状变异的影响，使生物体能够应对动态的自然条件。参与这项提案的研究人员研究了在盐度非常重要的动态生态系统中茁壮成长的鱼类。实验将有助于区分环境和遗传因素对Fundulus spp成员的相对影响，包括一系列不寻常的生殖类型（纯种，有性和无性杂交），以及确定早期生活环境条件对圣劳伦斯中河口典型鱼类的影响，如Microgadus tomcod （tomcod）。这笔拨款购买的设备包括两个养鱼系统，该系统将允许实验工作，旨在了解低、高或不同盐度水平如何影响几种鱼类的表型、适应性和生活策略。每个系统由一个机架组成，容纳10个大（90升）和30个小（2.8升）自清洁罐。这些都是由水泵输送的经过灭菌细菌过滤的水，混合适量的淡水和盐水以控制盐度。盐度可以保持不变，也可以根据潮汐循环而变化。需要两个单位来覆盖河口鱼类生长的自然盐度范围，因为低盐度和高盐度范围需要不同的细菌。该设备将保存在拉瓦尔大学的潮湿实验室设施中，并将完全供本科生和研究生在学士学位或研究生生物学研究项目中进行实验。

The capacity of organisms to react to rapidly changing environments depends on genetic and non-genetic factors. Along with field studies, experimental trials are useful to disentangle the contribution of genetic, environmental, maternal, and developmental factors contributing to the variation in traits enabling organisms to cope with dynamic natural conditions. The investigators involved in this proposal study fish that thrive in dynamic ecosystems where salinity is of major importance. Experiments will help parting the relative influence of environmental and genetic factors in members of Fundulus spp. comprising an unusual array of reproductive types (pure species, sexual and asexual hybrids) as well as determining the effect of early life environmental conditions on fish species typical of the St. Lawrence middle esturary such as Microgadus tomcod (tomcod).The equipment to be purchased with this grant consists of two fish holding systems that will permit experimental work aiming to understand how low, high, or varying salinity levels affect phenotypes, fitness and life strategies of several fish species. Each system is composed of a rack holding 10 large (90 L) and 30 small (2.8 L) self-cleaning tanks. These are supplied with sterilized bacteria-filtered water delivered by pumps mixing appropriate quantities of fresh and salt water to control salinity. Salinity can be kept constant or it can vary according to a tidal cycle. Two units are needed to cover the natural range of salinity where estuarine fishes thrive since lower and upper salinity ranges require different bacteria. This equipment will be kept at the wet lab facility of Université Laval and will be fully accessible to undergraduate and graduate students realizing experiments in the context of B.Sc. or graduate research project in biology.