Ion, Water and Nitrogen Regulation in Aquatic Invertebrates: Larval Mosquitoes and Chironomids.

我的研究计划的总体目标是发现水生无脊椎动物如何调节它们体内的盐分和水位。该实验室目前的重点是研究幼虫蚊子和蠓。为了实现研究计划的总体目标，在分子、细胞和组织水平上研究涉及维持内部离子和水水平以及含氮废物排泄的特定器官（例如马氏小管、肛门乳头和直肠）的功能。然后将这些研究整合到整个动物中。神经和内分泌系统对这些器官的调节也进行了研究。蚊子和蠓的幼虫分布在不同组成的水生生境中。能够耐受高盐（高于海水的盐含量）条件的物种很好地适应了包括淡水在内的各种栖息地。淡水栖息物种必须具有独特的机制，以便在稀释的栖息地生存。众所周知，像Chironomus riparius这样的淡水蠓也栖息在天然的微咸水中，以及被含盐工业废水污染的淡水中。理解这些机制很重要，因为：它将提供对蚊子和蠓幼虫如何对环境变化作出反应的生理学理解。2. 它将提供有价值的生理信息，可用于制定控制作为病媒的物种的新战略。3. 通过这项研究，我们可以深入了解气候变化和/或人为压力因素对受影响地区蚊子和蠓物种组成的影响。例如，道路盐的持续使用导致淡水环境的含盐量增加。气候变化正在导致海平面上升和沿海盐沼的洪水泛滥，这些盐沼是许多耐高盐物种的栖息地。这项研究将试图找到以下问题的答案：这些压力源最终将如何影响居住在这些地区的物种？受影响地区的物种组成是否会发生变化？耐高盐的物种能有效地入侵内陆栖息地吗？这对疾病的传播意味着什么？

The overall aim of my research program is to discover how aquatic invertebrates regulate their internal salt and water levels. The laboratory is currently focused on the study of larval mosquitoes and midges. To achieve the overall aim of the research program, the function of specific organs that are involved in the maintenance of internal ion and water levels as well as the excretion of nitrogenous wastes (e.g. Malpighian tubules, anal papillae and rectum) are studied at the molecular, cellular and tissue level. These studies are then integrated into the whole animal. Regulation of these organs by the neural and endocrine systems is also studied. Mosquito and midge larvae are found in aquatic habitats of diverse composition. Species that can tolerate hyper-saline (salt levels above seawater) conditions are well adapted to live in a wide range of habitats including freshwater. Freshwater dwelling species must possess distinct mechanisms that allow for survival in a dilute habitat. Freshwater midge species like Chironomus riparius are also known to inhabit naturally brackish water as well as freshwater that is polluted by salty industrial effluent. Understanding these mechanisms is important because: 1. It will provide a physiological understanding of how mosquito and midge larvae respond to environmental changes. 2. It will provide valuable physiological information that can be utilized to develop new strategies to control the species that act as disease vectors. 3. With this research we can gain insight into the effect of climate change and/or anthropogenic stressors on the mosquito and midge species composition in affected areas. For example, the continued use of road salt is leading to increased salinity levels in freshwater environments. Climate change is leading to rising sea levels and flooding of coastal salt marshes that are habitats for many of the hyper-saline tolerant species. This research will attempt to find answers to the following questions: How will these stressors ultimately affect the species inhabiting these regions? Will the species composition in affected regions change? Can the hyper-saline tolerant species effectively invade inland habitats and what will this mean for the spread of disease?