Gas Sensing Equipment for Environmental Sciences Research

在动物中，代谢是通过氧气的摄取和二氧化碳的分泌来测量的。环境的直接变化（例如气候变化、缺氧或盐度变化）或暴露于环境毒物（如碳氢化合物、药物和其他污染物）都可能改变环境中任一气体的可用性。氧气和二氧化碳的含量可能会在短期内发生变化，但它们在地球历史上也发生了变化。因此，现代动物对这些气体的不同水平的耐受性可以提供有关早期动物进化的信息。在这项提案中，阿尔伯塔大学的5位科学家拥有跨学科参与和合作的历史，他们要求将传感器、仪表和腔室系统构建为一个组合系统，以测量并向动物提供精确的氧气和二氧化碳气体水平。 研究设备将提供测量环境室中氧气和二氧化碳的能力，环境室的大小从200微升到整个海洋生态系统的深度。这将使我们能够灵活地在多个尺度上测量动物和环境中的氧气和二氧化碳使用。 拟议的系统将由水生科学（生理学，毒理学，遗迹学和地球科学）的各种研究人员合作使用，但也可用于其他学科。

In animals, metabolism is measured by uptake of oxygen and secretion of carbon dioxide. Either direct changes in the environment (e.g. climate change, hypoxia or changes in salinity) or by exposure to environmental toxicants such as hydrocarbons, pharmaceuticals and other pollutants can change availability of either gas in the environment. Oxygen and carbon dioxide levels may change over the short term, but they have also changed over earth's history. Tolerances of modern animals to different levels of these gases can therefore be informative about the evolution of early animals. In this proposal, 5 University of Alberta scientists with a history of cross-disciplinary engagement and collaboration request a system of sensors, meters and chambers to be constructed as a combined system to measure and also deliver precise levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide gases to animals. The research equipment will provide the ability to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide in environmental chambers ranging in size from a 200 microlitres to whole ocean ecosystems at depth. This will allow us the flexibility to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide use in animals and environments at multiple scales. The proposed system will be used collaboratively by a wide variety of researchers in the aquatic sciences (physiology, toxicology, ichnology and earth sciences) but also be available to other disciplines.