Physiology of Fish in Extreme Environments

我的研究领域是环境生理学。水生动物可以生活在氧气浓度、盐度、温度甚至水供应量每天或季节性变化的环境中。我的研究项目主要集中在这些环境因素如何干扰生理系统以及水生动物用来补偿这些干扰的机制。在下一个资助周期中，我的目标是确定1）在可变环境条件下，两栖鱼类在生命早期和后期阶段的含氮废物排泄机制，2）两栖鱼类用来调节氮的策略，呼吸和身体支持自己在空气中和3）氨运输蛋白质的作用（恒河猴糖蛋白）在硬骨鱼和板鳃鱼肾脏氨运输中的作用。例如，我们提出了一个新的假设，即相对于水，陆地上更强的重力重塑了活跃的两栖鱼类的组织和器官，以增加在空气中的强度，刚度和性能。我们将研究两栖红树林rivulus Kryptolebias marmoratus（以及其他物种），它们在离开水后能存活长达2个月。我们还将研究调节恒河猴糖蛋白在肾脏的骨（金鱼）与软骨鱼类（鲨鱼）在严重酸性水的反应，以测试的假设，肾氨排泄与Na+运输。我们的方法是从分子到整个动物水平研究其机制。从这项研究中获得的见解将提供一个更全面的了解关键生理系统的可塑性和细胞机制，脊椎动物利用它来维持稳态，在极端的环境扰动面前。

My area of research is environmental physiology. Aquatic animals can live in environments that vary in terms of oxygen concentrations, salinity, temperature and even water availability on a daily or seasonal basis. My research program focuses on how these environmental factors disturb physiological systems and the mechanisms that aquatic animals employ to compensate for these perturbations. Over the next granting cycle my objectives are to determine 1) the mechanisms of nitrogenous waste excretion in amphibious fishes during early life and later stages under variable environmental conditions, 2) the strategies that amphibious fishes use to osmoregulate, respire and physically support themselves in air and 3) the role of ammonia transporting proteins (Rhesus glycoproteins) in ammonia transport in the kidney of teleost and elasmobranch fishes. For example, we have proposed a novel hypothesis that stronger gravitational forces on land relative to water remodel tissues and organs of active amphibious fishes to increase strength, rigidity and performance in air. We will study the amphibious mangrove rivulus Kryptolebias marmoratus (as well as other species) that survive up to 2 months out of water. We will also study the regulation of Rhesus glycoproteins in the kidney of bony (goldfish) versus cartilaginous fishes (shark) in response to severely acidic water to test the hypothesis that renal ammonia excretion is coupled with Na+ transport. Our approach is to study the mechanisms from the molecular to whole animal level. The insights gained from this research will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the plasticity of key physiological systems and the cellular mechanisms that vertebrates utilize to maintain homeostasis in the face of extreme environmental perturbations.