The effects of aquatic contaminants and environmental stressors on the composition of fishes: concealed implications to beneficial nutrient profiles.

按重量计算，全球近五分之一的人口依赖鱼类提供约20%的年食物摄入量。鱼类的质量和可获得性正受到全球捕捞压力、与全球气候变化相关的快速变化的环境条件以及人类造成的水污染的影响。因此，鱼类消费指南必须权衡食用有益的营养素，如健康的omega-3脂肪、蛋白质和重要的微量营养素，以及共同关注的污染物的有害影响，如汞、油源性化学品、工业化学品和鱼类中的杀虫剂。然而，关于与气候变化相关的环境变化以及这些类型的水生污染物如何相互作用来改变鱼类的生长方式以及它们作为食物提供的基本饮食营养的信息很少。我的研究将解决“气候变化和水环境中的污染物如何改变我们食物的营养？”这一核心问题，长期目标是了解这些因素如何影响鱼类的物种多样性和分布、生长和发育以及最终的营养成分背后的机制。这项研究将涉及：1)使用环境DNA(EDNA)在区域流域进行实地采样，以确定存在的动物物种的多样性，并收集与当地感兴趣的鱼类(例如，大眼鱼、鲈鱼)相关的环境条件的信息。将阿西尼博因河和相关支流不同地点的种群特征与其中存在的环境条件和污染物水平进行比较，将有助于了解鱼类面临的挑战，以及最容易受到影响的当地物种。2)利用对模式鱼种(如斑马鱼)的实验室实验，评估气候变化对这些鱼类脂肪代谢的影响，如温度、盐度和酸度，以及暴露在污染物中，特别是它们如何影响营养有益的omega-3不饱和脂肪酸的存在。3)使用半自然环境来研究同样的气候变化和污染物暴露如何影响当地鱼类物种的营养状况，同时也在自然波动和产生它们的环境条件下对它们进行评估。这将在现实世界条件下验证实验室结果，并有助于确定哪些本地物种对这些变化表现出最大的适应能力，并可能在未来作为重要的食物物种发挥越来越大的作用。这项研究的结果将帮助我们了解在我们快速变化的环境中，多种因素是如何共同影响鱼类的生存和生长的，并回答这个令人心酸的问题：“我们未来吃的野生鱼会像现在一样有营养吗？”

Nearly one-fifth of the global population relies on fish to supply about 20% of their annual food intake by weight. The quality and availability of fish is being affected by global fishing pressures, rapidly changing environmental conditions associated with global climate change, and human-caused water pollution. Fish consumption guidelines must therefore weigh eating beneficial nutrients, such as healthy omega-3 fats, proteins, and vital micronutrients, against the detrimental effects of contaminants of common concern such as mercury, oil-derived chemicals, industrial chemicals, and pesticides within fish. However, little information is available regarding how climate-change related environmental changes and these types of aquatic contaminants interact to change how fish grow - and the essential dietary nutrition they provide as food. My research will address the central question of "How are climate change and contaminants in the aquatic environment changing the nutrition of our food?", with the long-term objective of understanding the mechanisms behind how both these factors are affecting species diversity and distribution, growth and development, and the ultimate nutrient composition of fishes. This research will involve: 1) Field sampling in regional watersheds using environmental DNA (eDNA) to determine the diversity of animal species present and collect information about the environmental conditions associated with local fish species of interest (e.g., walleye, perch). Comparing the population characteristics from different locations along the Assiniboine River and related tributaries to the environmental conditions and contaminants levels present within them will provide an understanding of the challenges fish are facing, and the local species that are the most vulnerable to them. 2) The use of laboratory experiments on a model fish species (e.g., zebrafish) to assess the effects of climate change such as temperature, salt levels, and acidity, as well as exposure to contaminants on the fat metabolism of these fish, specifically on how they effect the presence of nutritionally beneficial omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids. 3) The use of semi-natural environments to examine how those same climate change and contaminant exposures affect the nutrient profiles of local fish species, while also assessing them under the natural fluctuations and conditions of the environment in which they originated. This will validate lab results in the context of real-world conditions and help to determine which local species exhibit the most resilience to these changes and may play an expanding role as important food species in the future. The results of this research will help us understand how multiple factors in our rapidly changing environment are collectively affecting how fish live and grow, and to answer the poignant question, "Will the wild fish we eat in the future be as nutritious as they are now?"