Impact of Rising Oceanic Temperatures on the Embryonic Development of Antarctic Notothenioid Fishes

Survival of Antarctic notothenioid fishes in the context of global climate change will depend upon the impact of rising oceanic temperatures on their embryonic development, yet little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying this complex suite of processes. Many notothenioids are characterized by secondary pelagicism, which enables them to exploit food sources in the water column and is supported in part by skeletal pedomorphism. Here the PI proposes to examine the hypothesis that reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulate notothenioid skeletal pedomorphism. The research objectives are : 1) To quantify and localize ROS production and identify the point(s) of origin of ROS production in embryonic Antarctic fishes that differ in skeletal phenotypes 2) To determine whether the time course of embryogenesis and the extent of osteological development in embryonic Antarctic fishes can be altered by changing the oxidative status of the animal during embryogenesis 3) To evaluate whether transgenic alteration of oxidative status can induce skeletal pedomorphism in a fish model. Broader Impacts will include teaching undergraduate lectures, recruiting undergraduate students to help with lab analyses (and possibly field work), lectures and demonstrations to high school students, and allowing secondary educators access to personal photos and videos of research animals for curriculum development.