Research Index
Glossary
The Aquatic Research Consortium
About Us
The Aquatic Research Consortium (ARC) is a collaborative effort among researchers at The University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs and Texas State University in San Marcos.
Goal
To develop and apply state-of-the-art molecular and phenotypic tools in three small teleost fish models:
- Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)
- platyfish/swordtail (Xiphophorus spp.) hybrids
- sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus)
These enhanced models will be used to characterize the effects of environmental stressors (i.e., pollutants, poor water quality) at several levels of biological organization.
Project Summary
Many estuaries suffer from chemical contamination and nutrient-overload due to rapidly increasing
- human coastal populations
- urbanization
- industrial effluents
- agricultural runoff
The detrimental effects of nutrient-stimulated hypoxia and contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) upon aquatic ecosystems have been well-documented.
Therefore, studies clarifying “biomarker” responses of estuarine organisms to both hypoxia and PAHs are important for ecological risk assessment. Such studies give resource managers the information and tools needed for making more accurate and proactive decisions.
Hypoxia (i.e., hypoxic-normoxic transitions such as ischemia reperfusion) and PAHs (i.e., carcinogens) also affect human health.
Objective
The overall objective of this research is to investigate the effects of hypoxia, PAHs and hypoxia/PAH combinations in small fish models
- to increase our understanding of the environmental impacts of hypoxia, PAHs and hypoxia/PAH combinations, and
- to provide greater insight into the mechanisms of actions caused in small fish models by of hypoxia, PAHs and hypoxia/PAH combinations.
Project history
Phases 1 and 2
The first two phases of ARC focused on the establishment of genomic and proteomic tools for investigation of stress responses in two small fish models, sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus) and Xiphophorus spp.
Phase 3
The third and current phase of ARC will characterize species- and life-stage-specific responses of fish to natural and anthropogenic stressors at the molecular, physiological, and organismal levels. This information will be integrated with results from the previous two ARC phases (including reproductive and immunological data) to estimate possible effects at population levels of exposure to common environmental stressors.
In the current phase we continue to build upon the experience and information gained during the previous two phases regarding the hypoxic response of sheepshead and Xiphophorus to the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) model. ARC researchers have developed a comprehensive medaka microarray, consisting of about 8,000 genes, for use in analyzing global genomic responses to hypoxia and environmental contaminants.
We are also using proteomic technologies developed in the genetically well-characterized Xiphophorus fish model for comparison with similarly exposed medaka.
Finally, we are investigating the effects of hypoxia and pyrene (a common PAH contaminant) in early life stages of medaka and sheepshead. We are examining both the effects of hypoxia as a result of continuous exposure as well as effects resulting from exposure that varies over the day and night cycle. Assessments will include hypoxia- and pyrene-induced changes in physiology, morphology and gene/protein expression in embryos and larvae.
Personnel
University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
William Hawkins, Program Coordinator
Marius Brouwer, Principal Investigator
Erik Carlson, Principal Investigator
Steve Manning, Research Associate
Rachel Ryan, Research Associate
Kevin Ryan, Maintenance Technician
Arati Dangre, Graduate Student
Laura Hendon, Graduate Student
Natasha Sharp, Graduate Student
Texas State University San Marcos
Ronald Walter, Principal Investigator
Zhenlin Ju, Principal Investigator
Leon Oehlers, Senior Research Technician
Melissa Wells, Senior Research Technician
Sheila Heater, Senior Research Technician
Alejandro Martinez, Computer Technician
Amy Perez, Graduate Student
Terezie Schaller, Graduate Student
Anita Ramos, Graduate Student
Eduardo Cen, Graduate Student
Roxie Smeal, Grant Coordinator
Paul Guerrero, Grant Specialist
*Special appreciation and recognition extended to the Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center (Funded by NCRR Grant #RR17072) for supplying research animals for this project. Individuals include Leona Hazlewood, Rebecca Pavlat and Markita Savage.
Aquatic Research Consortium Funding Partner
Coastal Ocean Program (COP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
NOAA/COP Program Officer
Carol Auer
Scientific Advisory Board
Tracy Andacht, UGA
Doug Crawford, RSMAS
Calvin Walker, EPA, Gulf Breeze
Facilities
University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
Comparative Toxicogenomics Laboratory
Shoemaker Toxicology Laboratory
Texas State University
Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center
Molecular Biosciences Research Laboratory
Links
http://www.cop.noaa.gov/stressors/pollution/welcome.html
http://www.Xiphophorus.org
http://www.bio.nagoya-u.ac.jp:8000/
