Research

Impacts of Temperature on the interaction of Growth, Metabolic Performance, and Gill Surface Area in Brook Trout

Increases in temperature have been connected to the decrease in the body size of adult organisms in both marine and terrestrial environments. The mechanism of this decrease has not been fully defined, but recent work has pointed to the possibility of decreased oxygen consumption capabilities due to the limitations on gill surface area, termed: the gill oxygen limitation hypothesis (GOL). Physiologists have argued that there is a lack of empirical evidence to support this argument, and what evidence is available seems to disagree with the hypothesis. Thus, in the project, we are attempting to investigate if increased temperature acclimation of long-term exposure will alter the size of the Brook trout, an economically important species, while also exploring the mechanism of change.

Impacts of Temperature on the Metabolic Performance of Pacific Sardine

Pacific sardine...

Metabolic performance of Pacific sardine in response to elevated temperature
Hypoxia tolerance of Pacific sardine in response to elevated temperature

Acid-Base Physiology of Larval Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)

Embryos and early life stage fish lack gills and practice cutaneous gas exchange, which means acid-base disturbances could be exacerbated in these life stages. Furthermore, little is known about the ontogeny, or development, of acid-base regulatory mechanisms in marine fish, raising many questions about their ability to compensate for disturbance in early life. Finally, almost nothing is known about the physiological plasticity of these systems in early life stages, which may or may not help mitigate detrimental effects in both present-day and future scenarios. This study is providing valuable mechanistic insight into the early life sensitivity of fish to OA by examining three specific questions:

What is the sensitivity of a model estuarine species to elevated pCO2?
What is the role of Na+/H+ exchanger (2/3) in acid-base regulation in a teleost?
What is the role of vacuolar-type proton pump in acid-base regulation in a teleost?

Resilience of Orange-Spotted Group (Epinephelus coioides) to Ocean Acidification

This work was funded by a National Science Foundation Grant through the 2016 East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI).

This study focused on the impacts of ocean acidification (OA) on an estuarine species native to the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean, the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides). OA is predicted to have a number of negative outcomes on marine fish, with the most severe occurring in the early life stages. The core physiological cause for many of the outcomes of OA is a systemic acid-base disturbance, and because embryos and early life stage fish lack gills and practice cutaneous gas exchange the impacts of OA could be exacerbated.

A popular science article about my work and the program was published via the University of Texas at Austin. Taiwan and Texas

Impacts of Climate Change on Metabolism in Antarctic Taxa

This work was a part of the 2018 Antarctic Biology Training Program at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, which is funded by the National Science Foundation.

This study attempted to explore how marine taxa maintain ion gradients via Na+/K+ ATPase (NKA), which can consume as much as ~80% of an Antarctic organism’s total ATP energy budget, and the performance of NKA is essential for life. Life in cold Antarctic environments poses a unique set of biochemical and thermodynamic challenges that organisms must overcome to maintain key metabolic and enzymatic processes.

A popular science article about my work and the program was published via The Antarctic Sun (United States Antarctic Program). A World-Class Classroom At The Bottom Of The World

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