Project description:Background biology: Global warming has accelerated in recent decades, with the Arctic warming 2–3 times faster than the global average. As a result boreal species are expanding into the Arctic, at a pace reflecting environmental warming. Nevertheless, the poleward expansion of boreal marine species is restricted by their ability to tolerate low water temperatures, and in the case of intertidal species, sub-zero air temperatures during winter. In Greenland, however, the number of days with extreme sub-zero air temperatures has decreased by more than 50% since the 1950’s, suggesting that the low air temperature constraint is weakening. Although boreal intertidal species could potentially benefit from this warmer climate to establish populations in the Arctic, recent work has shown that local intertidal summer air temperatures in Greenland can exceed 36°C. This temperature is above the thermoregulatory capacity of many boreal intertidal species, including the highly abundant blue mussel Mytilus edulis. Therefore will further colonisation of M. edulis in Greenland be inhibited by the increasingly warm summer temperatures. Aim of experiment: Intertidal animals (Greenland blue mussel M. edulis) were sampled in situ on the first warm days of the year from the inner (warmer) and outer (cooler) regions of the Godthåbsfjorden around Nuuk (64°N) to examine the fjord temperature gradient effect. In addition, subtidal M. edulis were also collected and subjected to two acute temperature shocks of 22 and 32°C, which represented common and extreme summer air temperatures for intertidal habitats near Nuuk.
Project description:Long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) is an important flatfish fish species in the north Atlantic arctic and sub-arctic marine foodweb that could be vulnerable to contaminant exposure from offshore petroleum related activities. The study was conducted to map transcriptome responses in long rough dab precision cut liver slice (PCLS) culture exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). BaP is a polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) which is among the most toxic compounds found in crude oil. PCLS culture was performed under 10 µM BaP exposure for 72 h and transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) analysis was performed to characterize de novo transcriptome of the liver and identify genes responding to BaP exposure.
Project description:Hibernation is energy saving adaptation involving suppression of activity to survive in highly seasonal environments. Immobility and disuse generate muscle loss in most mammalian species. In contrast to other mammals, bears and ground squirrels demonstrate limited muscle atrophy over the physical inactivity of winter hibernation. This suggests that hibernating mammals have adaptive mechanisms to prevent disuse muscle atrophy. To identify common transcriptional program underlying molecular mechanisms preventing muscle loss, we conducted a large-scale gene expression screening in hind limb muscles comparing hibernating and summer active black bears and arctic ground squirrels by the use of custom 9,600 probe cDNA microarrays. The molecular pathway analysis showed an elevated proportion of overexpressed genes involved in all stages of protein biosynthesis and ribosome biogenesis in muscle of both species during hibernation that implies induction of translation at different hibernation states. The induction of protein biosynthesis likely contributes to attenuation of disuse muscle atrophy through prolonged periods of immobility and starvation. This adaptive mechanism allows hibernating mammals to maintain full musculoskeletal function and preserve mobility during and immediately after hibernation, thus promoting survival. The lack of directional changes in genes of protein catabolic pathways does not support the importance of metabolic suppression for preserving muscle mass during winter. Coordinated reduction of multiply genes involved in oxidation reduction and glucose metabolism detected in both species is consistent with metabolic suppression and lower energy demand in skeletal muscle during inactivity of hibernation. Arctic ground squirrels sampled during winter hibernation were compared with the animals sampled during summer. Muscle was hybridized on a custom 9,600 probes nylon membrane microarray platform. Ten in late torpor, four in early arousal, then in late arousal were studied in experiments.
Project description:The melting of permafrost and its potential impact on greenhouse gas emissions is a major concern in the context of global warming. The fate of the carbon trapped in permafrost will largely depend on soil physico-chemical characteristics, among which are the quality and quantity of organic matter, pH and water content, and on microbial community composition. In this study, we used microarrays and real-time PCR (qPCR) targeting 16S rRNA genes to characterize the bacterial communities in three different soil types representative of various Arctic settings. The microbiological data were linked to soil physico-chemical characteristics and CO2 production rates. Microarray results indicated that soil characteristics, and especially the soil pH, were important parameters in structuring the bacterial communities at the genera/species levels. Shifts in community structure were also visible at the phyla/class levels, with the soil CO2 production rate being positively correlated to the relative abundance of the Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Betaproteobacteria. These results indicate that CO2 production in Arctic soils does not only depend on the environmental conditions, but also on the presence of specific groups of bacteria that have the capacity to actively degrade soil carbon. Three different soil types from the Canadian high Arctic were sampled at two depths within the active layer of soil and at two sampling dates (winter and summer conditions), for a total of 20 samples.
Project description:Polar cod, a key fish species in the arctic marine foodweb is vulnerable to effects of pollution from offshore petroleum related activities in the Arctic and sub-arctic region. The study was conducted to map transcriptome responses to in Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) liver slice culture exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in the presence or absence of physiological levels of ethynylestradiol (EE2). BaP is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), also found in crude oil contaminants. PAHs such as BaP are among the most toxic compounds of crude oil. Precision-cut liver slice cultures from five female polar cod (n = 5/ group, paired design) were exposed to BaP alone (10 µM), or in combination with low concentrations of EE2 (5 nM), to mimic physiological estradiol levels in early vitellogenic female fish. Transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) was performed after 72 h exposure in culture. The results provide a global view of transcriptome responses to BaP, EE2 and their mixture. In the mixture exposure, BaP resulted attenuation of EE2 stimulated gene expression (anti-estrogenic effects). The results from this ex vivo experiment suggest that pollutants that activate the Ahr pathway such as the PAH compound BaP can result in anti-estrogenic effects that may lead to endocrine disruption in polar cod.
Project description:A variety of contaminants find their way to the marine sediments from different sources, and these contaminants can pose serious risks to the natural marine flora and fauna. For example, pyrethroids, which are a potent pesticide family, are often used in agriculture fields worldwide, and these find their way into the marine environment through run off. Further, pyrethroids are used in farmed Atlantic salmon cages in Chile, Great Britain and Norway. Ammonia is another contaminant that is used in agriculture in form of ammonia-rich fertilizer and can be carried during run-offs to localized rivers and streams. Ammonia is also detectable after emission of effluents from sewage treatment plants and industrial plants like oil refineries and meat processing plants. Contaminants may have short and long term effects on non-target organisms living in the water column or in the marine sediment. Importantly, the sediment ecosystem houses a variety of plants, animals and crustaceans, including the American lobster Homarus americanus. Lobster is the most fished crustacean in New Brunswick and Quebec and its resale and exportation produced over $1.6 billion in 2011. Due to its economic and environmental importance, it is essential to study the effects of contaminants present in its ecosystem. Sediment samples are often used as pollution markers during toxicity testing due to their tendency to accumulate hydrophobic contaminants. To better understand the possible effects of contaminants in sediment, a total gene expression study was developed using the marine amphipod Eohaustorius estuarius. A 10 day spike-in exposure was performed using ammonia and two pyrethroids, namely cypermethrin and deltamethrin. As pyrethroids and ammonia are known to have vastly different mechanisms of action in living organisms, we compared global gene expression patterns following exposure to ammonia against the patterns observed following exposure to pyrethroids. Total gene expression was measured by oligonucleotide microarray. The expression of five genes of interest involved in different biological processes such as metabolism, transcription, translation, immunity and stress, which were found to be differently expressed by microarray, was validated by RT-qPCR. A set of genes was identified that showed differential expression levels in a treatment-dependent manner, thus further highlighting the different mechanisms of action of ammonia and pyrethroids in the marine sediment. This study provides a proof of concept for the use of DNA microarrays with model crustaceans for the study of marine sediment contaminants. This specific study is aimed at evaluating the effect of ammonia and pyrethroid exposure on E.estuarius and to identify possible biomarkers of these exposures.
Project description:Capelin (Mallotus villosus) is one of the important fish species in the arctic marine foodweb that could be vulnerable to contaminant exposure from offshore petroleum related activities. The study was conducted to map transcriptome responses in capelin liver slice culture exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). BaP is a polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) which is among the most toxic compounds found in crude oil. Ex vivo liver slices culture was performed under 10 µM BaP exposure for 72 h and transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) analysis was performed to characterize de novo transcriptome of the liver and identify genes responding to BaP exposure.
Project description:Molecular analysis of dissimilatory nitrite reductase genes (nirS) was conducted using a customized microarray containing 165 nirS probes (archetypes) to identify members of sedimentary denitrifying communities. The goal of this study was to examine denitrifying community responses to changing environmental variables over spatial and temporal scales in the New River Estuary (NRE), NC, USA. Multivariate statistical analyses revealed three denitrifier assemblages and uncovered “generalist” and “specialist” archetypes based on the distribution of archetypes within these assemblages. Generalists, archetypes detected in all samples during at least one season, were commonly world-wide found in estuarine and marine ecosystems, comprised 11-29% of the abundant NRE archetypes. Archetypes found in a particular site, “specialists”, were found to co-vary based on site specific conditions. Archetypes specific to the lower estuary in winter were designated Cluster I and significantly correlated by sediment Chl a and porewater Fe2+. A combination of specialist and more widely distributed archetypes formed Clusters II and III, which separated based on salinity and porewater H2S, respectively. The co-occurrence of archetypes correlated with different environmental conditions highlights the importance of habitat type and niche differentiation among denitrifying communities and supports the essential role of individual community members in overall ecosystem function.