Participants
Steven Young
Data collected on this cruise will form part of my PhD project investigating
the mechanisms of cold-induced angiogenesis (growth of new capillaries) in
fish. Data collected from cold adapted Antarctic fish will complement that
being obtained in cold acclimated temperate fish. Whilst on board the ship I
shall perform myography experiments to investigate the reactivity
(contraction and dilatation) of the vessels in the branchial circulation of
a number of sub-Antarctic species. These data will be compared with those
obtained from high Antarctic species to investigate possible latitudinal
variations. Additionally for analysis back in England I shall obtain
vascular corrosion casts of the locomotory muscle of fish that can be used
to generate data on the three-dimensional topology of the vascular network.
Immunohistochemistry samples will be taken for quantification of the
capillary supply and fibre dimensions, and transmission electron microscopy
samples for studies in differences infine structure, e.g. the morphology of
individual capillaries. Finally, samples will be taken for molecular biology
studies into the possible genes/ proteins responsible for such differences
in the vascular reactivity that may be observed, e.g. adrenoceptor
distribution.
This study aims to shed light on possible patterns in the tissue oxygen supply in fish, more specifically to answer such questions as: are there differences in short-term acclimation and evolutionary adaptation to the cold? Is cold adaptation really the significant factor in determining vascular supply or are other factors such as phylogenetic lineage or activity levels more important?