USAP-DC

This project fits within the second of three major themes identified by the National Academy of Science report “A Strategic Vision for NSF Investments in Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research”. How do Antarctic biota evolve and adapt to the changing environment? Decoding the genomic and transcriptomic bases of biological adaptation and response across Antarctic organisms and ecosystems. Central in this theme is the physiological capacity of animals to cope with changes in environmental conditions over their lifetime, which this research firmly addresses. In the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica there is an extraordinary diversity of marine life. Much of our understanding of the biology of these animals comes from studies of the adaptations of these animals to sub-zero ocean conditions. Antarctic marine organisms have evolved to survive in stable, cold ocean conditions and possess a limited capacity to respond to environmental change. Research to date on Antarctic fishes has focused on adult life stages with much less research on early life stages that likely prioritize growth and development and not physiological mechanisms of stress tolerance. This project addresses the mechanisms that early life stages (embryos, larvae and juveniles) of Antarctic fishes use to respond to changes in ocean conditions. Specifically, the project will examine energetic trade-offs between key developmental processes in the context of environmental change. While the project focuses on Antarctic species, the research is highly translatable to stress tolerance mechanisms of fishes along the coast of North America, many of which are also experiencing changes in multiple environmental factors. Research in the Antarctic allows scientists to identify unifying themes or generalities in physiology that extend beyond the waters of the Southern Ocean and therefore have broad implications for understanding what is limiting the performance of fishes globally. BROADER IMPACTS –To build environmental stewardship and awareness, we must increase science literacy in the broader community. This project does this through three main objectives. First is to increase the diversity of students involved in environmental science research. Student diversity, in turn, gives the scientific community a broader perspective for addressing critical challenges in environmental biology. This project provides resources to support three PhD students, one postdoctoral scholar and two undergraduate students and promotes the diversity of young scientists and the advancement of groups traditionally underrepresented in environmental biology. Todgham will broaden the outreach effort by developing exhibits on environmental change impacts on polar regions for large public events, an opportunity to engage K-12 students, government officials in Sacramento and local and statewide communities. Lastly, through a collaboration with PolarTREC and teacher Denise Hardoy, lesson plans have been developed to teach K-12 students about experimental design, polar environments and sensitivity of Antarctic species to climate change.

Person	Role
Todgham, Anne	Investigator and contact
Mandic, Milica	Researcher
Frazier, Amanda	Researcher
Naslund, Andrew	Researcher
Zillig, Ken	Researcher

Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems

Award # 1744999

USAP-1744999_1

Deployment	Type
McMurdo Station - Crary Lab & McMurdo Sound	general deployment

None in the Database

Repository	Title (link)	Format(s)	Status
USAP-DC	Differential temperature preferences exhibited in the juvenile Antarctic notothenioids Trematomus bernacchii and Trematomus pennellii	Microsoft Excel (OpenXML)	exists
USAP-DC	A comparative and ontogenetic examination of mitochondrial function in Antarctic notothenioid species	Microsoft Excel (OpenXML)	exists

1. Naslund, A.W., Davis, B.E., Hobbs, J.A., Fangue, N.A., Todgham, A.E. 2021. Warming, not CO2-acidification, alters otolith development of juvenile Antarctic rockcod. Polar Biology (In Press). (doi:10.1007/s00300-021-02923-3 )
2. Todgham, A.E., Mandic, M. 2020. Understanding the metabolic capacity of Antarctic fishes to acclimate to future ocean conditions. Integrative and Comparative Biology 60: 1425-1437. (doi:10.1093/icb/icaa121)
3. Cooke, S.J., Bergman, J.N.*, Madliger, C.L., Cramp, R.L., Beardall, J., Burness, G.P., Clark, T.D., Dantzer, B., de la Barrera, E., Fangue, N.A., Franklin, C.E., Fuller, A., Hawkes, L.A., Hultine, K.R., Hunt, K.E., Love, O.P., MacMillan, H.A., Mandelman, J.W., Mark, F.C., Martin, L.B., Newman, A.E.M., Nicotra, A.B., Raby, G.D., Robinson, S.A., Ropert-Coudert, Y., Rummer, J.L., Seebacher, F., Todgham, A.E., Tomlinson, S., Chown, S.L. 2021. One hundred research questions in conservation physiology for generating actionable evidence to inform conservation policy and practice. Conservation Physiology 9: coab009. (doi:10.1093/conphys/coab009)
4. Cooke, S.J., Madliger, C.L., Cramp, R.L., Beardall, J., Burness, G.P., Chown, S.L., Clark, T.D., Dantzer, B., de la Barrera, E., Fangue, N.A., Franklin, C.E., Fuller, A., Hawkes, L.A., Hultine, K.R., Hunt, K.E., Love, O.P., MacMillan, H.A., Mandelman, J.W., Mark, F.C., Martin, L.B., Newman, A.E.M., Nicotra, A.B., Robinson, S.A., Ropert-Coudert, Y., Rummer, J.L., Seebacher, F., Todgham, A.E. 2020. Reframing conservation physiology to be more inclusive, integrative, relevant and forward-looking: reflections and a horizon scan. Conservation Physiology 8: coaa016. (doi:10.1093/conphys/coaa016)
5. Naslund, A. W., Davis, B. E., Hobbs, J. A., Fangue, N. A., & Todgham, A. E. (2021). Warming, not CO2-acidified seawater, alters otolith development of juvenile Antarctic emerald rockcod (Trematomus bernacchii). Polar Biology. (doi:10.1007/s00300-021-02923-3)