By Rachel Fioret, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Woolwich Observer
Researchers at the University of Guelph are taking a unique approach to environmental conservatorship: studying local fish species at the cardiovascular level.
Master’s student Liz Manchester is currently studying how the hearts of zebrafish, a commonly used lab animal, are affected by hypoxia, a decreased level of oxygen in the water.
Hypoxia is a growing area of research in the Great Lakes basin, often focused on Lake Erie, where the impacts of human-induced factors can be seen. The problem is often linked to the likes of nutrient pollution, specifically of nitrogen and phosphorus used in fertilizers from agricultural runoff, along with fossil-fuel burning, and wastewater treatment effluent, for instance.
She’s looking to improve environmental protection programs that reintroduce captive, lab-bred, and endangered animals back to their natural habitats, where conditions are expected to worsen in conjunction with changes in the climate.
Hypoxic zones, also called dead zones, are a huge threat to freshwater conservation, as the living creatures in those zones will leave, die, or adapt to challenging environmental conditions.
Manchester found that zebrafish exposed to a moderate level of hypoxia for multiple weeks are better at dealing with stressful conditions in the future. “It essentially toughens up their heart and cardiovascular system,” she explained.
“Hypoxia changes the structure of their heart, the function of their heart, and it allows them to function better in different environments, including different temperatures.”
“It’s very interesting to see how a stressor can actually be beneficial to them in the long run,” said Manchester.
Heading into the new year, Manchester will begin her PhD with a research objective of studying how to best treat captive endangered animals to give them the best chance of survival for reintroduction into the wild.
This research aims to increase the physiological strength of endangered minnows and increase their chance of survival in a rapidly changing environment.
“Oftentimes in a lab, the conditions are stable, and when the animal is reintroduced to the environment, the conditions are very variable,” she said.
“With these lab studies, we want to mimic the unpredictability of the natural environment so that, hopefully, these animals will be prepared for the high variability in factors such as temperature and oxygen of wild streams.”
Reintroduction plans are set to occur within two to three years, and Manchester is excited to be in the field releasing fish back into the wild for her study.
A target species of her research is the Redside dace, an endangered minnow in Ontario.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to save it,” she said.
Populations of this species are dwindling, though they are present in scattered areas, with one location in Etobicoke where they are healthy.
“We’re trying to target where they still exist and maybe expand to more suitable habitats once we expand,” she said.
Manchester’s research will continue for the next five years, and afterwards, she has a long-term goal of remaining in academia as a professor, focusing on how we can use physiology to inform conservation plans.
She’s also excited about how this research could shape the future of environmental conservation.
“People often see the environment as something external to themselves, and I’m hoping to instill that we are part of the environment,” she shared.
“Whatever happens to the environment happens to humans as well.”
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