Adaptive mechanisms of deep-sea fishes to the mesopelagic environment
The biodiversity of the deep-sea, which includes ambush-predators like dragonfish and viperfish, is fascinating. In partnership with Portland State University, Center for Life in Extreme Environments, our research focus is the genome, metagenome and tissue-specific transcriptome of deep-sea fish who live at great depths. These fish rely on adaptive phenotypes that enable them to thrive in high-pressure, low oxygen, dark marine strata. We study anatomy, physiology, and genotype-phenotype correlations of several deep-sea fish species and explore host-microbial relationships by sequencing metagenomes of several fish tissues. Understanding the mechanisms behind survival and gene expression regulation governing adaptation phenotypes in oxygen-limited environment will provide critical insight for future, less well-oxygenated oceans.
Through targeted analytical chemistry, we detected and quantified organic pollutants in livers of fish living hundreds of meters from the surface, including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which had been widely phased out through the Stockholm Convention. While the production and use of these legacy pollutants have been restricted at best, their resistance to biological and environmental degradation allowed them to persist in the marine ecosystem.
When developing methods for the gut microbiome analysis, we noticed major discrepancies across both standard and customized sample processing approaches. The dominant taxa are consistently identified, and we’re now establishing a method that can reliably quantify relative abundance levels of these microbes.
