Award: OCE-2126533

Cross-generational effects of hypoxia and ocean acidification on Atlantic silversides

This research explored how environmental stressors, specifically low oxygen (hypoxia) and ocean acidification (hereafter referred to as HypOA), influence the health, development, and gene expression of marine fish across generations. Focusing on the Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia), a small but ecologically important coastal species, the project aimed to uncover how parental environmental conditions shape the biological responses of their offspring. Understanding these cross-generational effects is essential for predicting how marine populations will cope with increasing environmental variability driven by human activities such as nutrient runoff (which leads to eutrophication and hypoxia) and carbon dioxide emissions (which cause ocean acidification).

Intellectual Merit:
The project made significant contributions to the fields of evolutionary ecology, ecophysiology, and environmental biology by revealing how early-life exposure to hypoxia and acidification in one generation can affect gene expression and development in the next. In particular, the research provided novel evidence of cross-generational plasticity, showing that offspring of fish exposed to combined HypOA conditions exhibited gene expression patterns that resembled those of fish directly exposed to stress. This suggests that parents can "prime" their offspring to prepare for environmental challenges, a concept known as transcriptional frontloading. The study also found that while parental environments influenced offspring gene regulation, they did not always affect fitness-related outcomes like hatching success. These findings help refine our understanding of how non-genetic inheritance contributes to rapid adaptation in marine populations.

In addition to cross-generational studies, the project also tested whether HypOA affects sex determination, a key life-history trait. Initial findings suggest that early-life exposure to hypoxia and acidification may skew sex ratios by reducing the number of female offspring. This could have important implications for population dynamics and fisheries management in the face of environmental change.

Broader Impacts:
Beyond advancing scientific understanding, this project had meaningful impacts on training and education. It provided interdisciplinary training in experimental biology, transcriptomics, and bioinformatics to postdoctoral researchers, undergraduate interns, and visiting students. Notably, the project supported the hands-on research training of a summer scholar from the Woods Hole Partnership Education Program. This student received mentorship in experimental design, data analysis, and manuscript preparation and is now pursuing a doctoral degree in a related field.

The research also fostered collaboration across institutions, including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and several regional universities. Findings were shared through national scientific conferences (e.g., Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology), institutional seminars, and public preprints to maximize transparency and accessibility.

Ultimately, this work improves our ability to forecast how marine ecosystems will respond to ongoing environmental stressors associated with eutrophication and ocean acidification. By connecting molecular biology to ecological processes, it informs conservation strategies and environmental monitoring efforts that aim to protect coastal biodiversity and fisheries resources.

 

Last Modified: 05/27/2025
Modified by: Christopher S Murray