Meeting Abstract

P1.146  Jan. 4  Gene Expression in Extreme Environments RENEAU, P.C.*; University of Oklahoma preneau@ou.edu

Fishes in the genus Gambusia commonly thrive in environments that expose them to large fluctuations in temperature and oxygen availability. Diurnal temperature cycles may include changes of 20 °C and seasonal temperatures may range from near freezing to approaching 40 °C; however, it is not clear whether these populations respond to high temperature extremes via a chronic stress-response or if they have adapted to these extreme conditions. Populations of Gambusia spp. were collected from constant moderate thermal environments (i.e., springs) and thermally stressed environments (i.e., shallow rivers/creeks without shade in regions with ambient summer temperatures over 40 °C). Fish were exposed to varied temperatures and quantification of the expression of genes involved in stress mediation was determined. Results from this experiment help to shed light on the adaptive significance of variation in gene expression in natural populations of organisms.