COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY OF OSMOTIC STRESS TOLERANCE
One of the long-term research interests of the Galvez laboratory is the comparative physiology of osmoregulation in teleost fish. Salinity represents one of the most important barriers restricting the distribution of aquatic animals. Some species can change their phenotype to compensate for broad changes in environmental salinity, whereas other species have narrow salinity tolerance ranges (Prodocimo et al. 2007; Whitehead et al. 2011, Whitehead et al. 2012). We are currently studying the physiological responses and the genomic underpinnings of osmotic stress in natural populations of Fundulus.
PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF FISH TO ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICIANTS
Effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on resident marsh fishes
In response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, our research group quickly mobilized and collected tissue and water samples from seven sites along the northern Gulf of Mexico, both before and after the oil hit coastal Gulf of Mexico marsh habitats. We have since received funding from BP Exploration and Production and the National Science Foundation to assess the immediate and long-term effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure on resident fish populations. Our goal is to investigate the ability of fish to compensate for, and acclimate to, crude oil, linking effects from the molecular level to physiological performance.