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ANZSCPB2016 3

Australian and New Zealand Society for Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry

33rd Annual Meeting

1 - 4 December 2016

Western Sydney University Hawkesbury Campus

ANZSCPB2016 4

Organising Committee

Christopher Turbill, Jenny Harvey, David Thompson and Rebecca Drury

Sponsors

ArtworkbyDrGerhardKörtner

ANZSCPB2016 5

TableofContents

ConferenceSchedule.........................................................................................................6

ConferenceProgram..........................................................................................................7Thursday1December................................................................................................................7Friday2December.....................................................................................................................8Saturday3December................................................................................................................10Sunday4December...................................................................................................................12

Abstracts.........................................................................................................................13

ListofSpeakers................................................................................................................63

ContactDetails................................................................................................................64

ANZSCPB2016 6

ConferenceSchedule

Registrationandwood-firedpizzadinner17:00-20:00Thursday1DecemberatMemorialHall(R8)

Friday2December Saturday3December Sunday4December8:45 Welcomeand

announcements8:55 Announcements

9:00 PlenaryLecture 9:00 PlenaryLecture 9:15 Announcements9:45 Session1 9:45 Session5 9:30 Session910:30 MorningTea 10:30 MorningTea 10:35 MorningTea11:00 Session2 11:00 Session6 11:15 Session1012:30 Lunch 12:30 Lunch 12:30 Lunch13:30 Session3 13:30 Session7 Endofconference15:00 AfternoonTea 15:00 AfternoonTea 15:30 Session4 15:30 Session 16:05 AGM 17:00 Endofday 17:00 Endofday 18:30 ConferenceDinner

ANZSCPB2016 7

ConferenceProgram

Thursday1December

5:00–8:00pm

Registrationandwelcomedinneranddrinks.

MemorialHall(R8),HawkesburyCampus,WesternSydneyUniversity,Richmond

ANZSCPB2016 8

ConferenceProgram

Friday2December

*indicatesstudentseligibleforprizes

Chair:FritzGeiser

8:45 Announcements

9:00 PlenaryLecture:ClaudiaBieberandThomasRuf

Connectingecologyandphysiology:thelifehistorystrategyofapulseresourceconsumer

9:45 ChrisFriesen,NickyRollings,RandolphW.Krohmer,EmilyJ.Uhrig,HeatherL.Waye,RobertT.Mason,MatsOlssonandCamillaM.Whittington

SexanddeathintheCanadianbush:Sex-specifictelomeredynamicsinthered-sidedgartersnake

10:00 ChristopherTurbillandLisaStojanovski

Givingpredatorsthecoldshoulder:torporreducespredationriskinmice

10:15 NicolasMartin*,A.J.Hulbert,J.E.Bicudo,T.W.MitchellandP.L.Else

Longlivethequeen:influenceofdietonlongevityofhoneybees(Apismellifera)

10:30-11:00 MorningTea

Chair:MichaelThompson

11:00 LisaBromfield*,PaulRymerandChristopherTurbill

Metabolicrateofhousemiceinresponsetoairtemperatureandfoodavailability

11:15SPEEDTALK

JacintaKong*,AryHoffmannandMichaelR.Kearney

PredictingeggdevelopmentintheparthenogeneticgrasshopperWarramabavirgo(Orthoptera:Morabidae)

11:20 JessicaDudley*,BronwynM.McAllan,ChristopherR.MurphyandMichaelB.Thompson

EarlypregnancyintheAmericandesertrodentMerriam'sKangaroorat(Dipodomysmerriami)

11:35 HenriqueBraz,SelmaM.Almeida-Santos,ChristopherR.MurphyandMichaelB.Thompson

UterineandeggshellchangesassociatedwiththeevolutionofviviparityinSouthAmericanwatersnakes(Helicopsspp.)

11:50 CamillaWhittington,KevinDanastas,GeorgesGrau,ChristopherR.MurphyandMichaelB.Thompson

Angiogenesisinamniotepregnancy

12:05SPEEDTALK

MohammadKhan*,MichaelB.Thompson,MariaByrneandCamillaWhittington

Evolutionofmaternalfetalrelationshipsinmatrotrophicviviparousinvertebrate:ParvulastraparviviparaandCryptasterinahysteraasmodelorganisms

ANZSCPB2016 9

12:10 MelanieLaird*,HanonMcShea,BronwynM.McAllan,ChristopherR.MurphyandMichaelB.Thompson

UterinecelladhesiondynamicsduringpregnancyinMacropuseugenii(Macropodidae)andTrichosurusvulpecula(Phalangeridae)

12:25 Announcements-CraigFranklin:FundingopportunitiesfromSocietyofExperimentalBiologyandCompanyofBiologists

12:30-1:30 Lunch

Chair:ChristineCooper

1:30 CraigWhite,DustinMarshallandDanielOrtiz-Barrientos

Selectiondrivesmetabolicallometry

1:45 StewartMasson*,ChristopherHedges,JulesDevauxandAnthonyHickey

MitochondrialGlycerophosphateDehydrogenase:anewbumblebeethermogenesishypothesis

2:00 ElleMcDonald*andChristopherTurbill

Restingmetabolicrateofmotherspredictsoffspringgrowthrateinmice

2:25 ThomasNelson*andRogerS.Seymour

Avianbrainmetabolism:Arebirdsbird-brained?

2:30 SeanTomlinson,KingsleyDixonandS.DonBradshaw

Thebuzzonhoneybeeenergetics:Mismatchesbetweenmodelsandmeasurement

2:45 KarlJones*,SteveCooperandRogerS.Seymour

Respirationinsubterraneandivingbeetles

3:00-3:30 AfternoonTea

Chair:ChristineCooper

3:30 Announcements–ChristineCooper:IMC12PerthJuly2017

3:35 HughWinwood-Smith*,CraigWhiteandCraigE.Franklin

Metabolicdepressiononalowcarbdiet:amechanismtoconserveglycogen?

3:50 DanielGomez-Isaza*,RebeccaL.Cramp,RichardSmullenandCraigE.Franklin

Copingwithclimatechange:CandietimprovethethermalresilienceofBarramundi,Latescalcarifer?

4:05 AGM

ANZSCPB2016 10

ConferenceProgram

Saturday3December

*indicatesstudentseligibleforprizes

Chair:ChristopherTurbill

8:45 Announcements

9:00 PlenaryLecture:SteveSwoap,MariaVicent,JakeBingamanandElissaHutt

Utilizingthemousemodeltoexamineneuralmechanismsofdailytorpor

9:45 PhillipaK.Beale*,KarenFord,BenMooreandBillFoley

Interactionbetweenplantsecondarycompoundsandthermoregulationinmammalianherbivores

10:00 ZenonCzenze*,MarkBrigham,AnthonyHickeyandStuartParsons

Aren’tyoucold?SeasonaltorporexpressionandroostchoicedifferbetweenpopulationsofNewZealandbats

10:15 FritzGeiser,KristinaGasch,ClaudiaBieber,GabrielleL.Stalder,HannoGerritsmannandThomasRuf

Dohamstersbask?

10:30-11:00 MorningTea

Chair:ClaudiaBieber

11:00 StevenPortugal

Brightnights,costlymornings:night-timebodytemperatureincreasescorrespondwithmoonphaseandcloudlessnightsinwinteringBarnacleGeese(Brantaleucopsis)

11:15 ClareStawski,TaylorHume,GerhardKörtner,ShannonE.Currie,JuliaNowackandFritzGeiser

Post-firerecoveryofthebehaviourandphysiologyofasmallmarsupial

11:30 ChristineCooperandPhilipWithers

Controlofevaporativewaterlossbyaheterothermicdasyuridmarsupial

11:45 QiaohuiHu,RogerS.SeymourandEdwardP.Snelling

Ontogeneticscalingoffemoralbloodrateinwesterngreykangaroo(Macropusfuliginosus),easterngreykangaroo(Macropusgiganteus)andredkangaroo(Macropusrufus)

12:00 EliaPirtle*,ChristopherR.TracyandMichaelR.Kearney

Quantifyingtheinfluenceofphysiologyandbehaviouronreptilianevaporativewaterlossrates

12:15 NicholasWu*,RebeccaL.CrampandCraigE.Franklin

Livingwithaleakyskin:Upregulationofiontransportproteinsduringsloughing

12:30-1:30 Lunch

ANZSCPB2016 11

Chair:CraigWhite

1:30 PieterArnold*,PhillipCasseyandCraigWhite

Experimentalevolutionofdispersal-relatedtraitsinamodelinsect:morphological,physiological,andbehaviouralresponsestospatialselection

1:45 GerhardKörtnerandFritzGeiser

Doesaridityaffecthomerangesize?ThespatialecologyofAustralia'sdasyuridmarsupials

2:00 EdwardNarayan,AsumiWillis,CorinnevandenHoek,MandalaHunter-Ishikawa,RichardThompsonandTuanBendixsen

ConservationphysiologyofAsiaticblackbears(Ursusthibetanus):MonitoringstressandbehaviourinbearsrescuedfrombilefarmsinVietnam

2:15 PhilipWithers,LukeKealley,ChristineCooper,HarrietMillsandDominiqueBlache

Effectsofbehaviouralandphysiologicaltraitsonreleasebehaviourforash-greymice(Pseudomysalbocinereus)

2:30 KristenPetrov*,JamesVanDyke,NatashaMalkiewicz,JessicaLewis,MichaelB.ThompsonandRicky-JohnSpencer

Dietgeneralisationandspecialisationinafreshwaterturtle(Emyduramacquarii)

2:45 JamesVanDyke,MichaelKelly,KristenPetrov,FionaLoudonandRicky-JohnSpencer

Themechanisticbasesformaternaleffectsinturtles

3:00-3:30 AfternoonTea

Chair:JamesVanDyke

3:30 JulianBeaman*,CraigWhiteandFrankSeebacher

Evolutionofplasticity:mechanisticlinkbetweendevelopmentandreversibleacclimation

3:45 RebeccaL.Cramp,EdwardA.MeyerandCraigE.Franklin

LifeatlowpH:ThemechanisticbasisfortoleranceofextremelylowpHbyLimnodynastesterraereginaelarvae

4:00 JulesDevaux*,AnthonyHickeyandCrystalJames

Hypoxiatolerantspeciestakeadvantageofintracellularacidosistomaintainmitochondrialfunction

4:15 EnsiyehGhanizadehKazerouni,FrankSeebacherandCraigE.Franklin

Parentalenvironmentaffectsoffspring'sresponsestoUV-B

4:30 CrystalJames*,AnthonyHickey,JulesDevaux,ChristopherHedgesandStewartMasson

IshypoxiatolerancereflectedinNewZealandTriplefinbrains?(Tripterygiidae):Analysingenzymeactivitiesandmetabolites

4:45 JessicaK.McGlashan*,MichaelB.Thompson,FredricJ.Janzen,JamesVanDykeandRicky-JohnSpencer

Synchronoushatchinginfreshwaterturtles:metabolicandendocrinemechanisms

6:30 ConferenceDinneratTheSebelResort,Windsor

ANZSCPB2016 12

ConferenceProgram

Sunday4December

*indicatesstudentseligibleforprizes

Chair:CamillaWhittington

9:15 Announcements

9:30 YugoWatanabe*,BertDeGroefandSylviaV.H.Grommen

Regulatoryelementsthatdrivecorticotropin-releasinghormonereceptor2geneexpressioninavianthyrotropes

9:45 MelissaCameronandJohnDonald

Doesthespottedgar,Lepisosteusoculatus,expressafunctionalendothelialnitricoxidesynthase?

10:00 JohnDonald,NoorKhalidahAbdulHamidandJanetMcLeod

TheroleofleptinandghrelininappetiteregulationintheAustralianSpinifexhoppingmouse,Notomysalexis,duringlong-termwaterdeprivation

10:15SPEEDTALK

LesleyA.Alton,RebeccaL.Cramp,EmmaCeccato,FrankSeebacherandCraigE.Franklin

DNAdamageinducedbyultravioletradiationisrepairedfasterbyenzymaticphotoreactivationthanbynucleotideexcisionrepairinanamphibianspecies

10:20 EllyseNoy*,MelissaScott,DianaRayment,SylviaV.H.Grommen,KylieRobertandBertDeGroef

Thehypothalamo-pituitary-adrenalaxisinthefat-taileddunnart(Sminthopsiscrassicaudata),anAustralianmarsupial

10:35-11:15 MorningTea

Chair:RebeccaCramp

11:15 CraigE.Franklin,EssieRodgers,LilyBentleyandRossDwyer

Divinginawarmingworld:Environmentalandphysiologicaldeterminantsofdivedurationincrocodiles

11:30 MichaelKearney,WarrenP.PorterandStephenA.Murphy

AnestimateofthewaterbudgetfortheendangerednightparrotofAustraliaunderrecentandfutureclimates

11:45 PippaKern,RebeccaL.CrampandCraigE.Franklin

Stressorinteractionsshapeupperthermallimits

12:00 GillianRenshaw,JulesDevauxandAnthonyHickey

Mitochondrialplasticityasadeterminantofsurvivingclimatechange.

12:15 Finalannouncementsandawardpresentations

12:30-13:30 Lunchandendofconference

ANZSCPB2016 13

AbstractsPLENARYLECTURE

Connectingecologyandphysiology:thelifehistorystrategyofapulseresourceconsumer

ClaudiaBieberandThomasRuf

DepartmentofIntegrativeBiologyandEvolution,UniversityofVeterinaryMedicine,Vienna,Savoyenstraße1-1a,1160Vienna,Austria

Torporinmammals,i.e.,hibernation,aestivationanddailytorpor,isastateofmetabolicdepressionthatreducesenergyexpenditureduringunfavourableenvironmentalconditions.Here,weshowforthefirsttimethathibernationcanlast>11monthsinafree-livingsmallmammal.Edibledormice(Glisglis)arestronglyadaptedtotheavailabilityofseedtrees(i.e.,beechnutsFagussylvatica).Onlyinso-calledmastyearsdormiceinvestintoreproductionandraiseasinglelitterperyear.Inmastfailureyears,however,dormicegainweightbutthefoodseemsnotsufficienttoallowjuvenilestogrowandfattenpriortotheirfirsthibernationseason.Weshowherethatdormiceinmastfailureyearsretreatedearlyintohibernaculawhenenvironmentalconditionsweremildbutfoodavailabilitywasinsufficienttoraiseyoung.Wesuggestthatdormiceoptedforearlyhibernationonsettoavoidpredationandtoincreasesurvival.

Furthermore,recentevidencesuggeststhathibernatorsareparticularlylonglivedandthattheuseoftorpormayattenuatesenescence,i.e.decreasedcellularagingintermsofrelativetelomerelength(RTL)shortening.Thiscouldalsoexplainwhydormiceoptedtoprolonghibernationinayearwithoutreproduction.Surprisinglyhowever,RTLshorteningwaslargestinanimalsshowingextendedhibernation.Specifically,RTLshorteningwasassociatedwiththefrequencyofperiodicarousals,whichwashighestduringextremelylonghibernationseasonsstartinginearlysummer.Wethereforeconcludethathibernationmustaffectlongevityindirectly,bydecreasingtheriskofexternalmortality.Thisbenefitapparentlyoutweighsthepotentiallynegativeeffectofincreasedsenescence,especiallybecausedormiceareabletore-elongatetelomeresduringthesummer-activeseason.

ANZSCPB2016 14

SexanddeathintheCanadianbush:Sex-specifictelomeredynamicsinthered-sidedgartersnake

ChrisFriesen1,NickyRollings1,RandolphW.Krohmer2,EmilyJ.Uhrig3,HeatherL.Waye4,RobertT.Mason5,MatsOlsson6andCamillaM.Whittington1

1SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofSydney2DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,SaintXavierUniversity3DepartmentofPhysics,ChemistryandBiology,LinköpingUniversity4DivisionofScienceandMathematics,UniversityofMinnesota5DepartmentofIntegrativeBiology,OregonStateUniversity6DepartmentofBiological&EnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofGothenburg

Lifehistorystrategiesvarydramaticallybetweenthesexes,whichmaydrivedivergenceinsex-specificsenescenceandmortalityrates.Telomeresaretandemnucleotiderepeatsthatprotecttheendsofchromosomesfromerosionduringcelldivision.Telomereshavebeenimplicatedinsenescenceandmortalitybecausetheytendtoshortenwithstress,growthandage.Weinvestigatedage-specifictelomerelengthinfemaleandmalered-sidedgartersnakes,Thamnophissirtalisparietalis.Wehypothesizedthatage-specifictelomerelengthwoulddifferbetweenmalesandfemalesgiventheirdivergentreproductivestrategies.Malegartersnakesemergefromhibernationwithhighlevelsofcorticosterone,whichfacilitatesenergymobilizationtofuelmate-searching,courtship,andmatingbehavioursduringa2-4weekaphagousbreedingperiodatthedensite.Conversely,femalesremainatthedensforonlyaboutfourdaysandseemtoinvestmoreenergyingrowthandcellularmaintenance,astheyusuallyreproducebiennially.Asmaleinvestmentinreproductioninvolvesayearlyboutofphysiologicallystressfulactivities,whilefemalesprioritiseself-maintenance,wepredictedmalesnakeswouldexperiencemoreage-specifictelomerelossthanfemales.WeinvestigatedthispredictionusingskeletochronologytodeterminetheagesofindividualsandqPCRtodeterminetelomerelength.Forbothsexes,telomerelengthwaspositivelyrelatedtobodycondition.Telomerelengthdecreasedwithageinmalegartersnakes,butremainedstableinfemalesnakes.Therewasnocorrelationbetweentelomerelengthandgrowth(size/age)ineithersex,suggestingthatourresultsareaconsequenceofdivergentselectiononlifehistoriesofmalesandfemales.Differentselectiononthesexesmaybethephysiologicalconsequenceofthesexualdimorphismandmatingsystemdynamicsdisplayedbythisspecies.

ANZSCPB2016 15

Givingpredatorsthecoldshoulder:torporreducespredationriskinmice

ChristopherTurbillandLisaStojanovski

HawkesburyInstitutefortheEnvironment,WesternSydneyUniversity,HawkesburyCampus,Richmond2753,NewSouthWales,Australia

Torporprovidesamechanismformammalsandbirdstoreducetheirdailyenergyrequirements.Prolongeddeeptorpor,combinedwithfoodorfatstorage,allowshibernatingmammalstoremaindormantovertheentirewinterseason.Attheotherextreme,evenshortandshallowtorporboutswhilerestingprovideenergysavingsthatreducedailyforagingrequirements.Ourresearchaimstointegratethermoregulatoryeffectsonrestingenergyexpenditurewithforagingbehaviouranditslife-historyconsequences.Inthisstudy,wemeasuredthebodytemperatureofwild-caughthousemiceinresponsetovariationinperceivedpredationrisk.Wefoundthatmiceusetorporevenwhenfoodisavailabletofacilitateareductioninforagingeffortandhenceexposuretoaperceivedriskofmortalityfrompredation.Ourexperimentshowsthatenergysavingsfromtorporarerelevantinmodulating‘decisions’bymiceaboutforagingactivityinresponsetoenvironmentalconditions.

ANZSCPB2016 16

Longlivethequeen:influenceofdietonlongevityofhoneybees(Apismellifera)

NicolasMartin2,AnthonyJ.Hulbert2,J.EduardoBicudo2,ToddW.Mitchell1andPaulL.Else1

1SchoolofMedicine,UniversityofWollongong,NSW2522,Australia2SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofWollongong,NSW2522,Australia

Socialinsects,suchashoneybeesandants,haveexceptionallylong-livingqueensandareexcellentmodelstoinvestigatethebiologyofageing.Femalehoneybeesaregeneticallyidenticalyetcanbecomeeitherlong-livedqueens(upto8years)orshort-livedworkers(normally2-6weeks).Weareinvestigatingtheroleofdietarylipids,andtheiroxidation(i.e.peroxidation),toexplainthislongevitydifferenceinfemalehoneybees.Onlypolyunsaturatedfattyacids(PUFA)arecapableofsignificantperoxidationwithmonounsaturated(MUFA)andsaturatedfattyacidshighlyresistanttoperoxidation.Themembranelipidsoflarvae,pupae,emergentworkersandadultqueensallhavealowproportionofPUFAandhighproportionofMUFA.However,byday4followingemergence,workerbeesincreasetheproportionofPUFAintheirmembranesby5-fold(withaconsequentdecreaseinMUFA)unlikequeensthatretainalowproportionofPUFAintheirmembranes.Thischangeisduetotheconsumptionofpolleninworkerbeesfollowingemergencewhereasqueensdonotconsumepollenthroughouttheirlifeandarefed"royaljelly"mouth-to-mouthbyworkers.RoyaljellyhasanegligiblelevelofPUFA.Wepostulatethatthisdiet-inducedincreaseinmembranePUFAisresponsibleforthemuchshorterlifespansofworkerbeescomparedtoqueens.Thus,byfeedingemergentworkerbeesadietlowinPUFAaqueen-likemembranelipidcompositionshouldbeproducedandlifespanextended.PreliminaryresultsshowthatworkerbeesfedonadietwithnegligiblePUFAmaintainalowproportionofPUFAintheirmembranelipidsandlivelongercomparetoworkerbeesfeedingondietcontainingPUFA.Theabilitytoextendbeelifespanbynutritionalmanipulationwillprovideanimportantexperimentaltooltoinvestigatetheprocessofaging.

ANZSCPB2016 17

Metabolicrateofhousemiceinresponsetoairtemperatureandfoodavailability

LisaBromfield,PaulRymerandChristopherTurbill

HawkesburyInstitutefortheEnvironment,WesternSydneyUniversity,HawkesburyCampus,Richmond2753,NewSouthWales,AustraliaResearchisstillneededtounderstandtheecologicalsignificanceofmetabolicrateanditsrelationtootherkeytraitsthatdetermineanimalperformanceandevolutionaryfitness.Pasteffortstointegratemetabolismwithbehaviourandlife-historiesandhavereliedonbasalmetabolicrate(BMR)asasingleindexofindividualdifferencesinmetabolism.Yet,forsmallendotherms,metabolicrateisstronglyaffectedbythermoregulatorybehaviourandfoodavailability,andindividualdifferencesintheseresponsesmightalsobeimportantrepeatablemetabolictraits.Wemeasuredthemetabolicrateofwild-caughthousemiceinhomecagesexposedtoadailytemperaturecycle(15,20,31°C)andalternate-dayfoodwithdrawal.Respirometrytrialslastedsixdaysandwererepeatedthreetimesoverthreemonthperiodsforallindividuals.Weusedthesedetailedlongitudinalmeasurementstoexaminethemeaneffectsoftemperatureandfoodavailability,individualdifferencesinresponses,andtheinterrelationsamongindividualvariationinminimumdailyvaluesofrestingmetabolicrate(RMR)at15,20,31°Candintegratedenergyexpenditureoverthedailycycle.Inthistalk,Iwillpresentaninitialexplorationofourresults,whichhaveonlyjustbeencompleted.Weusetheseresultstosuggesthowconsistentindividualdifferencesinthermoregulatorymetabolicresponsestofoodavailabilitycouldplayanimportantroleinthedefiningvariationin'pace-of-life'(i.e.metabolic-behavioural-life-history)syndromes.

ANZSCPB2016 18

SPEEDTALK

PredictingeggdevelopmentintheparthenogeneticgrasshopperWarramabavirgo(Orthoptera:Morabidae)

JacintaKong,AryHoffmannandMichaelR.Kearney

SchoolofBioSciences,theUniversityofMelbourne,Parkville,Australia3010

Understandingtheinsectlifecycleisakeyproblemforpredictinginsectresponsestoclimate,andforthemanagementandconservationofspecies.Theeggstagerepresentsthefecundityofonegenerationandthesurvivalofthenext.Physiologicaladaptations,suchasdormancy,ofimmobileeggscanregulatesurvivalanddevelopmentundervariablelocalenvironmentalconditions.Complexinsectlifecyclescanarisewhendevelopmentaltraitsvarydependingonenvironmentalconditionsandunderlyinggenetictraits.Parthenogeneticinsectsallowustoinvestigatedevelopmentalresponsesofeggstoclimateinasimplifiedgeneticsystem.Here,wecharacterisedeggdevelopmentunderconstantandfluctuatingtemperaturesintheparthenogeneticandwinglessgrasshopperWarramabavirgo.WeexaminedtheadaptivesignificanceofeggdormancyforpopulationsofW.virgoacrossEasternAustralia.Variationineggdevelopmentundervarioustemperatureregimeshighlightsthelimitationsofgeneralisinglaboratoryexperimentstothefield,andthechallengesfordevelopingmechanisticmodelsofinsectresponsestoclimate.

ANZSCPB2016 19

EarlypregnancyintheAmericandesertrodentMerriam'sKangaroorat(Dipodomysmerriami)

JessicaDudley1,BronwynM.McAllan1,ChristopherR.Murphy1andMichaelB.Thompson2

1SchoolofMedicalSciences,TheUniversityofSydney,NSW2006,Australia2SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciences,TheUniversityofSydney,NSW2006,Australia

Theuterinesurfaceundergoessignificantremodelingduringpregnancytoallowforimplantationoftheblastocyst(cellmasssubsequentlyformingtheembryo).Thesechanges,collectivelytermedthe‘plasmamembranetransformation’(PMT),occurregardlessoftheplacentationtypethatfollows.SimilaritiesinmorphologicalandmolecularchangesduringthePMTinviviparouslizardsandmarsupialssuggestthatcommonmoleculesplayanimportantroleinattachmentofthetrophoblastacrossspecies.Althoughplacentationhasevolvedonlyonceinmammalsthereareseveraldifferentanatomicalvariationsoftheplacentainmammals.Kangaroorats(Dipodomysspp.)donotexhibitthetypicalhemochorial(highlyinvasive)placentaofspecieswithinthesuperorderEuarchontoglires(rodents,rabbitsandhares,treeshrews,flyinglemursandprimates).Insteadtheyexhibitalessinvasiveform,endotheliochorial(slightlyinvasive)placentawithlittleknownaboutthemolecularmechanismsunderpinningitsformation.Thus,wecharacterisedthechangesthatoccurtomembranemoleculesandtothecellularultrastructureoftheuterineepitheliumduringearlypregnancyinMerriam’skangaroorat,Dipodomysmerriami.Weusedelectronmicroscopyandimmunofluorescencemicroscopytodescribechangestotransmembraneproteinsandthestructuralandluminalsurfaceofuterineepithelialcellsduringpregnancy.Theseadhesionmoleculesincludedcadherins,whichformtheadherensjunctionanddesmosomeswhichformadhesion‘spotwelds’alongthelateralplasmamembrane,providingstructuralintegritytothetissue.Cadherinsdecreaseinexpressionintheuterineepitheliumduringthepre-implantationperiodandthereisaredistributionofdesmosomestotheapicalregionofthelateralplasmamembrane.Theshiftindesmosomeandcadherindistributionbeforeimplantationsuggeststhatthereisareductioninlateraladhesionbetweenepithelialcellstoallowforinvasionbytheblastocyst.DespiteKangarooratsformingalessinvasiveplacentathesesamechangesoccurduringpregnancyinspecieswithhighlyinvasiveplacentationsuchasthelabratandhuman.

ANZSCPB2016 20

UterineandeggshellchangesassociatedwiththeevolutionofviviparityinSouthAmericanwatersnakes(Helicopsspp.)

HenriqueBraz1,SelmaM.Almeida-Santos2,ChristopherR.Murphy3andMichaelB.Thompson1

1SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofSydney2LaboratoryofEcologyandEvolution,ButantanInstitute,Brazil3SchoolofMedicalScienceandBoschInstitute,UniversityofSydney,Australia

Theevolutionofreptilianviviparityrequiresthattheeggshellisreducedtobringtogethertheuterineepitheliumandextraembryonicmembranestoformplacentaeforphysiologicalexchanges.Themechanismbywhichtheeggshellisreducedinthicknesslikelyinvolvesreducingtheactivityoftheglandsthatsecreteit.WetestedthishypothesisusingtheNeotropicalwatersnakes(Helicops).Helicopsspeciesexhibitintragenericandintraspecificvariationinreproductivemode,andviviparityhasevolvedthreetimesindependentlyinthegenus.Thusitisanexcellentmodelforinvestigatingoviparity-viviparitytransitions.TheuteriofoviparousandviviparousHelicopsarestructurallysimilarandparallelcyclicvariationsinmorphology.Duringprimaryvitellogenesis,theluminalepitheliumisthinandglandsarepoorlydeveloped.Theepithelialthicknessanduterineglandssignificantlyincreaseduringsecondaryvitellogenesis,butoviparousspeciesalwaysshowthelargestincreasesinuterineglandsize.Uterineglanddimensionsaresimilaramongspecieswiththesamereproductivemode.Duringpregnancy,theepitheliumislowandglandsaredepletedinthedistendeduteri.Aneggshellispresentinbothoviparousandviviparousspecies.Nevertheless,theeggshellinviviparousHelicopslacksanexternalminerallayerandisthinnerthaninoviparousrelatives.Boththeuterineglandsandepitheliumsecretetheeggshell,withtheepitheliumsecretingtheinnerboundary,andtheglandssecretingtheproteinaceousfibresoftheeggshell.Ourresultssupportthehypothesisthateggshellthinningisassociatedwiththeevolutionofviviparityandthatsuchthinningresultsfromlessdevelopedglandsinviviparousthaninoviparoustaxa.

ANZSCPB2016 21

Angiogenesisinamniotepregnancy

CamillaWhittington1,KevinDanastas2,GeorgesGrau2,ChristopherR.Murphy2andMichaelB.Thompson1

1SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofSydney2SchoolofMedicalSciences,BoschInstitute,UniversityofSydney

Vascularendothelialgrowthfactorisamajormediatorofangiogenesis,acriticallyimportantprocessinvertebrategrowthanddevelopment,andinpregnancy.ThesplicevariantVEGF111isarareisoformfoundpreviouslyonlyinDNA-damagedhumancells,untilitsdiscoveryintheuterusofAustralianskinks.WemeasuredexpressionofVEGF111andtwomajorVEGF-Asplicevariantsintheuterusofpregnantrats,showingthatthethreevariantshavedifferentexpressionpatternsacrosspregnancy.Wehavenowidentifiedthisunusuallypotentsplicevariantinvivoinbothmarsupialandeutherianmammals.OurresultssuggestthatviviparousmammalspossessapreciselyregulatedmilieuofVEGFisoformsproducingtheangiogenesisrequiredforsuccessfulpregnancyandthatVEGF111maybecommontoallmammals,andpotentiallywidespreadinamniotepregnancy.ThediscoveryofVEGF111inratuteruspavesthewayforthedevelopmentofinvivomodelsofVEGF111activityinahighlytractablelaboratoryanimal,andisparticularlysignificantinthecontextofearlypregnancylossandcancerresearch.

ANZSCPB2016 22

SPEEDTALK

Evolutionofmaternalfetalrelationshipsinmatrotrophicviviparousinvertebrate:ParvulastraparviviparaandCryptasterinahysteraasmodelorganisms

MohammadKhan,MichaelB.Thompson,MariaByrneandCamillaWhittington

UniversityofSydney

Matrotrophicbroodinginaplacentalviviparousanimalsinvolvesadiverserangeofmaternal-fetalrelationshipsindifferentphyla,andincludesintragonadallecithotrophicbroodingintheEchinodermata.Theevolutionofviviparityrequiresinternalfertilizationandretentionofoffspring,buttheevolutionofmatrotrophyrequiresextraembryonicnutritiontobeprovidedtotheoffspringwithinthemother’sbody.Ininvertebrates,viviparityisassociatedwithspecializedphysiologicalandmorphologicalmechanisms.Iaimtoidentifythemechanismsthatareresponsiblefortheevolutionofviviparityinmarineinvertebrates.Iwilldescribethebroodingmechanisms,gonadalmorphologicalchangesandmoleculesinvolvedinevolutionofviviparousmatrotrophicandbroadcastspawningstarfishestoassessthemorphologicalchangesassociatedwithevolutionofviviparityintwointragonadalviviparousmatrotrophicinvertebratesParvulastraparviviparaandCryptasterinahystera.Advancednon-invasiveimagingtechniques(μCT),microscopy,laboratoryobservationandtranscriptomicswillbeusedtodescribethecellularandmolecularmechanismsthatenablematrotrophicbrooding.Broodarrangementwillbecharacterizedbyusingmicro-computedtomography(μCT)ofthewholeseastar.Morphologicalmodificationinthegonadalepithelialcellthatmayberequiredforviviparouslarvaldevelopmentwillbestudiedusingtransmissionelectronmicroscopy.IwillalsolocatemembranemoleculesindifferentstagesofbirththroughimmunofluorescencemicroscopyandwesternblottingtoconfirmthepresenceofspecificmembranemoleculesinP.parviviparaandC.hystera.RNA-Seqwillbeappliedtoidentifyandquantifydifferencesinthegenesexpressedinthereproductivetissuesbetweenbroadcastersandviviparousseastars.

ANZSCPB2016 23

UterinecelladhesiondynamicsduringpregnancyinMacropuseugenii(Macropodidae)andTrichosurusvulpecula(Phalangeridae)

MelanieLaird1,HanonMcShea2,BronwynM.McAllan,ChristopherR.Murphy4andMichaelB.Thompson1

1SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofSydney2DepartmentofOrganismicandEvolutionaryBiology,HarvardUniversity,Cambridge,MA,USA3DepartmentofPhysiology,FacultyofMedicine,UniversityofSydney4DepartmentofAnatomyandHistology,FacultyofMedicine,UniversityofSydney

Successfulmammalianpregnancyrequiresremodellingoftheuterustobecomereceptivetoembryonicattachment.Whilesimilarmorphologicalchangestotheuterineepitheliumoccurinbotheutherian(placental)mammalsandmarsupials,themarsupialuterusemploysmaternaldefences,includingreinforcementoftheuterineepithelium,toregulateembryonicinvasion.Sincenon-invasiveembryonicattachmentinmarsupialslikelyevolvedsecondarilyfrominvasiveattachment,uterinedefencesinthesespeciesmayevenpreventembryonicinvasion.Totestthishypothesis,weidentifiedpatternsoffluorescenceofakeymoleculeinvolvedinmaintaininglateralcell-celladhesionoftheuterineepithelium(desmoglein-2)throughoutpregnancyinthebrushtailpossum(Trichosurusvulpecula;Phalangeridae)andthetammarwallaby(Macropuseugenii;Macropodidae),eachfromamarsupialcladeinwhichnon-invasiveattachmenthasevolvedindependently.Ineutherianandmarsupialspecieswithinvasiveplacentation,apicalredistributionofdesmoglein-2pre-attachmentreducescell-celladhesionoftheuterineepitheliumandfacilitatesinvasion.Interestingly,bothM.eugeniiandT.vulpeculaundergothissameapicalredistribution,suggestingthatcelladhesion,andthusintegrityoftheuterineepithelium,isreducedduringtheattachmentperiodregardlessofplacentaltype.However,bothspeciesshowadditionaluniquepatternsofdesmoglein-2localisation,includingstrongbasallocalisationforM.eugeniiandnuclearlocalisationforT.vulpecula,whichsuggestthatdesmoglein-2playsadditionalrolesinthesespecies.Hence,species-specificlocalisationofdesmoglein-2inM.eugeniiandT.vulpeculamaybeinvolvedinpreventingembryonicinvasionoftheuterusbycompensatingforthereducedcelladhesionandmaintaininganintactepithelialbarrier.

ANZSCPB2016 24

Selectiondrivesmetabolicallometry

CraigWhite1,DustinMarshall1andDanielOrtiz-Barrientos2

1SchoolofBiologicalSciences,MonashUniversity 2SchoolofBiologicalSciences,TheUniversityofQueenslandLivingspeciesvaryinsizefrom~0.1pgsingle-celledmicro-organismstotreesweighingseveralthousandstonnes.Putinperspective,this~1021-foldrangeissimilartothedifferenceinmassbetweenanelephantandtheEarthitself.Theinfluenceofmassonbiologicalprocessesispervasive,butisusuallyallometric:a10-foldincreaseinmassistypicallyaccompaniedbyjusta4-to-7-foldincreaseinmetabolicrate.Understandingthebasisofallometricscalingisalong-standingprobleminbiology.Here,weshowtheinterspecificrelationshipbetweenmetabolicrateandbodymassarisesasaconsequenceofcorrelationalselectiononthesetraits,coupledwithnegativedirectionalselectiononabsolutemetabolicrate.Thispatternofselectionexplainsnotonlythecovariancebetweenmetabolicrateandbodymass(theallometricscalingofmetabolicrate),butalsoexplainsthemagnitudeoftheconditionalvarianceinmetabolicrate.Thecorrelationalselectionwedocumentconstraintstheevolutionofmass-specificmetabolicrates(MSMR)suchthattheobservedrangeofMSMRsisjust50-foldamongspeciesthatdifferinsizebytenbillion-fold.Ourresultslinkmicroevolutionaryprocessestomacroevolutionarypatternstodescribetheevolutionofmetabolicallometryinanimals.

ANZSCPB2016 25

MitochondrialGlycerophosphateDehydrogenase:anewbumblebeethermogenesishypothesis

StewartMasson,ChristopherHedges,JulesDevauxandAnthonyHickey

SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofAuckland

Bumblebees(Bombusterrestris)areanenigmaticspeciesastheycanflyattemperatureslowerthanmanyotherinsects.Whilebumblebeeshaveadaptationsthatadvantageheatretention,i.e.thermalinertiathroughlargebodymassandgreaterinsulation,theyrequireamechanismtowarmflightmuscleswithoutshivering,asthisdoesnotoccuruntil20oC.Precisemechanismsofheatgenerationareyettobefullyelucidated,withpreviousworksuggestingthatfutilecyclingofglycolyticandgluconeogenicintermediatesreleasessufficientheatforshiveringtothenwarmmuscles.However,predictionsoffluxthroughthesepathwayscanonlyaccountfor10%oftheheatrequiredtoheatthethoraxmusclesforflight.

Herewepresentanewhypothesisbasedonthemitochondrialglycerophosphatedehydrogenase(mGPDH)pathway.AnalysisofrespirationuncoveredpoorcouplingofthispathwaytoATPsynthesis,aswellassignificantrespirationratesintheabsenceofexogenousADP;comparabletopre-flightconditionsinthetissue.ComplimentaryanalyseswithapurposebuiltcalorimetershowedsignificantheatgenerationfromflightmusclerespiringintheabsenceofADPwithmGPDHsubstrateglycerol-3-phospahe(G3P)relativetoComplexIsubstratepyruvate.OtheranalysesconductedatlowtemperatureshowedthatG3P-supportedrespirationislessaffectedbylowtemperaturethanothermitochondrialrespiratorypathways.Furthermore,theapparentaffinityofmGPDHforG3PsuggeststhattemperaturemayplayaroleinthepassiveregulationofmGPDHasathermogenicmechanism.

WeconcludethatmGPDHmayprovideatemperature-sensitivemechanismadditivetofutilesubstratecyclingtowarmbeeflightmusclepriortoshivering.

ANZSCPB2016 26

Restingmetabolicrateofmotherspredictsoffspringgrowthrateinmice

ElleMcDonaldandChristopherTurbill

HawkesburyInstitutefortheEnvironment,WesternSydneyUniversity,HawkesburyCampus,Richmond2753,NewSouthWales,AustraliaCurrenthypothesesmakecontrastingpredictionsregardinghowrestingmetabolicrate(RMR)relatestototaldailyenergyexpenditure(DEE).ThecompensationhypothesisproposesanegativerelationshipbetweenRMRandDEEbecauselowmaintenanceenergycostswouldallowmoreenergytobeallocatedtoothercostssuchasactivity,growthandreproduction.Incontrast,theincreasedintakehypothesispostulatesapositiverelationshipbetweenRMRandDEEbecausehighmaintenanceenergycostscouldbeindicativeofalarger'metabolicengine'thatiscapableofprocessingfoodintoenergyatafasterrate,therebyincreasingtheamountofenergythatcanbeallocatedtoproduction.WeaimedtotestthesehypothesesbyfirstdeterminingtherepeatabilityofRMRandDEE,andthenassessingtheecologicalconsequencesofvariationinRMRbymeasuringreproductiveoutput.

WemeasuredtheRMRandDEEof‘diversityoutbred’(J:DO)laboratorymice(n=97)whichexhibitedawiderangeofmetabolicphenotypes.Metabolicratewasmeasuredinresponsetovariabletemperatureandfoodavailabilityduringthreerespirometrytrials,eachlastingfourdays,overoneyear.RMRat31°C,equivalenttobasalMR(BMR),exhibitedrepeatabilityacrossthethreetrials(ICC,0.26).RMRat15°C(RMR15),whichaccountsforthermoregulatoryresponsessuchastorporuse,showedlowerrepeatabilityacrosstrials(ICC,0.13)andtotalDEEdisplayedthehighestrepeatabilityacrosstrials(ICC,0.34).Asubsetoffemalemice(n=47)werebredoncetodetermineifRMRaffectsoffspringproduction.Wefoundanegativerelationshipbetweenamother’sBMRandthegrowthrateofheroffspring,afteraccountingforeffectsofRMR15,bodymass,littersize,andsexratio.Onaverage,offspringfrommotherswithBMRinthelowest10thpercentilewere4.46glighteratthetimeofweaningthanoffspringfrommotherswithBMRinthe90thpercentile.Conversely,RMR15hadapositiveeffectongrowthrate.

TheseresultssuggestthatBMRrepresentsanenergycostallocatedawayfromgrowth,thereforeprovidingsupportforthecompensationhypothesis.ThepositiveeffectofRMR15mightbeexplainedifRMRisrepresentativeofmetabolicscope.IncreasedoffspringgrowthratesinmotherswithlowBMR(lowmaintenanceandheatproduction)andhighRMR15(highthermalconductance)isalsopredictedbytheheatdissipationlimitationhypothesis.Thesepreliminaryresultsprovideasolidfoundationfordeterminingtheecologicalfunctionofvariationinmetabolicrate.

ANZSCPB2016 27

Avianbrainmetabolism:Arebirdsbird-brained?

ThomasNelsonandRogerS.Seymour

SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofAdelaide

Manycomparisonshavebeendrawnbetweentheintelligenceandcognitionofprimateandavianspecies,withsomestudiesputtingforthprimateandavianintelligenceasacaseofconvergentevolution.Cerebralperfusionisdirectlyrelatedtothemetabolicrateofthebrainandcognitiveability.Recently,atechniqueofestimatingcerebralperfusionfromthesizeofthebonyforaminaoftheskullhasbeendeveloped.Cerebralbloodflowinbirdsisprincipallyderivedfromtheinternalcarotidandvertebralarterieswhichanastomoseatthebaseofthebrain.WeusedX-raycomputedtomographytotakecranialmeasurementsofbrainvolumeandcarotidforaminaradiusfromarangeofavianspecies.Betterunderstandingoftheratescerebralperfusionratesindifferentgroupsofbirdscanleadtointerestingcorrelationsbetweencranialarterialsizeandanimalbehaviour.Thisapproachissofaruniqueandpromisestoprovidefurtherinsightsintobothlivingandextinctspecies.

ANZSCPB2016 28

Thebuzzonhoneybeeenergetics:Mismatchesbetweenmodelsandmeasurement

SeanTomlinson1,KingsleyDixon1andS.DonBradshaw2

1DepartmentofEnvironmentandAgriculture,CurtinUniversity2SchoolofAnimalBiology,UniversityofWesternAustraliaWithafewexceptions,themeasurementoffieldmetabolicrate(FMR)infree-ranginginsectshasprovenimpossiblethusfar.Hereweprovideareviewoftheuseofradio-isotopicturnoverstomeasuremetabolicrate(VCO2),andconfirmthatVCO2oftheHoneybeeApismelliferawassignificantlypredictedby86Rbkb(r2=0.57,p=0.002),andconformedtoexpectationsforanectothermicspecies.Themassofhoneysolutionconsumedwassignificantlyrelatedto22Nakb(r2=0.48,p=0.008).Weappliedthesecalibrationstothestudyoffree-rangingworkerbeesinlandscapeswithdifferentlevelsofanthropogenicdisruption.TherewereunexpecteddifferencesinFMRandfoodintakebetweenthetwodifferentlandscapecontexts.Honeybeesindeforestedlandscapesprobablyforagedlessanddependeduponstoredresourcesduringourstudy.Weconcludethatradio-isotopictechniquescanbeparticularlyusefulforestimatingFMRofinsects.Theuseofsuchtechniquescaninformecophysiologically-basedquestionsonecosystemfunction,productivityandconservationandlandmanagementthathavepreviouslybeenbeyondreachininsectsystems.

ANZSCPB2016 29

Respirationinsubterraneandivingbeetles

KarlJones1,SteveCooper2,3andRogerS.Seymour1

1DepartmentofEcology&EnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofAdelaide2EvolutionaryBiologyUnit,SouthAustralianMuseum3AustralianCentreforEvolutionaryBiologyandBiodiversity,SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofAdelaide

Respirationinmanysurfacedwellingdivingbeetles(Coleoptera:Dytiscidae)hasbeenwellunderstoodforacentury.Beetlescollectanairbubblewhichisstoredunderneaththeelytrafromwhichoxygenisconsumedduringthedive.Asmallbubblepushedfromthetipoftheabdomencanalsobeusedtoextractoxygenfromthewater.However,thisairstorestillrequiresperiodicreplenishmentatthesurface.Severalepigeansubmergenttolerantdytiscidshavebeenidentifiedandrecentstudiessuggestthesebeetlesmayutiliseporesorsetaeontheirsurfacesforoxygenuptakenegatingtheneedtoreturntothesurface.However,respirationinsubterraneandytiscidsisnotunderstood.WeinvestigatedrespirationinstygobiticdytiscidsfromcalcreteaquifersoftheYilgarnregioninWesternAustralia.Therehavebeennumerousindependentevolutionaryincursionsintothesubterraneanenvironmentbyancestralsurfacedytiscids,aswellasinsituspeciationwithincalcretes,resultinginthemostdiverseassemblageofsubterraneandytiscidsintheworld.Weusedmicroscopy,respirometry,fibre-opticoxygensensors,andsubmergenceexperimentstoexplorerespirationintwosympatricsisterspecies,Parostermacrosturtensis(3.6–4.1mmlong)andParostermesosturtensis,(1.9–2.3mmlong)andanindependentlyevolvedsubterraneanspeciesLimbodessuspalmulaoides(4.2mmlong).Allthreespeciescanconsumeoxygenfromwater,andhaveanoxygenboundarylayer,butlackstructuresthatcouldhaverespiratoryfunctionsuchasporesorsetae.P.macrosturtensishasalowmetabolicrate,only25%ofthatpredictedbyotherinsects,andcantolerateatleast12daysofsubmergence.Theseresultsindicatethatthesebeetlesrespirecutaneouslyandthatthismodeofrespirationhasevolvedindependentlyatleasttwiceinsubterraneandytiscids.Thisadaptationlimitsbeetlesizeduetoamismatchbetweenmetabolismandsurfacearea,buthasledtoanextraordinaryradiationofsubterraneanbeetles.

ANZSCPB2016 30

Metabolicdepressiononalowcarbdiet:amechanismtoconserveglycogen?

HughWinwood-Smith1,CraigWhite2andCraigE.Franklin1

1SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofQueensland2MonashUniversity

Long-termstudieshavefoundlowcarbohydratedietsaremoreeffectiveforweightlossthancalorierestricteddietsintheshort-term,butequallyoronlymarginallymoreeffectiveinthelong-term.Lowcarbohydratedietshavebeenlinkedtoreducedglycogenstoresandincreasedfeelingsoffatigue.Weproposethatreducedphysicalactivityinresponsetoloweredglycogenexplainsthediminishingweightlossadvantageoflowcarbohydratecomparedtolowcaloriedietsoverlongertimescales.WeexploredthispossibilitybyfeedingadultDrosophilamelanogastereitherastandardorlowcarbohydratedietforninedaysandmeasuredchangesinmetabolicrate,glycogenstores,activity,andbodymass.Wehypothesisedthatalowcarbohydratedietwouldcauseareductioninglycogenstoresthatrecoversovertime,reducedphysicalactivity,andanincreaseinrestingmetabolicrate.Thelowcarbohydratedietwasfoundtoreduceglycogenstores,whichrecoveredovertime.Activitywasunaffectedbydietbutthelowcarbohydrategroupexperiencedareductioninmetabolicrate.Weconcludethatmetabolicdepressioncouldexplainthedecreasedeffectivenessoflowcarbohydratedietsovertimeandrecommendfurtherinvestigationoflong-termmetaboliceffectsofdietaryinterventionsandagreaterfocusonphysiologicalplasticitywithinthestudyofhumannutrition.

ANZSCPB2016 31

Copingwithclimatechange:CandietimprovethethermalresilienceofBarramundi,Latescalcarifer?

DanielGomez-Isaza1,RebeccaL.Cramp1,RichardSmullen2andCraigE.Franklin1

1SchoolofBiologicalSciences,TheUniversityofQueensland2RidleyAqua-Feed

Environmentaltemperaturehasbeenidentifiedasthesinglemostinfluentialfactor,directlyaffectingkeyphysiologicalprocessessuchasmetabolismandlocomotioninectotherms,includingeconomicallyimportantculturedspecies.Thisisbecomingamajorconcernassomespecies(e.g.salmonids)arenowbeingculturedinwatersclosetotheupperthermallimits.Muchofthecurrentresearchaimstodevelopdietsthatmaintainorenhancefishgrowthwhilstincreasingresiliencetohightemperatures.Here,weexaminedifdiet(highfatvs.lowfat)canimprovethegrowthperformanceinjuvenilebarramundi(~3.2±0.07g)whileincreasingtheirresiliencetoacutethermalstress.Thehighfatdietincreasedfishgrowthcomparedtothelowfatdiet,buthadnoeffectonthethermalsensitivityofperformancetraits.However,fishfedthehighfatdietshowedanoverallreductioninwholeanimalthermaltolerance(CTMax).Together,theseresultsindicatethathighfatdietsmaintainaerobicperformanceathightemperaturesandincreasesgrowthperformancehenceitmaybebeneficialforaquaculturalproductioninawarmingworld.

ANZSCPB2016 32

PLENARYLECTURE

Utilizingthemousemodeltoexamineneuralmechanismsofdailytorpor

SteveSwoap,MariaVicent,JakeBingamanandElissaHult

BiologyDepartment,WilliamsCollege

Inresponsetofoodscarcityandlowambienttemperature,miceenterboutsoftorporresultinginenergyconservation.Tomediatethetorporresponse,thebrainrequiresinputrelayinginformationconcerningtheenvironment(nutrients,temperature,etc).Thebrainalsohasseparatecenterstoevokethephysiologicalchangesoftorpor.However,theneuralmechanismsandcircuitsinvolvedwithdailytorporareunknown.Weusedtwoapproachestowardsidentifyingthedifferentregionswithinthebrainthatareinvolvedinthetorporresponse.First,wetookacomparativeapproach,comparingthephysiologicaleffectsoftorporvs.diving,asthosebrainstemregionsinvolvedinmediatingthedivingresponseareknown.Wehypothesizedthatthecardiovasculareffectsinvolvedinthemurinediveresponse(dropinheartrate,fallinbloodpressure,andconstrictionofperipheralbloodvessels)aresimilartothoseusedindailytorpor.Thephysiologicalresponsestotorporanddivingwereindistinguishable.Duringbothdivingandtorpor,diastolicBPfelldropped1.5x:theinterbeatintervalincreased4x,andtotalperipheralresistanceincreased4xrelativetocontrol.Thesedatasuggestthatthedriversofthecardiovascularchangesduringaboutoftorporandduringthedivingresponsearelikelyshared.Second,weusedoptogeneticstoexaminetheroleofAgouti-relatedprotein(AgRP)containingneuronsinthearcuatenucleusofthehypothalamusindailytorpor.Astheseneuronssensecirculatingcuesofenergyavailability,wehypothesizedthatdirectstimulationofAgRPneuronswoulddecreasetheminimumTboftorpidmiceandincreasethetimespentintorpor.Totestthishypothesis,hypothalamicAgRPneuronswereselectivelytargetedwiththelight-sensitivechannelrhodopsin-2transgene.Micewerecaloricallyrestricteddaily(65%ofnormalcaloricintake)untilregulardailytorporboutswereachieved.Onbaselinedays,whenAgRPneuronswerenotactivated,minimumTbwas25.6±0.8°Candtimeintorporwas233±34minutes.WhenAgRPneuronswerestimulatedforonehourduringentryintotorpor(20Hzfor1secondevery4secondsfor60minutes),minimumTbwassignificantlylower(22.8±0.3°C)andtorporboutsweresignificantlylonger(435±29min).ThesedatasupportthehypothesisthatAgRPneuronsdirectlyregulatetorporphysiology.

ANZSCPB2016 33

Interactionbetweenplantsecondarycompoundsandthermoregulationinmammalianherbivores

PhillipaK.Beale1,KarenFord1,BenMoore2andBillFoley1

1AustralianNationalUniversity2UniversityofWesternSydney

Throughmechanismsthatcontrolthegeneration,conservationanddissipationofheat,endothermscanmaintainarelativelyconstantTbacrossabroadrangeofambienttemperatures.Thedietofmammalianherbivoresisfundamentallylinkedtothermoregulation.However,theinterplaybetweendietselectionandambienttemperatureisoftenoverlookedinecology.Thedietofherbivoresinparticularcontainsplantsecondarycompoundsthatareabletoalterthephysiologicalprocessesresponsibleforappropriatethermoregulationinmultipleways,suchasbyuncouplingmitochondria,bindingtothermoreceptors,orbecausethepathwaysrequiredtometaboliseplantsecondarycompoundsarethermogenic.Theseinteractionsmaybecomemoreimportantasambienttemperaturerisessincedissipatingexcessbodyheatintotheenvironmentbecomesmoredifficult.Itislikely,therefore,thattheimplicationsofariseinambienttemperaturearegreaterforherbivoresthanforothermammals,andthataneedtomanageinternalandexternalheatloadsundertheseconditionscoulddrivechangesinfeedingecology.Dataontheroleoftheliverindetoxificationatelevatedtemperaturesandtheuncouplingpotentialofcommonsecondarymetaboliteswillbedescribed.

ANZSCPB2016 34

Aren’tyoucold?SeasonaltorporexpressionandroostchoicedifferbetweenpopulationsofNewZealandbats

ZenonCzenze1,MarkBrigham2,AnthonyHickey1andStuartParsons3

1UniversityofAuckland 2UniversityofRegina3QueenslandUniversityofTechnology

Variationsinweatherandfoodavailabilitydifferentiallyimpactstheenergybudgetsofendotherms.Therehasbeenconsiderablefocusonthethermalphysiologyofspeciesthatexperienceextremeseasonaldifferences.However,muchlessisknownaboutresponsesbyspeciesthatexperiencemoresubtlechangesinseasonalweather.Wemonitoredambienttemperatures(Ta)andskintemperatures(Tsk)ofindividualsfrom3populationsofNewZealandlessershort-tailedbats(Mystacinatuberculata)usingtemperaturetelemetry.RelativetotheNorthIsland(NI),meansummerTawas1°ClowerintheSouthIsland(SI),yetSIindividualsusedtorporon36%ofobservationdayscomparedto11%forNIbats.Noneoftheweathervariableswerecordeddifferedbetweenthedaysbatsdid,ordidnot,usetorpor.Solitaryroostswereoccupiedon17%ofobservationdaysforNIpopulationsand38%forSIpopulations,withindividualsoccupyingthemexclusivelywhileusingtorpor.RelativetotheNI,meanwinterTawashigherinLittleBarrierIsland(LBI).BatsinLBIuseddailytorpormore(51%)thanintheNI(33%).FurthermoreinLBI,butnottheNI,batsweremorelikelytoarouseonnightswithwarmersunsetTa.InLBIbatspreferredthermallylabileroostsandpreferentiallyroostedinsidedeadpunga/silverfern-tree(Cyatheadealbata)whichcontrastswithNIindividualswhichprefermorethermallystabletreecavities.PungaroostthermalcharacteristicswerenodifferentthanTaallowingforindividualstopotentiallytakeadvantageofpassiverewarming.OurresultsprovideevidencethatevensmalldifferencesinTadifferentiallyimpactpopulations.Site-specificenergeticstrategiesareapparentbetweenM.tuberculatapopulationsduringsummerandwinter,demonstratingthatclimateaffectsbothroostchoiceandtorporpatterns.Clearlypopulationsinwarmerclimatesareunderlessenergeticstressandusesite-specificadaptationsdemonstratingthatclimateaffectsbothroostchoiceandtorporpatterns.

ANZSCPB2016 35

Dohamstersbask?

FritzGeiser1,2,KristinaGasch2,ClaudiaBieber2,GabrielleL.Stalder2,HannoGerritsmann2andThomasRuf2,

1Zoology,UniversityofNewEngland2WildlifeEcology,UniversityofVeterinaryMedicineVienna

Baskingcansubstantiallyreducethermoregulatoryenergyexpenditureofmammals.Wetestedthehypothesisthatthelargelywhitewinterfurofhamsters(Phodopussungorus),originatingfromAsiansteppes,mayberelatedtocamouflagetopermitsunbaskingonornearsnow.Winter-acclimatedhamstersinourstudywerelargelywhiteandhadahighproclivitytobaskwhenrestingandtorpid.Restinghamstersreducedmetabolicrate(MR)significantly(>30%)whenbaskingatambienttemperatures(Ta)of~15and0°C.Interestingly,bodytemperature(Tb)alsowassignificantlyreducedfrom34.7±0.6°C(Ta15°Cnotbasking)to30.4±2.0°C(Ta0°Cbasking),whichresultedinanextremelylow(<50%ofpredicted)apparentthermalconductance.Inducedtorpor(foodwithheld)duringrespirometryatT¬a15°Coccurredon83.3±36.0%ofdaysandtheminimumtorporMRwas36%ofbasalMRatanaverageTbof22.0±2.6°C;movementtothebaskinglampoccurredatTb<20.0°C.Energyexpenditureforrewarmingwassignificantlyreduced(by>50%)duringradiantheat-assistedrewarming,however,radiantheatpersewithoutanendogenouscontributionbyanimalsdidnotstronglyaffectmetabolismandTbduringtorpor.Ourdatashowthatbaskingsubstantiallymodifiesthermalenergeticsinhamsters,withadropofrestingTbandMRnotpreviouslyobservedandareductionofrewarmingcosts.Theenergysavingsaffordedbybaskinginhamsterssuggestthatthisbehaviourisofenergeticsignificancenotonlyformammalslivingindesertswherebaskingiscommon,butalsoforP.sungorusandlikelyothercold-climatemammals.

ANZSCPB2016 36

Brightnights,costlymornings:night-timebodytemperatureincreasescorrespondwithmoonphaseandcloudlessnightsinwinteringBarnacleGeese(Brantaleucopsis)

StevenPortugal

BiologicalSciences,RoyalHollowayUniversityofLondon

Itiswellknownthatanimalsrespondtofluctuationsinlightlevels,withdistinctcircadianrhythmsapparentinphysiologicalparameterssuchasheartrate(fH)andbodytemperature(Tab).WedeployedimplantabledataloggersthatcontinuouslyrecordfHandTab,in7wildbarnaclegeese(Brantaleucopsis)winteringinsouth-westScotland.ThegeesehadadistinctcircadianrhythminfHandTab,withnight-timevaluesbeing,onaverage,25beatsperminand2.5oClowerforfHandTabrespectivelywhencomparedtoday-timevalues.Furthermore,wehaveidentifiedrhythmicnight-timepeaksinTab,withincreasesof1.5oCabovenormalnight-timevaluesoccurringinthemiddleofthenightatregularintervalsthroughoutthewinterperiod.Thesenight-timepeaksinTabcoincidedwithspecificphasesofthemoon,illuminationlevelsandcloudcover.Upondawn,restingfHwassignificantlyhigherduringthesemorningsfollowingtheincidencesofnight-timepeaksinTabthanthosenightswherenonight-timepeakinTaboccurred.Thissuggestsa‘hangovereffect’ofthesenight-timepeaksinTab,whichwillhaveconsequencesfordailyenergybudgets.Itisapparentthatcircadianrhythmsinphysiologicalparameterscanbedisruptedbynaturaloccurrencesaswellasartificiallightsources.

ANZSCPB2016 37

Post-firerecoveryofthebehaviourandphysiologyofasmallmarsupial

ClareStawski1,TaylorHume1,GerhardKörtner1,ShannonE.Currie1,2,JuliaNowack1,3andFritzGeiser1

1CentreforBehaviouralandPhysiologicalEcology,Zoology,UniversityofNewEngland,Armidale2DepartmentofZoology,FacultyofLifeSciences,Tel-AvivUniversity,Tel-Aviv6997801,Israel3ResearchInstituteofWildlifeEcology,DepartmentofIntegrativeBiologyandEvolution,UniversityofVeterinaryMedicineVienna,Savoyenstrasse1,1160Vienna,Austria

Theinitialandshort-termeffectoffireisoftenadramaticchangeoftheenvironment,however,burnthabitateventuallyrecovers.Howanimalsrespondbehaviourallyandphysiologicallytosuchenvironmentalchangesispoorlyunderstood.Ourworkhasshownthatafteraprescribedfire(post-fire)femalebrownantechinus(Antechinusstuartii)spentsignificantlylesstimeactivethanbeforethefire(pre-fire)andindividualsinanunburntcontrolarea(control).Thisreductionintotalpost-fireactivitybyantechinuswasmadeenergeticallypossiblebyincreasingthedurationoftorpor—ahighlyefficientenergyconservationmechanism—andalsobydecreasingdailyminimumbodytemperatureincomparisontopre-fireandcontrolindividuals.Wehypothesisedthatasvegetationandfoodresourcesrecover,thebehaviourandphysiologyoftheantechinuspopulationwouldreturntonormal.Therefore,wequantifiedtheactivityandtorporpatternsofantechinusatthesametimefromthreegroups:i)theareaoftheprescribedfireoneyearpost-fire,ii)anareathatburnedtwoyearspriorandiii)thecontrolarea.Whileafteroneandtwoyearsgroundcoverintheareasoftheprescribedburnswasstillpatchyincomparisontothecontrolarea,ithadrecoveredsubstantially.Importantly,thedurationofactivityofantechinusinallthreegroupswassimilartothatmeasuredpre-fireandinthecontrolareathepreviousyear.Further,torporfrequency,torporboutdurationanddailyminimumbodytemperatureinallthreegroupshadalsoreturnedtovaluessimilartothoserecordedtheprecedingyearinthepre-fireandcontrolareas.Therefore,ournewresultsshowthat,inthecaseofalowintensityburn,onlyoneyearpost-fireantechinusresumednormaldailyactivityandtorporpatterns,likelyinresponsetothereturnofgroundcoverandincreasedforagingopportunities.

ANZSCPB2016 38

Controlofevaporativewaterlossbyaheterothermicdasyuridmarsupial

ChristineCooper1andPhilipWithers2

1DepartmentofEnvironmentandAgriculture,CurtinUniversity,Perth,WesternAustralia2AnimalBiology,UniversityofWesternAustralia,Perth,WesternAustralia

Wehaverecentlyrecognisedthatendothermicmammalsandbirdsappeartoregulatetheirinsensibleevaporativewaterlossindependentofexternalfactorswhichwouldbeexpectedtoperturbevaporationfromtheskinorlungs.Observationsofthisphenomenonforbothmarsupialandplacentalmammals,andforbirds,suggestsitisafundamentalcharacteristicofendothermicanimals,andwehypothesisethatitmaybeanimportantaspectofthermoregulation.Hereweexaminetheimpactofambienttemperatureandrelativehumidityontheevaporativewaterlossofaheterothermicdasyuridmarsupial,thered-tailedphascogale(Phascogalecalura),tocharacterisethisregulatoryresponseinaseconddasyuridspecies,andimportantlytoquantifytheimpactoftorporoncontrolofevaporativewaterloss.Normothermicphascogalesmaintainedinsensibleevaporativewaterlossindependentofambientrelativehumidityatambienttemperaturesof20,25and30°C,atleastathumidities≤60%.Therewasstrongstatisticalevidencethattheirevaporativewaterloss,correctedforwatervapourpressuredeficit,differedfromtheexpectedbiophysicalpatternatambienttemperaturesof20°Cand30°C,butnot25°C.Phascogalesenteredtorporatambienttemperaturesof20and25°Candtorporfrequencywasnotinfluencedbyambienthumidity.Phascogalesregulatedtheirevaporativewaterlossagainsttheexpectedbiophysicaldriversofevaporationduringtorporat20°C,butnotat25°C.Controlofevaporativewaterlossregulationamongstdasyuridmarsupialsisclearlynotjustacharacteristicofhyper-aridadaptedspecies,andismaintained,orevenenhanced,duringthermoregulatoryphasesoftorpor.However,itmaynotoccurwhenheterothermicspeciesarethermoconforming,providingsupportforthehypothesisthatinsensibleevaporativewaterlosscontrolservesathermoregulatoryroleforendothermicanimals.

ANZSCPB2016 39

Ontogeneticscalingoffemoralbloodrateinwesterngreykangaroo(Macropusfuliginosus),easterngreykangaroo(Macropusgiganteus)andredkangaroo(Macropusrufus)

QiaohuiHu,RogerS.SeymourandEdwardP.Snelling

DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,AdelaideUniversity

Anutrientartery,whichpassesthroughaforamenlocatedonafemurshaft,suppliesmorethanhalfofthetotalbloodsupplytothefemur.Nutrientforamensizecorrelateswitharterysize,thusfemoralbloodflowcanbeestimatedbymeasuringtheforamenarea.Interspecificfemoralbloodflowhasbeensuggestedtobeproportionaltotheanimals’locomotionlevelsinpreviousnutrientforamenstudies,butnostudyhaslookedintointraspecificfemorabloodflowofanimals.Thisstudydeterminedontogeneticfemoralbloodflowrateinthreespeciesofdiprotodontmarsupials,whicharewesterngreykangaroos(Macropusfuliginosus),easterngreykangaroos(Macropusgiganteus)andredkangaroos(Macropusrufus).Abiphasicrelationshipisrevealedforthescalingofwesterngreykangaroofemoralbloodflowduringontogeny,withasteepexponentof0.97±0.10,andthenashallowexponentof-0.49±0.94.Thebreakpointmatchesthepouchexitbodymass(ca.4-5kg).Growthrateissuggestedtobethemaindrivingfactorforintraspecificfemoralbloodflowduringkangaroos’in-pouchstateofdevelopment,whereasthemaindrivingfactorgraduallychangesfromgrowthratetolocomotionlevelasthekangaroosleavethepouch,andbecomemoreactive.Thereisnosignificantdifferenceinfemoralbloodflowbetweenthetwosexesofkangaroosduringin-pouchstage,butpost-pouchmalekangaroohavehigherfemoralbloodthanthefemalesbecauseoftheirhighergrowthrateandactivitylevels.

ANZSCPB2016 40

Quantifyingtheinfluenceofphysiologyandbehaviouronreptilianevaporativewaterlossrates

EliaPirtle1,ChristopherR.Tracy2andMichaelR.Kearney1

1UniversityofMelbourne2CaliforniaStateUniversityFullerton

Globalclimatechangeisexpectedtocausesignificantthermalstressforectothermicspecies,potentiallyresultinginextinctions.Anothersignificantsourceofstressmaybethechangesinprecipitationandaridityassociatedwithtemperaturechanges,theeffectsofwhicharepoorlyunderstood.Despitethestrongphysicalconnectionsbetweentemperatureandwaterdynamics,thetwoareoftenconsideredindependently.Moreover,thepotentialforregulatorybehaviourstomitigatetheeffectsofclimatechangesareoftenoverlooked:inparticular,reptilianbehaviouralhydroregulation.Ibeginbypresentingapredictivemodelofamajorcomponentofreptilianwaterbudgets:evaporativewaterlossrates.Thismodelisvalidatedbycomparingpredictionsofwaterlossratestomeasuredvaluesfor39squamatespecieswithseparatedcutaneousandrespiratorywaterlossratemeasurements.NextIpresentaquantitativeanalysisoftheadaptivesignificanceofseveralformsofphysiologicalandbehaviouralhydroregulationontheevaporativewaterlossratesoftwospeciesofcloselyrelatedyetecologicallydistinctAustralianskinks.Thisapproachpredictsananimal’sresponsestodifferentenvironmentalconditionsbycombiningamicroclimaticmodelwithamechanisticheatandwaterbudgetmodelthataccountsforbothphysiologicalconstraintsandregulatorybehaviours.Ifindthatbothphysiologicalandbehaviouralhydroregulatorymechanismscaninfluencewaterbudgetssubstantially,withsomebehaviouralmechanismspotentiallyreducingevaporativewaterlossratesbyover70%.Moreover,theamountofwaterthatcanbesavedthrougheachhydroregulatorymechanismvariesgreatlyacrossphysiology,behaviourandlifestyle,suggestingthattheabilitytocopewithchangingclimatesmayalsovarygreatlybetweenspecies.Understandingthesevariationswillimproveourabilitytoidentifyspeciesmostatrisk.

ANZSCPB2016 41

Livingwithaleakyskin:Upregulationofiontransportproteinsduringsloughing

NicholasWu,RebeccaL.CrampandCraigE.Franklin

TheUniversityofQueensland

Amphibianskinisamultifunctionalorganprovidingprotectionfromtheexternalenvironmentandfacilitatingthephysiologicalexchangeofgases,waterandsaltswiththeenvironment.Inordertomaintainthesefunctionstheouterlayerofskinisregularlyreplacedinaprocesscalledsloughing.Duringsloughing,theoutermostlayeroftheskinisremovedinitsentiretywhichhasthepotentialtointerferewithskinpermeabilityandiontransport,disruptinghomeostasis.Inthisstudywemeasured,invivo,theeffectsofsloughingonthecutaneouseffluxofionsintoadsRhinellamarinakeptinfreshwaterconditions.Wealsomeasuredtransepithelialpotential,cutaneousresistance,activeiontransport,andthedistribution,abundanceandgeneexpressionofkeyiontransportproteinssodium-potassiumATPase(NKA),andtheepithelialsodiumchannel(ENaC)duringsloughing.Wehypothesisedthatduringsloughing,therewouldbeagreatereffluxofionsasaconsequenceofincreasedpermeabilityand/orviaareductionintheabundanceorexpressionofcutaneousiontransportproteins.TherewasasignificantincreaseinsodiumandchlorideeffluxduringsloughinginR.marina.However,althoughinvitroskinresistancedecreasedaftersloughing,activesodiumtransportincreasedcommensuratewithanincreaseinNKAandENaCproteinabundanceintheskin.Thesechangesinskinfunctionassociatedwithsloughingdidnotaffectthemaintenanceofinternalelectrolytehomeostasis.Theseresultssuggestthatduringsloughing,amphibiansactivelymaintaininternalhomeostasisbyincreasingcutaneousionuptakerates.

ANZSCPB2016 42

Experimentalevolutionofdispersal-relatedtraitsinamodelinsect:morphological,physiological,andbehaviouralresponsestospatialselection

PieterArnold1,PhillipCassey2andCraigWhite3

1SchoolofBiologicalSciences,TheUniversityofQueensland2UniversityofAdelaide3MonashUniversity

Dispersalabilityvariessignificantlyamongindividuals.Muchofthisvariationhasbeenattributedtodispersalsyndromes–suitesofcovaryingmorphological,physiological,behavioural,andlife-historytraits–whichcorrelatewithdispersalandinvasioninfree-livingpopulations.Atpopulationrangeedgesandinvasion-fronts,thesedispersal-relatedtraitsappeartobeevolvingthroughthespatialassortmentofphenotypes.Yetdespitetheapparentubiquityoftheseobservations,noexperimentalstudyhasattemptedtoreplicatetheevolutionofphenotypictraitsunderspatialassortmentondispersal.Weusedtheredflourbeetle(Triboliumcastaneum)inalaboratorydispersalsystemtoassesshowselectiveprocesses,forandagainstdispersal,affecteddispersal-relatedtraits.HereIwilldiscussourfindingsthatbodysizerapidlydivergedoversevengenerations–dispersersbecamesmallerandnon-dispersersbecamelarger–andthatdispersershadarelativelylowermetabolicrate.Smallindividualsweremoreenergeticallyandbiomechanicallyefficientatclimbing,andwerethereforetheonesthatdispersedmorereadily.Thevarianceindispersalrateandmovementwasmaintainedevenunderintensiveselectionforopposingdispersalbehaviours.Thissuggeststhatindividualsmaymaximisetheirfitnessbyproducingoffspringthatexhibitavarietyofdispersalbehaviours;ahypothesisthatisfurthersupportedbythelackofatrade-offbetweendispersalbehaviourandreproductivesuccess.

ANZSCPB2016 43

Doesaridityaffecthomerangesize?ThespatialecologyofAustralia'sdasyuridmarsupials

GerhardKörtnerandFritzGeiser

CentreforBehaviouralandPhysiologicalEcology,Zoology,UniversityofNewEngland,Armidale,NSW2351,Australia

WeinvestigatedrelationshipbetweenbodymassandhomerangesizeinAustraliancarnivorousmarsupials(Dasyuridae)andtestedwhetherthosespecieslivinginresource-poordesertenvironmentshaverelativelylargerarearequirementsthantheirmesiccounterparts.Themovementpatternsoftwosympatricspeciesofdesertdasyurids(bodymass16&105g)wereinvestigatedviaradio-telemetryduringwinterinAstreblaNP,Queensland.TheseresultswerecomparedwithpublishedrecordsforotherAustraliandasyurids.Overall,homerangesizeofdasyuridsscaledwithbodymasswithacoefficientof1.29,whichisconsiderablyhigherthanthatforbasalandfieldmetabolicrates.Inaddition,malesofespeciallythelargerspeciesoccupiedlargerhomerangesthanfemales,evenafteraccountingforthesizedimorphismthatiscommonindasyurids.Whileasimpleseparationofhonerangesizebetweenmesicandaridzonespecieswasnotstatisticallysupported,analternativemodelbasedonaverageyearlyrainfallandprimaryproductionwastestedandthisyieldedsignificantdifferences.OurstudythereforeindicatesthathabitatqualityaffectshomerangesizeinAustraliandasyurids,albeitthiseffectwasnotasstrongasanticipated.Therefore,alternativeavenuesforreducingenergyexpendituresuchasadjustmentsofpopulationdensityaswellastheuseofdailytorporandbasking,commonlyobservedindesertdasyurids(includingthetwostudyspecies),likelyplayarole.However,thesecanapparentlyonlypartlycompensatefortheonaveragelowerresourcedensityinaridhabitats.

ANZSCPB2016 44

ConservationphysiologyofAsiaticblackbears(Ursusthibetanus):MonitoringstressandbehaviourinbearsrescuedfrombilefarmsinVietnam

EdwardNarayan1,AsumiWillis1,CorinnevandenHoek1,MandalaHunter-Ishikawa2,RichardThompson2andTuanBendixsen2

1SchoolofAnimalandVeterinarySciences,CharlesSturtUniversity2AnimalsAsiaBearRescueCentre,Vietnam

Conservationphysiologyconcepts,toolsandknowledgecanhelpsolveconservationchallengesacrossabroadrangeoftaxabyunderstandingandpredictinghoworganisms,populationsandecosystemsrespondtoenvironmentalstressors.Asiaticblackbearpopulationsaredecliningin-situduetobearbilefarmingtosourcebileuseintraditionalmedicine.AnimalsAsiaisbattlingthisbarbarictradethroughthecoordinationofbearrescuefromfarmsandrehabilitationprogramsinVietnamandChina.Westudied16Asiaticblackbears(6males,10females)afterimmediaterescuefrombearbilefarmsintheQuangNinhprovince,Vietnam.ItwashypothesisedthatnewlyrescuedAsiaticblackbearswilldemonstrateahighnumberofstereotypiesandhealthproblems,andhighlevelsoffaecalglucocorticoidmetabolites(anon-invasiveindexofphysiologicalstress).Theseclinicalresponseswouldbeindicativeofthelong-termeffectsofphysicalandpsychologicalstressthatthebearshaveensuedonthebearbilefarms.Afaecalcortisolmetabolite(FCM)enzyme-immunoassaywasusedtoquantifyFCMlevelsoverastudyperiodof22weeks.ThekeyresultsshowedthatmeanFCMconcentrationsreducedsignificantlyoverthefirst22weekssincearrivalofthebearsatAnimalsAsia'sVietnamBearRescueCentre.Allbearsperformedatleastonestereotypyandhadatleastthreedifferenttypesofhealthissues.Headswayingandpacingwerethemostcommonstereotypiesperformedbythebearswhileskin,limb,musculoskeletal,dentalandbloodproblemsweremostprevalentinthegroupof16Asiaticblackbears.Inconclusion,ourresultsdemonstratethatphysiologicalstresscanbereducedwhenbearsarerehabilitatedintheVietnamBearRescueCentre.Theresultsalsoshowthatsomedegreeofstereotypicbehaviourandhealthproblemsmayhavebecomeinherentasaresultofchronicstress.

ANZSCPB2016 45

Effectsofbehaviouralandphysiologicaltraitsonreleasebehaviourforash-greymice(Pseudomysalbocinereus)

PhilipWithers1,LukeKealley1,ChristineCooper2,HarrietMills1andDominiqueBlache1

1SchoolofAnimalBiology,UniversityofWesternAustralia2DepartmentofEnvironmentandAgriculture,CurtinUniversity

Weexaminedpotentialrelationshipsbetweenbehaviouralandphysiologicaltraits,andpost-releasemovementanddispersalinthefield,fortheash-greymouse(Pseudomysalbocinereus)todetermineifwecanpredictpost-releasebehaviourofamammalfromeasily-measuredlaboratorytraits.Laboratorymeasuresofpersonalityforeachindividual,suchasexploratorybehaviour(openfield)andlearningcapacity(Barnesmaze),alongwithphysiologicalvariablessuchasfaecalstresshormonelevels(cortisol)andbasicenergetic,hygricandthermalvariables(metabolicrate,waterloss,bodytemperature,thermalconductance)weremeasured.Individualpersonalityandphysiologywasthencharacterisedusingvariousapproachestocombinethesedata,includingrawvariables,factoranalysis,behaviouralindicesandmixedmodelassessmenttodeterminethemostusefulapproachtoquantifythesetraits.Rawvariableswerethemostsuccessfulforcharacterisingindividualpersonalityandphysiology,andthereforewereusedtorelatelaboratoryphysiologyandbehaviour,andtorelatethesetofieldmovements.Therewerenointer-correlationsbetweenthelaboratoryfactorsforopenfield,Barnesmaze,physiologyorfaecalcortisollevels,suggestingthateachmethodologymeasuresquitedifferentindividualtraits.Theonlysignificantrelationshipoflaboratorymeasureswithfieldmovementwasfortheopenfield(rawvariables,P=0.001;rawvariablessignificantlycontributingtofactors,P=0.006),indicatingthatifanash-greymousemovesmoreinanopenfieldinthelaboratory,itwillmovemorewhenrelocatedintothefield.Weconcludethattheopenfieldbehaviouraltestisthemostlikelylaboratorypredictoroffieldmovementanddispersalforthissmallnativerodentaftertranslocation.

ANZSCPB2016 46

Dietgeneralisationandspecialisationinafreshwaterturtle(Emyduramacquarii)

KristenPetrov1,JamesVanDyke1,NatashaMalkiewicz1,JessicaLewis1,MichaelB.Thompson2andRicky-JohnSpencer1

1SchoolofScienceandHealth,WesternSydneyUniversity2UniversityofSydney

Animalsforagefordifferentfoodstomaximisetheirratesofenergyandnutrientuptake.Preyareselectedbasedontheirnutritionalvalues,butarealsoselectedbasedonhowcostlyafoodresourceistoobtain.Whenfoodresourcesarescarce,individualsmayshifttheirforagingstrategiestofocusmoreonabundantfoodresources,leadingtointraspecificvariationindiet.Asageneralistconsumer,thefreshwaterturtleEmyduramacquariiiscapableofutilisingdifferentfoodresourcesbasedonpreythatispresentandabundant.Becauseofitsgeneralistdiet,E.macquariiiscapableofexploitingandsurvivingindifferenthabitats.Mystudyexaminedspatialandtemporalvariationinthedietofafreshwaterturtlespecies(Emyduramacquarii)inwetlandsneartheMurrayRiver,Australia,todetermine1)ifpopulationsofE.macquariivaryintheirdietand/ordisplayintrapopulationvariationand2)whetherthedietofindividualE.macquariivaryovertime.Usingstableisotopesandgutcontents,Ideterminedwhetherindividualturtlesvariedintheirdietacrossdifferentwetlands.Ialsousedstableisotopestodeterminewhetherturtlesvariedintheirdietoverlong(6-12months)andshort(3-6months)timescales.Bothstableisotopeandgutcontentdatarevealedamong-wetlanddifferencesinthedietofE.macquarii,withindividualsfromsomewetlandsbeingmorecarnivorousandindividualsfromothersbeingmoregeneralist/herbivorous.Specifically,E.macquariithatwerecarnivorousappearedtobestrictlycarnivorous,whilethegeneralist/herbivorousE.macquariiconsumedanimalsopportunistically.ThedegreeofherbivoryofE.macquariiwasdirectlycorrelatedwithincreasingplantabundance,butinverselycorrelatedwithwaterclarity.TheseresultssuggestthatE.macquariiconsumeamoregeneralist/herbivorousdietwhenplantsareavailable,butadoptamorespecialisedcarnivorousdietwhenvegetationislessabundant.HabitatanddiversityofavailablepreyconstrainthedietofE.macquarii,howeverE.macquariiappeartorespondbyshiftingtheirforagingstrategyfromgeneralisttofunctionallyspecialist.

ANZSCPB2016 47

Themechanisticbasesformaternaleffectsinturtles

JamesVanDyke,MichaelKelly,KristenPetrov,FionaLoudonandRicky-JohnSpencer

SchoolofScience&Health,WesternSydneyUniversity

Maternaleffectsarethenongeneticinfluencesmothershaveonoffspringphenotype.Theyincludenestsitechoice,eggbrooding,genomicimprinting,andthenutrientsandhormonesmothersallocatetotheireggs.Thenutrientsmothersallocatetotheiryoungdependnotonlyonthemechanismsunderpinningreproductiveallocation,butalsoonthenutritionalresourcesavailabletoherduringreproductiveallocation.Weusedawell-studiedsetofpopulationsofdecliningMurrayRiverShort-neckedTurtles(Emyduramacquarii)toinvestigatethemechanisticcausesofmaternaleffectsinoviparousvertebrates.Emyduramacquariiisageneralistthatconsumesgreenalgae,aquaticplants,periphyton,aquaticinvertebrates,fish,andcarrion.WestudiedE.macquariiinfourpopulationsinnorth-centralVictoriathatdifferinadultdiet.Weshowthatfemalesfromherbivorous/generalistpopulationsexhibithigherbodyconditionindicesthandofemalesfrommorecarnivorous,andpotentiallyfood-limited,populations.Theseconstraintscouldlimitthetotalamountofresourcesfemalescanallocatetoeggs,andthusconstrainreproductiveoutput.Theycouldalsoconstrainthespecificmacronutrientsthatfemalescanallocatetoyolk.Ourstudyaimstodeterminehowmaternaldietconstrainsarangeofreproductivevariableswithimplicationsforoffspringfitness.Wereportdifferencesinclutchsizeandeggsizethatmayindicatefoodconstraintsonreproductiveoutput.Theremainderofthestudyisinprogress,butweaimtotestforeffectsofpopulation-of-origin(diet)onthefollowingvariables:eggcomposition,embryometabolism,hatchingsuccess,hatchlinggrowthrate,hatchlingmetabolism,andhatchlinglocomotorperformance.Furthermore,becauseE.macquariieggandhatchlingphysiologydifferwithlayingorderwithinfemales,wealsoaimtodeterminehoweggcompositionvarieswithlayingorder.Inadditiontoadvancingknowledgeofmaternaleffects,ourresultsprovideinitialunderstandingofhowenvironmentalconstraintsonreproductiontranslatetofitnessimpactsonoffspringofadecliningspecies.

ANZSCPB2016 48

Evolutionofplasticity:mechanisticlinkbetweendevelopmentandreversibleacclimation

JulianBeaman1,CraigWhite2andFrankSeebacher3

1SchoolofBiologicalSciences,TheUniversityofQueensland2SchoolofBiologicalSciences,MonashUniversity3SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofSydney

Phenotypiccharacteristicsofanimalscanchangeindependentlyfromchangesinthegeneticcode.Theseplasticphenotypicresponsesareimportantforpopulationpersistenceinchangingenvironments.Plasticitycanbeinducedduringearlydevelopment,withpersistenteffectsonadultphenotypes,anditcanoccurreversiblythroughoutlife(acclimation).Thesemanifestationsofplasticityhavebeenviewedasseparateprocesses.Inarecentreview,wearguethatdevelopmentalconditionsnotonlychangemeantraitvaluesbutalsomodifythecapacityforacclimation.Acclimationcounteractsthepotentiallynegativeeffectsofphenotype-environmentmismatchesresultingfromepigeneticmodificationsduringearlydevelopment.Developmentalplasticityisthereforealsobeneficialwhenenvironmentalconditionschangewithingenerations.Hence,theevolutionofreversibleacclimationcannolongerbeviewedasindependentfromdevelopmentalprocesses.

ANZSCPB2016 49

LifeatlowpH:ThemechanisticbasisfortoleranceofextremelylowpHbyLimnodynastesterraereginaelarvae

RebeccaL.Cramp,EdwardA.MeyerandCraigE.Franklin

UniversityofQueensland

AquaticpHsbelow5.0aretoxictomostfreshwateranimals.Thistoxicityariseslargelythroughtheperturbationofionichomeostasis–lowpHdisruptsepithelialintegrityandcompromisesionuptakemachinery.Unusuallyforamphibians,embryosandlarvaeoftheAustralianfrog,LimnodynastesterraereginaecanhatchanddevelopinwateraslowaspH3.0makingthemoneofthemostacidtolerantvertebratesontheplanet.ThisstudyexploredthemechanisticbasisfortoleranceofextremelylowpHbylarvaeofL.terraereginae.LarvaewererearedfromembryosateitherpH3.5orcircumneutral(6.0-6.5).Branchialmorphologies,wholebodysodiumfluxesandepithelialiontransporterexpressionpatternswerecomparedacrosstreatments.LarvaerearedatpH6.5andacutelyexposedtopH3.5sufferedanetlossofsodiumasaconsequenceoftheinhibitionofsodiumuptake;effluxrateswerenotsignificantlydifferentfromthoseoflarvaerearedandtestedatpH6.5.However,larvaerearedandtestedatpH3.5sufferednonetlossofsodium,suggestingthatsodiumuptakemechanismsareplasticandcanacclimatetorestoresodiumhomeostasisinL.terraereginae.Comparedwithotheramphibianspecies,larvaeofL.terraereginaehaveaveryhighaffinitysodiumtransportsystemwhichmayallowthemtotakeupsodiumfromnaturallydilutewaters.However,thenatureofthetransportersresponsibleforsodiumuptakeinL.terraereginaeremainunclear.L.terraereginaelarvaerearedatlowpHareabletoresistthedamagingactionsofH+onepithelialjunctions,possiblythroughincreasedmucusproductionwhichservestocreateasemi-permeablebarrierbetweenthetissueandtheacidicenvironment.Takentogether,exploitationofextremelylowpHenvironmentsbylarvaeofL.terraereginaeappearstobeachievedthroughbothphysiologicalandmorphologicaladaptationswhichprotectbothsodiumuptakecapabilitiesandepithelialintegrity.

ANZSCPB2016 50

Hypoxiatolerantspeciestakeadvantageofintracellularacidosistomaintainmitochondrialfunction

JulesDevaux,AnthonyHickeyandCrystalJames

SBS,UniversityofAuckland

Fishinhabitenvironmentswithvariableoxygensupplies,inparticularforintertidalfishes.Problematically,hypoxiapromotesanaerobicmetabolism,lactateaccumulationandassociatedcellularacidosis.Thebrainisverysensitivetotheaccumulationofprotons,andthislikelyimpactshypoxicbrainmitochondria(mt).Whilemtconsumeoxygen(JO2)togeneratechemical(∆pH)andelectrical(∆)gradientsacrosstheinner-mt-membranestoproduceATP,theeffectsofextramitochondrialpHonbrainmtfunctionremainslargelyunexplored.Wepredictedthathypoxia-tolerantspecies(HTS)shouldbettertolerateacidosisthanhypoxia-sensitivespecies(HSS)intermsofbufferingcapacitiesandmtfunctionanddynamic.Usinghighresolutionrespirometrywetitratedlactic-acidtodecreaseextramitochondrialpH,andsimultaneouslyfollowJO2,∆m,H+bufferingcapacitiesandmtswellingofbrainmtwithinpermeabilisedbrainandisolatedmt.FourNewZealandtriplefinfishspecieswerecompared,eachwithdifferenthypoxia-tolerancesandrangingfromhighintertidaltosubtidalniches.WhileHTSandHSSdisplayedsimilarH+bufferingcapacities(~5mUpH.mg-1),contrastingresponseswerefoundformtfunction.InHSS4mMlactateelevatedJO2,yetdecreased∆mby~5%withamildacidosis(ΔpH-0.3)andmtweretotallyuncoupledmtatpH5.8.Incontrast,10mMlactate(ΔpH-0.6)induceda15%inhibitionofJO2inBellapiscusmedius,themostHTS.InB.medius∆remainedstableandcouplingcapacityatpH5.8wasmaintainedto30%ofthatatpH7.2.Overall,thesedataindicatethatintheHTSB.mediusdecreasedpHsupressesJO2yetmaintainsphopsphorylationintegritytoextremelylowpH.

ANZSCPB2016 51

Parentalenvironmentaffectsoffspring'sresponsestoUV-B

EnsiyehGhanizadehKazerouni1,FrankSeebacher1andCraigE.Franklin2

1SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofSydney,NSW2006,Australia 2SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofQueensland,St.LuciaQLD4072,Australia

Theparentalenvironmentplaysanimportantroleindeterminingtheabilityofoffspringtocopewiththeirenvironment.Suchdevelopmentalplasticityisbeneficialwhenparentalandearlydevelopmentalandlateroffspringenvironmentsarematched,butitcanbedetrimentalifthereisamismatch.UV-Bradiationdamagescellsdirectlyandbyincreasingreactiveoxygenspecies(ROS)formation.OuraimwastotestwhetherparentalexposuretoUV-BincreasesoffspringROSdefencemechanismtoreducethenegativeeffectsofUV-Binoffspring.Totestourhypothesis,weraisedjuvenileguppies(Poeciliareticulata)underUV-Bandcontrol(no-UV-B)conditionstomatureandbreed.Afterparturition,offspringfromeachparentalgroupweretransferredtoUV-Bandcontroltreatmentsandraisedtomaturity.OurresultsshowedthatexposingparentstoUV-BincreasedtheresilienceoftheiroffspringtothenegativeeffectsofUV-B.WhenexposedtoUV-B,offspringfromparentsalsoexposedtoUV-Bhadsignificantlygreatersustainedswimmingperformance,whichwasparalleledbyincreasedcatalaseactivityandglutathioneconcentrations,andreducedROSdamagetomembraneandproteins,comparedtooffspringfromcontrolconditions.However,parentalexposuretoUV-Bincreaseddamagetoproteinsandinfectionratesbywhitespotprotozoanincontroloffspring.TherewasnoeffectofparentalexposuretoUV-Bonoffspringsuperoxidedismutaseactivity,restingandactivemetabolicrates,oroffspringsize.WeshowedthatparentalexposuretoUV-BcanbebeneficialonlywhenoffspringwerealsoexposedtoUV-B.Thetrade-offbetweenthebeneficialeffectsofparentalexposuretoUV-BonoffspringalsoexposedtoUV-BenvironmentandtheincreasedsusceptibilitytoinfectioninoffspringnotexposedtoUV-Bcanbeimportantindeterminingtheresilienceofpopulationsinvariableenvironments.

ANZSCPB2016 52

IshypoxiatolerancereflectedinNewZealandTriplefinbrains?(Tripterygiidae):Analysingenzymeactivitiesandmetabolites

CrystalJames,AnthonyHickey,JulesDevaux,ChristopherHedgesandStewartMasson

UniversityofAuckland

Adultmammalianbrainsareextremelysensitivetoreducedoxygen,failingwithinminutesofanoxia.Hypoxiaenhancesanaerobicmetabolism,causingredoximbalance,andlactateandglutamateaccumulationwhichpotentiallyleadstoexcitotoxicityandcelldeath.Incomparison,someaquaticanimalsroutinelysurvivelevelsoflessthan3%atmosphericoxygen.WehavefoundthatNewZealandtriplefinfish,especiallyintertidalrockpoolspecies,arerobusttolowoxygenrepeatedlyexperiencinghypoxiaornearanoxia,whilemaintainingbrainfunction.Investigationsintomechanismsenhancingsurvivalofthebrainofthesefishshouldbeinformativeastohowhumanscouldincreasehypoxiatolerance(HT).

AspartofalargerprojectfiveNewZealandtriplefinspeciesrangingfromintertidal(experiencehypoxia)tosubtidalzones(donotexperiencehypoxia)wereinvestigatedastheyshowdifferentdegreesofHT.TwokeymechanismsthoughttobeimpactingHTwereexamined.Firstly,theactivityofkeyenzymeswasassessedtodeterminetheircontributionstooverallmetabolism.Thesecondmechanismtocomplimentthisisanalysisofabundanceinmetabolitesbetweenspeciessubjectedtoa20minutehypoxicevent.Enzymaticactivitywasdeterminedspectrophotometrically,whilstGasChromatography-Massspectrometry(GC-MS)wasusedtodetermineconcentrationsofkeymetabolites(sugars,organicacids,fattyacids,lipidsandproteins).PreliminarydatahasfoundthatanaerobicassociatedlactatedehydrogenaseactivitywassurprisinglylowerinHTspeciesthanhypoxiasensitivespecies(420±27&520±20umol/min-1/g-1respectively).However,HTspecieshad~22%greatercreatinekinaseactivitiescomparedtotheirhypoxiasensitiverelatives.Glutamatedehydrogenase,citratesynthase,malatedehydrogenase,andadenylatekinaseallshowednorelationshipbetweenenzymeactivityandHT.PrimaryresultsfromGC-MSshowhypoxiainfluencesmetaboliteabundanceamongspecies.OveralltheseresultssuggestHTspeciesmayhavedecreasedanaerobiccapacitiesintermsoflactateformation,butmaysustainhypoxicfunctionusingcreatinephosphatestores.

ANZSCPB2016 53

Synchronoushatchinginfreshwaterturtles:metabolicandendocrinemechanisms

JessicaK.McGlashan1,MichaelB.Thompson2,FredricJ.Janzen3,JamesVanDyke1andRicky-JohnSpencer1

1SchoolofScienceandHealth,WesternSydneyUniversity2SchoolofBiologicalSciences,TheUniversityofSydney3DepartmentofEcology,EvolutionandOrganismalBiology,IowaStateUniversity

Synchronoushatchingisaformofenvironmentallycuedhatching(ECH)whichallowsembryostoalterthetimeofhatchinginrelationtotheenvironmentthroughphenotypicplasticity.Synchronoushatchinginturtleshasevolvedtoreducevariationinincubationtimeandincreaseanindividual’schanceofsurvival.Eggpositionandthermalgradientsinanestalterdevelopmentalratesofembryos,andhavepotentialtocauseasynchronoushatchingtimes.Cuesfrommoreadvancedeggsstimulatelessadvancedeggstoeitherhatchearlyoracceleratedevelopmentthroughmetaboliccompensation.Hormoneslikelyplayacriticalroleinenablingmetaboliccompensationandearlyhatching.Thyroidhormonesandglucocorticoidsregulateembryogenesisandarevitalduringbirth/hatchingeventsinmanyspecies.Icomparedthemetabolicandendocrinemechanismsofhatchingsynchronyinfreshwaterturtles.Metaboliccompensationandchangesincircadianrhythmsenabledembryostoadjusttheirdevelopmentalratesandcatch-uptomore-advancedeggs.Hormoneanalysesindicatedtherewasnodifferenceintriiodothyronine(T3)andcorticosteroneconcentrationsduringasynchronousdevelopmentthusarenotresponsibleforstimulationofmetaboliccompensation.TherewashoweveraclearphysiologicalresponsetoexogenousT3applications,whichcausedneonatestohatchearlierthanexpectedbutwithnodevelopmentalormetaboliccosts.Triiodothyronineandcorticosteroneconcentrationsincreasedintheyolkofthedevelopingembryostowardstheendofincubationinbothasynchronousandsynchronousclutches,whichcoincideswithhatching.Thesehormonesmightnotregulatemetaboliccompensation,buttheyarelikelyimportantforsynchronoushatching.Synchronoushatchinghasevolvedindependentlyindifferentturtlelineagesandthespecificmechanismsutilisedtoachievesynchronoushatchingineachspecieslikelymaximiseanindividual’schanceofsurvival.ComparingthemechanismsusedtosynchronouslyhatchfurtherimprovestheunderstandingofthedifferentwaysinwhichECHhasevolvedinreptiles.

ANZSCPB2016 54

Regulatoryelementsthatdrivecorticotropin-releasinghormonereceptor2geneexpressioninavianthyrotropes

YugoWatanabe,BertDeGroefandSylviaV.H.Grommen

DepartmentofPhysiology,AnatomyandMicrobiology,LaTrobeUniversity

Inrepresentativenon-mammalianvertebrates,CRHhasapotentthyrotropin(TSH)-releasingeffectinadditiontoitscorticotropin(ACTH)-releasingeffect.Inchickens,theTSH-releasingactivitybyCRHismediatedbytype2CRHreceptor(CRHR2)inthethyrotropes(TSH-producingcells)ofthepituitarygland.However,itisnotknownwhetherCRHcontrolsTSHreleaseinotheravianspeciesthathavedifferentthyroidalactivityduringtheirlifecycle.Therefore,weinvestigatedtheTSH-releasingcapacityofCRHinanaltricialspecies,thezebrafinch(Taeniopygiaguttata).ThecellularlocalisationofCRHR2mRNAinthepituitarywasdeterminedbyinsituhybridisation,combinedwithimmunohistochemicalstainingofpituitarythyrotropes.OurstudyshowedthatCRHR2mRNAispresentinthezebrafinchthyrotropes,similartowhatwaspreviouslyfoundinchickenpituitary.Furthermore,isolatedzebrafinchpituitariesstimulatedwith100nMCRHshowedincreasedsecretionofTSH-likeactivityasmeasuredinathyroidbioassay.TheseresultssuggestthattheCRHR2expressedonthyrotropesareresponsibleforTSHreleasebyCRHinaltricialavianspecieslikeinprecocialspecies.WethenattemptedtoidentifytheregulatoryelementsinthegenepromoterofCRHR2inchicken.Sincetwotranscriptionfactors,Pit1andGATA2,determinethyrotropedifferentiationandmaintainexpressionoftheTSHβsubunit,wehypothesizedthatthethyrotrope-specificexpressionofCRHR2isalsogovernedbythesameregulatoryelementsandtranscriptionfactors.FragmentsoftheputativechickenCRHR2promoterwerefusedtotheluciferasereportergeneandco-transfectedwithPit1and/orGATA2expressionplasmidsintoCOS7ormurinethyrotrope-derivedTαT1cells.LuciferasereporterassaysshowedthatGATA2butnotPit1activatedtheCRHR2promoter.TheseresultsindicatethatCRHR2expressionisinducedbyGATA2activityasisthecasefortheTSHβgene,butincontrasttoTSHβ,themechanismdoesnotrequirePit1binding.

ANZSCPB2016 55

Doesthespottedgar,Lepisosteusoculatus,expressafunctionalendothelialnitricoxidesynthase?

MelissaCameron1andJohnDonald2

1SchoolofMedicalSciences,TheUniversityofSydney2SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciences,DeakinUniversity

Theevolutionofendothelium-derivednitricoxide(NO)inbloodvessels,anditsassociatedsignallingpathway,remainscontentiousincomparativecardiovascularphysiology.TheadvancementofcomparativegenomicshasprovidedinsightintotheevolutionoftheNOsynthase(NOS)enzymes(NOS1,NOS2andNOS3),inparticularthatofNOS3thatisexpressedintheendotheliumofmammalianbloodvessels.Untilrecently,theparsimoniousviewwasthatNOS3evolvedearlyinthetetrapods,asallthreeisoformsarefoundinamphibians,butonlytwoisoforms(NOS1andNOS2)arefoundinthegenomesofteleostandchondrichthyanfishes.Recently,allthreeNOSproteinshavebeenpredictedinthegenomeofthenon-teleostactinopterygian,Lepisosteusoculatus,whichreshapesourunderstandingofNOS3evolution.Thisstudyaimedtocharacterisethenos3geneanddetermineifNOS3isafunctionalproteinwithinthevasculatureofL.oculatus.Thepredictednos3genedidnotdemonstrateaconservedsyntenywiththenos3geneofmouseandXenopusnos3,comparedtotheconservedsyntenythatisfoundfornos1andnos2.PhylogeneticanalysisshowedthatthepredictedNOS3proteingroupedwithothervertebrateNOS3proteins;L.oculatusNOS1andNOS2groupedwiththeirrespectiveisoforms.Toconfirmthegenomicsequence,wehavecloned57%oftheL.oculatusnos3mRNA,whichwasfoundtobe99%similartothepredictedsequence.WethendesignedaspecificL.oculatusNOS3antibody,anddemonstratedNOS3-immunoreactivityintheadventitiaofmanybloodvessels.TodetermineifthepresenceofNOS3withinthevasculaturecontributedtovasodilation,myographywasperformedonthedorsalaorta.Interestingly,additionoftheNOdonor,sodiumnitroprusside,hadnoeffectonvasculartone.Together,thesedatasuggestthatL.oculatusdoesexpressaNOS3proteinwithinthevasculature,butitdoesnotappeartocontributetovascularregulation.

ANZSCPB2016 56

TheroleofleptinandghrelininappetiteregulationintheAustralianSpinifexhoppingmouse,Notomysalexis,duringlong-termwaterdeprivation

JohnDonald1,NoorKhalidahAbdulHamid1andJanetMcLeod2

1SchoolofLifeandEnvironmentalSciences,DeakinUniversity2SchoolofMedicine,DeakinUniversity

Manymammalsliveindesertswheredrinkingwaterisabsentandsurvivebygainingpreformedand/ormetabolicwaterfromfoodandemployingasuiteofadaptationstoreducewaterloss.However,giventheimportanceoffoodasasourceofwater,littleisknownabouthowdesertmammalscanregulateappetitetoincreaseconsumptionofpreformedwaterandsubstrateformetabolicwaterproduction.IntheSpinifexhoppingmouse,Notomysalexis,waterdeprivation(WD)inducedabiphasicpatternoffoodintakewithaninitialhypophagiathatwasfollowedbyanincreased,andthensustainedfoodintake.Themicelostapproximately20%oftheirbodymass,andtherewasalossofwhiteadiposetissue.StomachghrelinmRNAwassignificantlyhigheratday2ofWDbutthenreturnedtothesamelevelsaswater-replete(day0)miceforthedurationoftheexperiment.PlasmaghrelinwasunaffectedbyWDexceptatday10whereitwassignificantlyincreased.Plasmaleptinlevelsdecreasedatday2andday5ofWD,andthenincreasedsignificantlybytheendoftheWDperiod.WaterdeprivationcausedasignificantdecreaseinskeletalmuscleleptinmRNAexpressionatdays2and5,butthenitreturnedtoday0levelsbyday29.Inthehypothalamus,WDcausedasignificantup-regulationinbothghrelinandneuropeptideYmRNAexpression,respectively.Incontrast,hypothalamicghrelinreceptormRNAexpressionwassignificantlydown-regulated.AsignificantincreaseinleptinreceptormRNAexpressionwasobservedatdays17and29ofWD.ThisstudydemonstratedthatthesustainedfoodintakeinN.alexisduringWDwasuncoupledfromperipheralappetite-regulatingsignals,andthatthehypothalamusappearstoplayanimportantroleinregulatingfoodintake;thismaycontributetothemaintenanceoffluidbalanceintheabsenceoffreewater.

ANZSCPB2016 57

SPEEDTALK

DNAdamageinducedbyultravioletradiationisrepairedfasterbyenzymaticphotoreactivationthanbynucleotideexcisionrepairinanamphibianspecies

LesleyA.Alton1,RebeccaL.Cramp2,EmmaCeccato2,FrankSeebacher3andCraigE.Franklin2

1SchoolofBiologicalSciences,MonashUniversity2SchoolofBiologicalSciences,TheUniversityofQueensland3SchoolofBiologicalSciences,TheUniversityofSydney

Ultravioletradiation(UVR)hasbeenanimportantenvironmentalstressorandselectionpressureforbiologicalorganismssincelifebegan.UVRabsorbancebyimportantmoleculeswithincellscaninitiatearangeofphotochemicalreactionsthatarebothdetrimentalandbeneficialtolivingorganisms;UVRcausesinjurytocellsbydamagingDNA,proteinsandlipids,butisalsonecessaryforvitaminDsynthesis,DNArepairandvision.AsaconsequenceofanthropogenicozonedepletiontheamountofdamagingUVRreachingthebiospherehasincreased.IncreasedUVRissuspectedtohavecontributedtotherapiddeclineofnumerousamphibianpopulationsaroundtheworld.ExposuretoUVRisknowntohavenegativeconsequencesforthehealthandsurvivaloftheembryosandtadpolesofseveralamphibianspecies.However,likeotherorganisms,amphibianshaveevolvedanumberofdefencesagainstthedamagingeffectsofUVR,includingtherepairofDNAdamage.Enzymaticphotoreactivation(EPR)andnucleotideexcisionrepair(NER)aretwoprocessesbywhichDNAdamagecanberepaired.TheefficacyofEPRisknowntovaryamongamphibianspeciesandisnegativelycorrelatedwithUVRsensitivity,butlessisknownofNER.HerewepresentourfindingsontherateofDNArepairbyEPRandNERintadpolesofthestripedmarshfrogLimnodynastesperonii.OurdatashowthatEPRisconsiderablymoreeffectiveatremovingDNAdamagethanNERinL.peroniiwith50%ofthedamagerepairedafter1.4hbyEPRand42hbyNER.WithoutEPRtorepairDNAdamage,tadpolesurvivalwassignificantlyreducedbetween18and24h,addingsupporttoourfindingthatNERisnotaneffectiverepairmechanisminthisamphibianspecies.

ANZSCPB2016 58

Thehypothalamo-pituitary-adrenalaxisinthefat-taileddunnart(Sminthopsiscrassicaudata),anAustralianmarsupial

EllyseNoy,MelissaScott,DianaRayment,SylviaV.H.Grommen,KylieRobertandBertDeGroef

DepartmentofPhysiology,AnatomyandMicrobiology,LaTrobeUniversity

Aswildlifemanagementdecisionscanbeinformedbytheunderstandingofhowananimalrespondstothreats,thestressphysiologyofthefat-taileddunnart(Sminthopsiscrassicaudata),anAustralianmarsupial,wasstudied.Likemostvertebrates,marsupialsrespondtostressorswiththeactivationofthehypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axis.Uponperceptionofastressor,thehypothalamusreleasescorticotropin-releasinghormone(CRH),whichstimulatestheanteriorpituitaryglandtosecreteadrenocorticotropichormone(ACTH)intothesystemiccirculation.Thishormone,inturn,stimulatestheadrenalcortextoreleaseglucocorticoids,theactualstresshormones.Wecloneddunnartprepro-CRHandtheACTHprecursorpro-opiomelanocortin(POMC)mRNAanddeterminedtheglucocorticoidresponsetorestraintstress.Restraintstresswasfoundtoeffectivelyinducearesponsewithin30minutes,withfreecortisollevelsincreasingmorethanthoseofcorticosterone,evenwiththecorticosteroneconcentrationsbeingmoreabundantinthecirculationinunstressedanimals.ThedunnartcodingsequencesofPOMCandprepro-CRHencodepeptidesof399and200aminoacids,respectively.WhiletheACTHandbeta-endorphinsequenceswithinPOMCarehighlyconserved,thePOMCsequenceshowssomeuniquefeaturesinthisspecies,andperhapsallAustralianmarsupials,includingthesecondarylossofagamma-melanotropinsequenceandduplicationsoftheACTHsequence,possiblyasaresultofaberrantcrossing-overevents.MaturedunnartCRHisidenticaltoCRHinhuman,mouse,ratandchicken,andasaconsequence,toolsusedtostudyCRHinthesespeciesarepredictedtoworkinthedunnartaswell.

ANZSCPB2016 59

Divinginawarmingworld:Environmentalandphysiologicaldeterminantsofdivedurationincrocodiles

CraigE.Franklin,EssieRodgers,LilyBentleyandRossDwyer

SchoolofBiologicalSciences,TheUniversityofQueensland

Temperaturehasapervasiveeffectonphysiologicalfunctionandorganismalperformance.Divedurationofectothermsisinfluencedbyphysiologicalresponsesandcapacitiesandhasbeenshowntobehighlythermallydependent,whereelevatedtemperaturescansignificantlyreducedivetimes.Giventhatdivingplaysasignificantecologicalroleincrocodiles,includingforagingandpredatoravoidance,understandingthepotentialeffectsofpredictedrisesinglobaltemperaturesonthiscriticalbehaviourisofinterest.Usingfielddataandtakinganexperimentalapproachweexaminedthethermalsensitivityofdivinginestuarinecrocodilesandexploredtheflexibilityandplasticityofphysiologicalsystemstobufferthenegativeimpactsofelevatedtemperaturesondiveduration.Crocodileswereexposedtolong-termthermaltreatments,designedtoemulatewatertemperaturesunderdifferentclimatechangescenariosandphysiologicalresponsesanddivecapacitiestested.Theabilityofcrocodilestomitigatetheeffectsoftemperatureondivingabilityviathermalphenotypicplasticityandcompensationwillbediscussed.

ANZSCPB2016 60

AnestimateofthewaterbudgetfortheendangerednightparrotofAustraliaunderrecentandfutureclimates

MichaelKearney1,WarrenP.Porter2andStephenA.Murphy3

1SchoolofBioSciences,TheUniversityofMelbourne2DepartmentofZoology,TheUniversityofWisconsin,Madison53706,USA3BushHeritageAustralia,Level1,395CollinsSt,Melbourne,VIC3000

Endangeredspeciesmanagementmustnowincorporatethepotentialeffectsofclimatechange,butthisisofteninthecontextoflimiteddata.TheendangerednightparrotwasrecentlyrediscoveredintheAustralianaridzoneandamajoreffortisunderwaytoensureitssurvival.Akeyquestionistowhatextentitisdependentonstandingwaterundercurrentandfutureclimates,asthishasmajorimplicationsforunderstandingandmanagingitshabitatrequirements.However,verylittleisknownaboutitsecologyandphysiology,anditsconservationstatusprecludesinvasiveecophysiologicalstudies.Hereweshowhowthemethodsofbiophysicalecologypermitstronginferencesaboutthisproblemwithminimaldata.Wedevelopedabiophysicalmodelofboththeparrotanditshabitatattheonlyknownsiteofoccurrence.Weusedallometrically-adjustedobservationsoftheknownphysiologyofacloselyrelateddesert-adaptedAustralianparrot,thebudgerigar,toinferunknownaspectsofthenightparrot’sphysiologicalresponses,togetherwithplumagemeasurementsfrommuseumspecimens.Wetestedthemicroclimatemodelagainstempiricaldataonmicrohabitattemperaturesandcomparedtheendothermmodelpredictionsagainstaninfra-redthermographofthebirditself.Wethenusedthemodeltopredictthefrequencywithwhichtheparrotwouldneedtofindstandingwaterundercurrentandfutureclimatesdependingonthewatercontentofitsfood.Ourfielddatashowthatairtemperatureinnightparrotroostsduringhighsummertypicallyexceedstheinferredrestingcoretemperature(38°C)andcanexceed45°C.Ourcalculationsimplythatnightparrotscanpersistondryseedduringwinterconditionswithoutexceedingdangerouslevelsofdehydration,butwouldneedaccesstowaterorsucculent(55%water)foodduringsummer.Airtemperatureatthesiteisprojectedtoincrease3°Cby2070,whichwouldleadtolikelylethal(22%ofbodymass)levelsofdailydehydrationinsomeyearsevenonsucculentfood,andwoulddramaticallyincreaseitsdependenceonstandingwater.Ourfindingshavesignificantimplicationsfortheconservationmanagementofthenightparrotandprovideguidanceforfutureresearchpriorities.

ANZSCPB2016 61

Stressorinteractionsshapeupperthermallimits

PippaKern,RebeccaL.CrampandCraigE.Franklin

SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofQueensland

Thevulnerabilityoforganismstoclimatewarmingcanbepredictedbyhowclosespeciesaretotheirupperthermallimits,andtheircapacityforplasticityinthistrait.Inadditiontotemperature,manybioticandabioticfactorscanalterthermaltoleranceandshapethesensitivityoforganismstorisingtemperatures.Importantly,ithasbeendemonstratedthatinteractiveeffectsbetweenmultiplestressorsshapephysiologicaltolerances.Assuchacclimationcapacityofupperthermallimitsshouldbeassessedinrelationtovariationinmultipleenvironmentalstressors.Ifcrosstolerancebetweenstressorsresultsinchangestoupperthermallimits,singlefactorstudiesmaypoorlypredictthermaltoleranceundernaturalconditions.Hereweexaminetheinteractiveeffectsoftemperatureandultravioletradiationontheupperthermallimitsoftadpoles(LimnodynastesperoniiandPlatyplectrumornatum)inthecontextofstableandfluctuatingtemperaturevariation.TemperatureandultravioletradiationhadinteractiveeffectsontheupperthermallimitsofL.peroniitadpolesinstabletemperaturecondition.Exposuretoultravioletradiationincreasedupperthermallimitsoftadpolesincoldtemperatures,butreducedupperthermallimitsofwarmacclimatedtadpoles.UnderfluctuatingtemperatureconditionsexposuretoultravioletradiationincreasedtheupperthermallimitsofP.ornatumtadpoles,butreducedupperthermallimitsunderstablemeantemperatures.Thesedatademonstratethatexposuretoultravioletradiationcanmodulatetheeffectsoftemperatureonupperthermallimits,andhighlighttheimportanceofassessingstressorinteractionswhenpredictingresponsestoenvironmentalvariation.Speciessurvivalinthefaceofclimatewarmingwillbedeterminedbytheinteractiveeffectsoftemperaturewithmultiplenaturalandanthropogenicfactors.

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Mitochondrialplasticityasadeterminantofsurvivingclimatechange

GillianRenshaw1,JulesDevaux2andAnthonyHickey2

1HypoxiaandIschemiaResearchUnit,SchoolofAlliedHealthSciences,GriffithUniversity2SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofAuckland

Thethermallimitofcardiacmitochondrialefficiencycouldbeamajordeterminantofspeciesdistribution(1).Theeffectsofhightemperatureonbrainmitochondriaislesswellexplored.Weexaminedtheeffectof6temperaturesonbrainmitochondrialfunctioninhomogenatesfromtwoOrectolobiformsharkswhichoccupyshallowreefflatsexposedtothermalstressduringsummerlowtidesand/orperiodicnocturnalhypoxia.Epaulettesharks(Hemiscylliumocellatum),canundergometabolicdepressionbutGreycarpetsharks(Chilloscylliumpunctatum)cannot,yetbothcanwithstandcomparableperiodsofanoxia.Wemeasuredtheeffectofeachtemperatureon:i)mitochondrialcouplingefficiency;ii)non-phosphorylatingprotonleakfrommitochondria;andiii)changesinsubstrateutilisationforcomplexIandcomplexII.

Highresolutionoximetrywithamultiplesubstrate-inhibitorprotocolrevealedthatforbothspecies:mitochondrialcoupling(efficiency)wasgreatestat25oC,andmaintainedat30oCbutwas25%lowerat37oCand50%lowerat40oC.Mitochondriainbothspeciesweretotallyuncoupledat45oC.

Despiteanexponentialincreasedinprotonleakastemperatureincreased,Epaulettemitochondriamaintainedtheirelectrontransportsystemincoupledmitochondriaat25-37oC,whileGreycarpetsharkmitochondriashoweda30%decreaseinmitochondrialefficiencyat37oCcomparedto25oC.ExaminationofsubstrateutilisationrevealedthatEpaulettesharkmitochondriahadamorestablecomplex1utilisationthanGreycarpetsharks,especiallyat37oC.

ThesetwospeciesofOrectolobiformsharksmaintainedmitochondrialcouplingefficiencyoverawiderangeofthermalchallengesbutfailedattemperatureshigherthantheycurrentlyencounterintheirnaturalenvironment.

1. Reference:Iftikaretal.,(2014)J.Exp.Biol.217,2348-2357.

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ListofSpeakersPresenter AbstractpagenumberAlton,Lesley………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………57Arnold,Pieter…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….42Beale,Phillipa…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….33Beaman,Julian…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..48Bieber,Claudia…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..13Braz,Henrique…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..20Bromfield,Lisa…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..17Cameron,Melissa………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………55Cooper,Christine………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………38Cramp,Rebecca…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………49Czenze,Zenon……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………34Devaux,Jules……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..50Donald,John………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………56Dudley,Jessica…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..19Franklin,Craig……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………59Friesen,Chris……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..14Geiser,Fritz……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….35GhanizadehKazerouni,Ensiyeh…………………………………………………………………………………………………51Gomez-Isaza,Daniel…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..31Hu,Qiaohui……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….39James,Crystal…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….52Jones,Karl………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….29Kearney,Michael……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….60Kern,Pippa………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..61Khan,Mohammad……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..22Koertner,Gerhard……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..43Kong,Jacinta………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………18Laird,Melanie……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………23Martin,Nicolas………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….16Masson,Stewart……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….25McDonald,Elle…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..26McGlashan,Jessica…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….53Narayan,Edward……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….44Nelson,Thomas…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………27Noy,Ellyse…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………58Petrov,Kristen……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………46Pirtle,Elia…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..40Portugal,Steve…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..36Renshaw,Gillian………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..62Stawski,Claire……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………37Swoap,Steve……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..32Tomlinson,Sean…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………28Turbill,Christopher……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………15VanDyke,James………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..47Watanabe,Yugo………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..54White,Craig……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….24Withers,Philip……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………45Whittington,Camilla………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….21Winwood-Smith,Hugh………………………………………………………………………………………………………………30Wu,Nicholas……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..41

ContactDetailsSurname Firstname Organisation EmailAlton Lesley MonashUniversity lesley.alton@monash.eduArnold Pieter UniversityofQueensland pieter.arnold@uqconnect.edu.auBeale Phillipa AustralianNationalUniversity phillipa.beale@gmail.comBeaman Julian UniversityofQueensland j.beaman@uq.edu.auBicudo Eduardo UniversityofWollongong eduardo@uow.edu.auBieber Claudia UniversityofVetMed,Vienna claudia.bieber@vetmeduni.ac.atBraz Henrique UniversityofSydney henrique.braz@sydney.edu.au Bromfield Lisa WesternSydneyUniversity Lisa.bromfield@westernsydney.edu.auBywater Candice MonashUniversity candice.bywater@monash.eduCameron Melissa UniversityofSydney melissa.cameron@sydney.edu.auCooper Christine CurtinUniversity C.Cooper@curtin.edu.auCramp Rebecca UniversityofQueensland r.cramp@uq.edu.auCzenze Zenon UniversityofAuckland czenze@hotmail.comDawson Terence UniversityofNewSouthWales t.dawson@unsw.edu.auDevaux Jules UniversityofAuckland jdev864@aucklanduni.ac.nzDonald John DeakinUniversity jdonald@deakin.edu.auDudley Jessica UniversityofSydney jessica.dudley@sydney.edu.au Else Paul UniversityofWollongong pelse@uow.edu.auFranklin Craig UniversityofQueensland c.franklin@uq.edu.auFriesen Chris UniversityofSydney christopher.friesen@sydney.edu.auGeiser Fritz UniversityofNewEngland fgeiser@une.edu.auGhanizadehKazerouni

Ensiyeh UniversityofSydney ensiyeh.ghanizadeh@sydney.edu.au

Gomez-Isaza Daniel UniversityofQueensland daniel.gomezisaza@uqconnect.edu.auHedges Christopher Hickey Anthony UniversityofAuckland a.hickey@auckland.ac.nzHu Qiaohui AdelaideUniversity a1631862@student.adelaide.edu.auHumphrys Madeline maddyhumphrys@gmail.comHulbert Anthony UniversityofWollongong hulbert@uow.edu.auJames Crystal UniversityofAuckland cjam194@aucklanduni.ac.nzJones Karl UniversityofAdelaide karl.jones@adelaide.edu.auKearney Michael UniversityofMelbourne mrke@unimelb.edu.auKern Pippa UniversityofQueensland p.kern@uq.edu.auKhan Mohammad UniversityofSydney mkha0933@uni.sydney.edu.au Koertner Gerhard UniversityofNewEngland gkoertne@une.edu.auKong Jacinta UniversityofMelbourne jacintak1@student.unimelb.edu.auLaird Melanie UniversityofSydney melanie.laird@sydney.edu.au Lundsgaard Niclas Martin Nicolas UniversityofWollongong nmartin@uow.edu.au Masson Stewart UniversityofAuckland massonstewart@gmail.comMcDonald Elle WesternSydneyUniversity elle.mcdonald@westernsydney.edu.auMcGlashan Jessica WesternSydneyUniversity j.mcglashan@westernsydney.edu.auNarayan Edward CharlesSturtUniversity enarayan@csu.edu.auNelson Thomas UniversityofAdelaide thomas.nelson@adelaide.edu.auNoy Ellyse LaTrobeUniversity ebnoy@students.latrobe.edu.auPetrov Kristen WesternSydneyUniversity k.petrov@westernsydney.edu.auPirtle Elia UniversityofMelbourne eliapirtle@gmail.comPortugal Steve UniversityofLondon Steve.Portugal@rhul.ac.ukRenshaw Gillian GriffithUniversity g.renshaw@griffith.edu.auStawski Claire UniversityofNewEngland cstawsk2@une.edu.au

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Swoap Steve WilliamsCollege sswoap@williams.eduThompson Michael UniversityofSydney mike.thompson@sydney.edu.auTomlinson Sean CurtinUniversity sean.tomlinson@bgpa.wa.gov.auTurbill Christopher WesternSydneyUniversity C.Turbill@westernsydney.edu.auVanDyke James WesternSydneyUniversity J.vandyke@westernsydney.edu.auWatanabe Yugo LaTrobeUniversity Y.Watanabe@latrobe.edu.auWebster Koa MacquarieUniversity koa.webster@mq.edu.auWhite Craig MonashUniversity craig.white@monash.eduWithers Philip UniversityifWesternAustralia philip.withers@uwa.edu.auWhittington Camilla UniversityofSydney camilla.whittington@sydney.edu.auWinwood-Smith Hugh UniversityofQueensland h.winwoodsmith@uq.edu.auWu Nicholas UniversityofQueensland nicholas.wu@uq.edu.au

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