Animal Sessions
Molecular Physiology of Epithelial Transport in Insects - a tribute to William R Harvey
Dates: 1st July, 2nd July (am only)
Organized by: Klaus Beyenbach (Cornell University), Julian Dow (University of Glasgow) and Helmut Wieczorek (University of Osnabrück)
Contact: KWB1@CORNELL.EDU
Confirmed Speakers: Otto Baumann (University of Potsdam, Germany), Edward Blumenthal (Marquette University, USA), Shireen Davies (University of Glasgow, UK), Adriana Gamez (Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Venezuela), William R. Harvey (Whitney Laboratory, Florida, USA), Jean-Paul Paluzzi (McMaster University, Ontario,Canada), Peter Piermarini (Cornell University, USA), Ladislav Simo (Kansas State University, USA), Minghui Xiang (University of Florida, USA), Subrata Tripathi (Tata Institute, India)
Description:
Three sessions will explore the integrative physiology of epithelial transport in insects to recognize and celebrate the distinguished career of Willam R. (Bill) Harvey (Whitney Laboratory, Florida, USA). Speakers are encouraged to interpret molecular detail in the context of the function of the cell, tissue and whole animal. The emphasis is on new insights and ideas in the mechanism and regulation of epithelial transport in insects. To promote the development of the next generation of insect physiologists, young investigators (from undergraduate researcher to Assistant Professor) will receive preference presenting in oral sessions, and senior investigators will be invited to present in poster sessions.
Session 1 - The Mechanism of Epithelial Transport in Insects.
The session will present the state-of-the-art in ion transport in insect epithelia mediated by pumps, carriers and channels. Speakers will 1) explore the physiological roles of both the H+ V-ATPase and the Na/K ATPase in energizing epithelial transport, and 2) report newly identified cation and anion transporters and their functional characterization will be reported. Talks will report studies in blowfly salivary glands, larval gut of mosquitoes, and Malpighian tubules of blood-feeding mosquitoes (Aedes) and bugs (Rhodnius). Some of the new transporters may present novel targets for pest control.
Session 2 - The Regulation of Epithelial Transport in Insects by Primary and Secondary Messengers
The session will report new work on regulating transepithelial absorptive and secretory transport in insect salivary gland, midgut, and Malpighian tubules. The focus will be on regulatory chains from the hormone or neuropeptide to receptors and intracellular signaling pathways. Talks will include an evolutionary perspective of osmoregulation in insects and present evidence for cell-to-cell communication between epithelial cells as well as the molecular details of intracellular signaling. Model insects in this session are Drosophila, Rhodnius, Aedes and the New Zealand weta.
Session 3 - Na/H Exchange Transport and Na-amino acid Transport in Invertebrates
The session explores how the H+ V-ATPase can energize the membrane transport of other solutes, a topic of intense interest to Bill Harvey. The family of Na/H exchange transporters and the family of Na-coupled amino acid transporters will receive most of the attention. Speakers will discuss 1) the molecular identification and physiology of electroneutral and electrogenic Na/H exchangers, 2) newly identified Na-coupled amino acid transporters, and 3) the evolution of essential amino acid transporters in vector insects. Bill Harvey will present the keynote lecture in this session.
Conservation Physiology
Dates: 3rd July
Organized by: Julian Metcalfe (CEFAS) and Craig Franklin (University of Queensland)
Contact: c.franklin@uq.edu.au
This session will consist of a ½ day focussed morning session an afternoon an open general session.
Confirmed speakers: William Cheung (UEA), Andy Moore (Cefas), Gordon Cramb (St Andrews), Myron Peck (Hamburg), Hamish Campbell (Queensland) and Steve Cooke (Carleton)
More than just fine words – the role for physiology in evidence-based conservation
Conservation Physiology has been proposed as a much-needed discipline that applies physiological tools to evaluate the ability of animals to respond to their environment and sustain their populations in response to natural and anthropogenic pressures. Yet sceptics might question that it is little more than a convenient “badge” that helps physiologists defend their research in the increasingly challenging world of science funding. The aim of this session will be to focus on specific issues where physiological understanding has been used to support evidence-based conservation and management.
The role of oxidative stress as a physiological mediator of life histories – contrasts between birds and mammals
Dates: 2nd July
Organized by: John Speakman (University of Aberdeen)
Contact: j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk
Confirmed Speakers: Colin Selman (University of Aberdeen), Michael Ristow (University of Jena, Germany), Michael Garratt (University of Liverpool), Quinn Fletcher (McGill University, Canada), Neil Metcalfe and Pat Monaghan (University of Glasgow), Simon Verhulst (University of Groningen, Netherlands), Caroline Isakkson (University of Oxford), David Costantini (University of Glasgow)
Description:
The free-radical theory of ageing was postulated in the 1950s and suggests that animals age and die primarily because of oxidative damage to their tissues caused by free-radicals generated as a by-product of the process of oxidative phosphorylation. This idea provided a mechanism to explain the popular ‘rate of living theory’. Although the rate of living theory fell out of favour in the 1970s the free-radical theory grew in strength and by the early 2000’s was a dominant theory in the field of gerontology. Ecologists embraced this theory as a mechanism to understand life-history trade-offs in addition to ageing effects. However, the success of the idea in providing such a mechanism has been radically (pun intended!) different depending on the groups of animals under consideration. In particular the effects of oxidative stress appear very different roles in mammals and birds. The aim of this session is to contrast these responses and perhaps in the discussion come to some consensus about why these differences occur and what the research priorities for this field might be in the future.
Under pressure: Costs and benefits of high systemic blood pressures
Dates: 3rd July
Organized by: Michael Berenbrink (Liverpool University) and Bjarke Jensen (Aarhus, Denmark)
Contact: Michael.Berenbrink@liverpool.ac.uk or bjarke.jensen@biology.au.dk
Confirmed Speakers: Hiroko Nishimura (Department of Physiology, The University of Tennessee, USA), Roger Seymour (Ecology and Evolutionary Ecology, The University of Adelaide, Australia), James W Hicks (School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, USA), Beerend P Hierck (Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Holland), Michael J Mulvany (Department of Pharmacology, Aarhus University, Denmark), Julian FR Paton (Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, UK), Tobias Wang (Department of Biological Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark), Nigel H West (Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Canada)
Description:
The high metabolic rates of endothermic birds and mammals are associated with high systemic blood pressures, which could be taken to reflect an increased need for adequate perfusion to supply the extra oxygen. The pulmonary circulation in these animals, however, is equally perfused, yet operates at low pressures. Furthermore, systemic blood pressure slightly increases with body mass in mammals and birds, although mass specific metabolism decreases with increased mass. Thus, within mammals and birds and probably other classes as well, there is no positive correlation between systemic blood pressure and metabolism. Hypotension is nevertheless vigorously defended by baroreceptors, while transient or chronic hypertension may lead to cardiovascular disease. High systemic blood pressures then may be necessary for adequate plasma filtration in the kidneys or may enable a finer degree of regulatory control of blood flow to the different organs, among other things. Clearly questions arise as to what are the proximate (mechanistic) and ultimate (evolutionary) causes that determine the level of systemic blood pressure in animals?
This session seeks to address the benefits and costs of high systemic blood pressures and ultimately help to understand why they evolved independently in mammals and birds and in a few exceptional groups of ectotherms such as cephalopods, tunas, pythons, varanid lizards and crocodilians. Speakers include internationally renowned experts that cover comparative, mechanistic and biomedical aspects of blood pressure regulation in vertebrate and invertebrate animals. We have reserved a number of spaces for contributed talks and posters and also encourage the participation of younger scientists.
New frontiers in O2 homeostasis: NO, nitrite and H2S signalling in animal biology
Dates: 4th July
Organized by: Angela Fago (Aarhus University), Frank B. Jensen (Institute of Biology, University of Southern Denmark) and Bruno Tota (University of Calabria)Contact: angela.fago@biology.au.dk
Confirmed Speakers: Martin Feelisch (University of Warwick), Ken Olson (Indiana University School of Medicine), Nini Skovgaard (AarHus University), Erik R. Swenson (University of Washington), Anna Palumbo (Zoological Station "A. Dohrn", Naples, Italy), Daniele Mancardi (University of Torino)
Description:
In the past few years, reactive molecules believed to be toxic for living organisms have revealed to be essential signalling agents in respiratory physiology and to have protective functions. Since the Nobel-awarded discovery in the late 80's of gaseous nitric oxide (NO) as a major physiological regulator in the cardiovascular system, recent studies have revealed the existence of a complex network of interacting pathways centered on NO, its major end-product nitrite, and on endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the regulation of blood flow, cellular respiration and cardiac efficiency, particularly during hypoxia. Despite major recent advances in the understanding of such physiological mechanisms, many aspects remain to be elucidated, particularly on the relative roles of NO, nitrite and H2S in non-mammalian physiology and in the adaptation to hypoxia. In this session we aim to bring together scientists working on different aspects of these mechanisms to present the latest knowledge in this expanding field at the interface between animal physiology, medicine and biochemistry.
General Animal Biology
Dates: 1st - 2nd July
Organized by: Jonathan Stecyk (University of Oslo) and Kath Sloman (University of the West of Scotland)
Contact: jonathan.stecyk@imbv.uio.no
As the name indicates, the session comprises talks and posters on all the aspects of animal biology that are not catered to in the specific Animal Section sessions. As such, the session is an important element of the scientific programme, with high-quality presentations on a wide spectrum of subjects. The General session has been very successful in recent years, and will take place over two full days at Glasgow in 2011. The programme of talks is organised (as far as possible) into the subject areas of the special interest groups of the Animal Section, so delegates can spend a few hours listening to back-to-back presentations within their general area of interest. We particularly encourage presentations by post-grads and post-docs, with the award of General Animal Best Poster or Best Presentation prize to these early career scientists.
Chemical messengers: neurotransmitters to pheromones
Dates: 4th July
Organized by: Danielle McDonald (University of Miami) and Kath Sloman (University of the West of Scotland)
Contact: dmcdonald@rsmas.miami.edu
Confirmed Speakers: Dr Andrew Bass (Cornell University), Dr Peter Sorensen (University of Minnesota), Dr Thomas Breithaupt (University of Hull), Dr Matt Vijayan (University of Waterloo), Dr Svante Winberg (Uppsala University), Dr. Nicholas Bernier (University of Guelph, Department of Integrative Biology)
Description:
Animals have the ability to respond physiologically or behaviorally to their surroundings through communication via chemical messengers. The functions of chemical messengers range from communication between cells to between whole organisms, and depending on the compound, chemical messengers can travel distances from nanometers to kilometers to interact with their given receptor and elicit their response. Neurotransmitters, released by the presynaptic cell in response to electrical signals, diffuse across a narrow gap to interact with receptors on a postsynaptic cell. Paracrine factors travel further, yet still diffuse relatively short distances to influence cells in the local environment compared to hormones and neurohormones, which are specialized for long distance communication within an animal. For many animals, chemical messengers outside the animal convey information that signals social status, sexual readiness or alarm. The goal of this symposium is to focus on the broad topic of neural, endocrine and external communication and the impact of chemical messengers on animal physiology and behavior.
General Biomechanics
Dates: 1st - 2nd July
Organized by: Peter Aerts (University of Antwerp) and Eize Stamhuis (Groningen University)
Contact: peter.aerts@ua.ac.be
Description:
The 'general biomechanics session' brings (young) scientists together dealing in their research with the mechanics of the most diverse topics in biology. From insect flight to suspension feeding, from horse locomotion to the mechanics of water transport in plants, from material properties to kinematics of bird flocks, from muscle mechanics to., all topics find their place in the session which is traditionally attended by a large and broadly interested audience. Moreover, six years ago, we started a new initiative: General Biomechanics Best Poster and Best Presentation prizes (3 for each category). Yet another reason to join us in Glasgow next year.
Intraspecific Variation in Behaviour: functions and proximate explanations
Dates: 3rd July
Organized by: Lynne Sneddon (University of Liverpool) and Mark Briffa (School of Marine Science and Engineering)
Contact: lsneddon@liverpool.ac.uk
Confirmed Speakers: Alison Bell (University of Illinois, USA), Nadia Aubin-Horth (Laval University, Canada), Sasha Dall (University of Exeter, UK), Jörgen Johnsson (University of Gothenburg, Sweden), Alexander Weiss (University of Edinburgh, UK), Johan Höjesjö (University of Gothenburg, Sweden), Kathryn Arnold (University of Glasgow, UK), Kath Sloman (University of the West of Scotland, UK), Øyvind Øverli (Norwegian University of Life Sciences)
Description:
The consequences of animal personality are being investigated in an ever increasing range of contexts and linked to underlying physiological mechanisms ranging from cognitive ability and brain structure to stress responses. This session will explore the functions and proximate causes of 'animal personality' using techniques in behaviour, molecular biology, physiology and neurobiology with speakers at the forefront of this burgeoning field.
Physiological plasticity of thermal tolerance
Dates: 4th July
Organized by: Johannes Overgaard (Aarhus University) and Holly Shiels (Manchester University)
Contact: biojo@biology.au.dk
Confirmed Speakers: Michael Angilletta (Arizona State University), Barbara Block (Stanford University), Jonathon Stillman (San Francisco State University), John S. Terblanche (Stellenbosch University), Jonathan Codd (University of Manchester, UK ), Andrew Cossins (University of Liverpool, UK )
Description:
Thermal variation is a reality for most animals. Thermal variance occurs over diurnal and seasonal time scales, and recent concerns of "anthropogenic" induced climate change has sparked renewed interest in the thermal biology of animals. The capacity of the genotype to produce distinct phenotypes under different environmental conditions is a widespread and powerful means by which animals can adapt to ensure performance and survival in a fluctuating thermal environment. This broad one-day symposium will explore how animals cope with temperature variation through physiological plasticity (i.e. acclimation/ acclimatization). We welcome contributions investigating the physiological thermal plasticity of both heat and cold tolerance in vertebrate and invertebrate animals. We aim to include presentations exploring physiological plasticity at the molecular level as well as studies linking plasticity of physiological performance to ecophysiology and organismal fitness.
New Transport Systems in Vertebrate Tissues
Dates: 2nd July (pm only)
Organized by: Klaus Beyenbach (Cornell University), Helmut Wieczorek (U. of Osnabrück), Julian A.T. Dow (U. of Glasgow)
Contact: KWB1@CORNELL.EDU
Confirmed Speakers: Sylvie Breton (Harvard University, USA), Michael Fromm (Berlin, Germany) Ming-Jiun Yu (National Taiwan University, Taiwan), Dirk Weihrauch (University of Manitoba, Canada)
Description:
The session will present new transporting epithelia and emerging paradigms. As a result, topics will vary widely: 1) signaling networks within and between epithelial cells of the male epididymis duct to bring about the acidification of the ductal lumen, 2) the vasopressin activation of multiple intracellular signaling pathways in the rat kidney identified by the method of quantitative proteomics, 3) the paracellular pathway as a transport pathway not only selectively permeable, but also regulated in its transport activities, 4) the various forms of nitrogen transport in invertebrates and vertebrates, and 5) the role of the cytoskeleton in the regulation of epithelial transport. The presentations will review the state-of-the-art by established and junior investigators to stimulate new research.
Multi-scale mechanics of biological and bio-inspired hierarchical materials and surfaces
Dates: 3rd July (pm only), 4th July
Organized by: Thomas Speck (Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg), Johan Van Leeuwen (Wageningen University), Tom Masselter (Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg) and Claudia Fleck (Technical University Berlin)
Contact: thomas.speck@biologie.uni-freiburg.de
Confirmed Speakers: Ingo Burgert (Max Planck Institute), Lorna Gibson (MIT), Joanna Aizenberg (Harvard University), Olga Speck (University of Freiburg), Stanislav Gorb (Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel), Fritz Vollrath (University of Oxford)
Description:
Biological materials and surfaces are characterized by a limited number of basic chemical components and a large variety of micro- and nanostructures. The outstanding mechanical properties of biological ‘constructions’ are mainly based on a complex multi-scale structuring, and not on a huge variety of constitutive materials as typically used in traditional engineering. The basis of this extremely efficient biological ‘materials design’ is the evolution of hierarchical structures covering more than ten orders of magnitude which are well adapted to the requirements at each level of hierarchy. In addition to their fascinating mechanical functions many biological materials and surfaces posses ‘self-x-properties’ (self-organization, self-adaptability, self-healing, self-cleaning.) which allows them to interact very efficiently with their respective environment.
Over the last decade new sophisticated methods for quantitatively analysing and simulating the form-structure-functions-relationship on various hierarchical levels allowed new fascination insights in multi-scale mechanics of biological materials and surfaces. On the other hand, new production methods allow for the first time to transfer the outstanding properties of the biological role models into innovative biomimetic products.
The session deals with new findings as to the multi-scale mechanics and the underlying structural basis on the side of biological materials and structures, as well as with the potential to produce innovative hierarchically structured technical materials and surfaces in the realm of biomimetics. In addition to the presentation of the latest scientific findings from both fields, the session aims to stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration between biologists and engineers in the seminal field of biomimetics.
Co-organized by DFG-SPP 1420, BIONA, BIOKON-international and Competence Network Biomimetics