Exercise or swimming is an essential daily activity among aquatic organisms particularly on foods searching, seasonal migration, seasonal reproduction, predator-prey obviation and pollutants avoidance
osmoregulation
Identification and characterisation of urea transporters in the gills of the spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias.
Elasmobranchs possess a unique system for osmoregulation. They are slightly hyperosmotic compared to their environment due to high levels of urea and trimethylamino oxide in their body. Therefore, they absorb water continuously by osmosis and do not have to drink.
Comparative acclimatisation and adaptation physiology of fish exposed to environmental stress
Within this research topic we study the capacity of aquatic organisms to adjust to different environmental conditions (salinity, pH, hypoxia, T°), including pollution. Special attention is paid to the energetic cost of acclimatisation processes and its effect on the overall fitness of the organism involved. These studies can go in depth within one species, but an important part of the research is of comparative nature. We are also interested in the relative importance of physiological acclimatisation and genetic adaptation on the environmental fitness of aquatic organisms, and study effects of habitat fragmentation on population characteristics and physiological fitness of organisms.
