Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/C511856/1
Neuronal mechanisms underlying home-stream location by Atlantic Salmon.
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor M Shipston, University of Edinburgh, Biomedical Sciences
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr N Macleod, University of Edinburgh, Biomedical Sciences
- Grant held at:
- University of Edinburgh, Biomedical Sciences
- Science Area:
- Freshwater
- Overall Classification:
- Freshwater
- ENRIs:
- Pollution and Waste
- Natural Resource Management
- Biodiversity
- Science Topics:
- Water Quality
- Ecotoxicology
- Environmental Physiology
- Behavioural Ecology
- Abstract:
- The sense of smell of fish is exquisitely sensitive and precise with the ability to detect and identify hundreds of chemicals in minute concentrations. It is clear that migratory salmon use their sense of smell to help them find their way back to their natal streams since fish with this sense impaired bilaterally are unable to perform this feat. However, it is unknown what particular smells the homing fish are attracted to, nor how their nervous systems detect, analyse and process this information. It may be chemicals released into the water by closely related fish (kin), particular chemicals or groups of chemicals common to the particular river catchment or perhaps a combination of all the chemicals found in the river acting together. One favourite idea, suggested by Hasler and colleagues in the 50s and supported by many independent lines of evidence is that under the influence of environmental factors such as day length and water temperature and the increased levels of thyroid hormone when salmon parr transform into smolts to prepare themselves for their seaward migration. their olfactory systems become temporarily highly sensitive and form or imprint, unconditional memories of the smells present in the river This proposal will attempt to establish whether returning salmon are attracted to their kin or to the general chemistry of their own home streams by electronically tagging many premigratory smolts from one tributary of a highland river system and releasing them into either their natal stream or an adjacent tributary of the same river system, then monitoring their return as adults, including making physiological recordings from selected fish. We will also establish populations of hatchery reared fish imprinted to either chemically or fish conditioned water and assess their preferences for these odours using a laboratory Y-maze. These fish will then be used for physiological recording experiments in which we will attempt to establish any differences in the sensitivity of the neuronal responses in imprinted and non-imprinted fish.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/C511856/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Standard Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Standard Grant
This grant award has a total value of £322,727
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Staff | Total - T&S | Total - Other Costs | Total - Indirect Costs | Total - Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £150,505 | £9,892 | £48,776 | £69,232 | £44,323 |
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