Human impacts on sperm in the sea
This is a suggestion for a Degree Project for Bachelor's and Master's levels at the Department of Marine Sciences. Degree projects at the Department of Marine Sciences are done independently and must be written and assessed individually.
Subject: Marine Biology
Suitable level and length: Bachelor (15 hp)
Suitable time period: Project can be performed winter or spring
Location: Tjärnö
Main supervisor: Becky Cramer
Background
Climate change and chemical pollution are two ways that humans are substantially impacting ecosystems. Among many other impacts of these anthropogenic phenomena, evidence is beginning to show that heat (e.g., extreme heat due to climate change) and some chemical pollutants can directly impact sperm production and sperm form.
Reduced sperm production and/or abnormal sperm form are likely to be detrimental for reproduction. However, there is substantial variation in the effects of heat and pollutants across species, and for the vast majority of species, including the marine periwinkle Littorina saxatilis, no information is available.
Project description
In this project, you will experimentally test whether extreme heat or plastic leachate impacts sperm production or quality in L. saxatilis.
Problem
To test whether climate change or chemical pollutants impact male reproductive characters in Littorina saxatilis.
Methods
You will experimentally expose periwinkles to relatively extreme heat, or to plastic leachate in the water. After the exposure period, you will dissect periwinkles to examine testis size, the condition of the seminal vesicle, and to collect sperm for evaluating morphological abnormality.
Skills learned
- Microdissection with dissecting scope
- Microscopy
- Taking quantitative measurements from images
- Evaluating sperm morphological normality
- Statistical analysis and random-effects design
- Visualizing patterns in data
Contact
Becky Cramer
Email: becky.cramer@gu.se
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