News

The microplate respirometry system just outside of Palmer Station, Antarctica.

Antarctica - In a bid to better understand how insects can adapt to extreme environments, a team of researchers has been studying the Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica. The team, led by Nicholas Teets (Associate Professor, University of Kentucky), includes Jack Devlin (PhD Student, University of Kentucky), Cleverson de Sousa Lima (PhD Student, University of Kentucky), Yuta Kawarasaki (Associate Professor, Gustavus Adolophus College), JD Gantz (Assistant Professor, Hendrix College), and Vitror Pavinato, (Postdoctoral Associate, Ohio State University) is looking into the molecular and physiological processes mechanisms that underlie the insect's extreme stress tolerance and how it can survive in the harsh Antarctic conditions.

As part of their research, the team recently completed a field season in Antarctica cruising around the Antarctic Peninsula, where they collected terrestrial insects from various islands and conducted physiological experiments on the research vessel and station. One of the team's primary interests was how these insects manage to cope with the energetic challenges of stress.

Cleverson Lima using the microplate respirometry system with the MicroResp™ software. The microplate glass plate is placed inside an acrylic water bath (near Cleverson’s left hand), and a recirculating bath provides 10 °C water to run through the water bath to maintain a stable temperature.

Using the microplate respirometry system from Loligo® Systems, the team was able to measure real-time oxygen consumption rates in individual, terrestrial midge larvae following various environmental stresses – data that the team did not have the capacity to obtain in their past projects. Their new tool, the microplate respirometry system, thus allowed the researchers to measure metabolic rates in real-time, providing crucial data on how the insects are affected by different stressors.

MicroResp™ v1.1, the software that comes with the microplate system, supports real-time and time stamped MO₂ calculations for air/gas as well as in water measurements.

One team member, Jack Devlin, was interested in the potential impact of microplastics contamination in Antarctica. Also using the microplate respirometry system, he studied whether exposure to microplastics caused any changes in metabolic rates. These research findings could prove vital in understanding the potential effects of microplastic pollution on the continent's delicate ecosystem.

MicroResp™ data example created by Jack Devlin of MO₂ and Oxygen vs Time data graphs for each individual glass plate well containing Antarctic, terrestrial midge larvae. Blacks are blanks, grey is control group, and blue are insects exposed to a high concentration of microplastics. The humidity level was maintained by adding a piece of moist filter paper to each well.

The team is also comparing the stress tolerance and genome of Belgica antarctica to several close relatives to identify the key mechanisms that allow this insect to thrive in Antarctica. The study could provide a better understanding of how insects adapt to extreme environments and offer insights into the resilience of species in the face of changing environments.

If you are interested in learning more about this project or its team, you are welcome to contact Nicholas Teets (n.teets@uky.edu) or visit his website: Insect Stress Biology - Home (teetslab.com)

Loligo® Systems is thrilled to announce that our treadmill swim tunnel is being utilized at University of Chicago’s MBL (Marine Biological Laboratory) by Professor Neil Shubin of the University of Chicago, and Dr. Valentina Di Santo from Stockholm.

The treadmill allows Shubin and Di Santo to create controlled flow conditions, simulating a wide range of water velocities, while separately controlling a motorized, transparent belt underneath the fish. Their research aims to provide critical insights into how fish adapt, move, and interact with their environment, contributing to the understanding of ecology, evolution, and conservation.

Want to know more about how Shubin and Di Santo are using our treadmill swim tunnel? Dive into the full story at Welcome to the Fish Gym - Shubin Di Santo Lab.

AutoResp™ v3 is here. Learn more about this major upgrade by watching this short video:

New features in AutoResp™ v3 are:

• High Throughput – up to 20 resting chambers or 10 swim tunnels
• NEW hardware for either LAN/Ethernet (cabled) or Bluetooth (wireless) PC communication
• NEW Analysis Outputs with Aerobic Scope, Cost of Transport, EPOC, Maximum Metabolic Rate, etc.
• NEW Allometric Scaling Function
• NEW Temperature Normalization Function
• Independent control of chamber pumps for increased throughput when working with multiple chambers
• Multiple respirometry modes, e.g., time, min/max O₂ levels, min R².
• Re-designed user interface with animated setups and guides
• Comprehensive analysis dashboard with across experiments, treatments, and blanks statistics
• Windows 11 compatible

Learn more about AutoResp™ v3.

The latest version of LoliTrack 5 has been released. Version 5.2.0 contains several new features, improvements, and some bug fixes.

IMPORTANT - Loligo® license dongle. LoliTrack 5.2.0 requires a Loligo® USB license dongle. Without the dongle, LoliTrack 5.2.0 will only run in demo mode (i.e., no data export). Previous turquoise Wibu dongles will not unlock LoliTrack 5.2.0. Contact us if you need a Loligo® dongle.

The frequency analyzer. A frequency analyzer allows you to calculate frequencies from video recordings. This is a helpful tool for automated measurements of heart rate, tail beat, ventilation, and other types of frequencies. The Frequency analyzer also allows for volume calculations, which enables you to estimate stroke volume, pumping volume, etc.:

You will find the Frequency analyzer in the main menu.

Another way to utilize the frequency analyzer is in the Analysis tab in Tracking 2D. This tool is especially useful for tail beat frequency analysis. Under the Bend graph, you will find the analyzer in the lower right corner:

Batch processing. You now have the option of batch tracking multiple videos in 2D. This is especially useful if you have multiple videos recorded in the same setup. Simply, track your first video like you normally would, and then apply the same settings to multiple videos. The batch processing window will tell you how much time is left:

Custom object color. To help discriminate between similar looking organisms (e.g., zebrafish) you can now specify the exact color of each tracked object and label it. Click the color box to customize the color according to your liking. The selected color will be reflected on the video preview:

Other features

• LoliTrack 5 now supports more camera models for video recording.
• You can now save arena and treatment setups.
• “Convex hull” area estimation is now a data parameter that can be exported for object in 2D tracking.
• You can now change the thickness of rendered trajectories in 3D.
• You can now choose from three different spine tracking options in the Tracking tab in Tracking 2D.
• Added distortion correction for when videos are distorted, e.g., for wide-angle videos.

Improvements

• Overall speed improvement of tracking and analysis
• Improved performance of the video recorder
• Improved filter options and speed with integration of filter tools from ShuttleSoft 3.

Bug fixes

• Fixed bug which prevented image export in 2D.
• Fixed a bug where exporting videos may take up a lot of memory and crash.
• Fixed a bug where video could not be exported as .avi

RespFest is a conference focused on respirometry. The aim of the meeting is to discuss the latest advances, the difficulties encountered, and optimization of methodologies in model organisms to learn more about this aspect of physiology. RespFest 2023 is free of charge, but requires registration which can be done here:

Création d'un compte (univ-lr.fr)

The 2023 meeting takes place in the Coutant amphitheatre of La Rochelle aquarium in the city of La Rochelle, France, from the 2^nd to 3^rd of May.

More information about the program: RespFest - Respirometry for physiologically oriented questions (univ-lr.fr)

More information about the social events: RespFest - Respirometry for physiologically oriented questions (univ-lr.fr)

Natalie Pilakouta, Shaun Killen, Kevin Parsons, and their collaborators used our shuttle box system with the ID 400 mm shuttle tank to study whether exposure to different thermal environments has led to changes in preferred temperatures in the wild in populations of freshwater three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Their findings suggest that stickleback from warm and cold natural habitats both prefer the same temperature of 13 ^oC.

Boxplot graph on picture is copied from the paper.

Full article:

Geothermal stickleback populations prefer cool water despite multigenerational exposure to a warm environment

Natalie Pilakouta, Shaun S. Killen, Bjarni K. Kristjánsson, Skúli Skúlason, Jan Lindström, Neil B. Metcalfe, Kevin J. Parsons (2023)

Ecology and Evolution

Link to article

The 5th Nothobranchius Symposium 2023 is a biennial meeting that serves as a platform for researchers with an interest in all aspects of Nothobranchius biology from biomedical to ecological research to meet and discuss ideas.

We are sponsoring the symposium which takes place in Leuven, 1-2 June, 2023, in order to support this interesting scientific community.

Twitter hashtag: #Notho2023

For more info about the meeting, please visit: https://notho-2023.be/

If you are a regular visitor on our website, you may have noticed some changes. In other words, we are excited to announce that our new website is now online!

Our website has got a complete makeover compared to the previous, and now 5 years old, website, and we have introduced some needed functionality. You now have easier access from the homepage to our large resource library with quick guides, video tutorials, FAQs and more as well as a quick overview of the latest published papers. On the product pages, you will also find that features, specifications, resources are now easier to find. Simply click the side-menu to switch between the content pages for each product:

Important information like Product #, Customs tariff #, and Shipping weight is now more visible:

A new search functionality has been added, so that you can search all the content on our website directly from the search bar in the top menu. It is now easier than ever to find that specific quick guide, published paper, or software download page.

We will also gradually introduce 3D viewing capabilities for product showcasing and as resources for system setup.

We hope you enjoy our new website as much as we do!

The Europhysiology 2022 meeting begins tomorrow! We are thrilled to be sponsoring this exciting meeting, which takes place in Copenhagen from the 16^th-18^th of September.

We will be showcasing our latest products in booth #18!