Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill as a Case Study for Interdisciplinary Cooperation within Developmental Biology, Environmental Sciences and Physiology

Abstract

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the USA's Gulf of Mexico created a high degree of exposure of marine organisms to toxic polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in crude oil. To determine the ecological and physiological effects of crude oil on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative created several research consortia to address overreaching questions concerning the biological impacts of the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico that would otherwise be beyond the capabilities of an individual investigator or a small group. One of these consortia, highlighted in this article, is the RECOVER Consortium, which brings together physiologists, developmental biologists, toxicologists and other life scientists to focus on the multifaceted physiological effects of PAHs, especially as they pertain to cardiovascular and metabolic physiology of economically important fish species. Using the Recover Consortium's interdisciplinary approach to revealing the biological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill as a case study, we make the argument for interdisciplinary teams that bring together scientists with different specialties as an efficient way-and perhaps the only way-to unravel highly complex biological effects of marine oil spills.

Mahi‐mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) life development: morphological, physiological, behavioral and molecular phenotypes

“…Indeed, during the last few decades, mahi has become an emergent model for examining population genetics, developmental physiology, metabolic responses, nutritional physiology, egg and larval performance over time, and climate change effects . Mahi have also been studied extensively regarding the impact of environmental toxicants . The emergence of this model fish has been accelerated by the need to develop more sophisticated scientific approaches for understanding the impact of environmental stressors, especially the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill in 2010.…”

“…15,16 Mahi have also been studied extensively regarding the impact of environmental toxicants. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] The emergence of this model fish has been accelerated by the need to develop more sophisticated scientific approaches for understanding the impact of environmental stressors, especially the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill in 2010. Immediate mortality or fitness declines have been shown in fin fish populations as a result of pollution exposure (see numerous chapters in Burggren and Dubansky 31 ).…”

Biomarkers of Aryl-hydrocarbon Receptor Activity in Gulf Killifish (Fundulus grandis) From Northern Gulf of Mexico Marshes Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

“…Although many physiological effects have been reported for individual fish exposed to DHOS oil (Burggren et al 2015; Dubansky et al 2013; Whitehead et al 2012), reports highlight a disconnect between individual and population level effects of oil spills (Able et al 2015; Dubansky et al 2014; Fodrie et al 2014a). This conflicting information can be partially explained by the common belief that fish will avoid oil, although this is not likely the case with all species.…”

Angiogenesis in the Avian Embryo Chorioallantoic Membrane: A Perspective on Research Trends and a Case Study on Toxicant Vascular Effects

“…As outlined above, the avian CAM has been used to assess the impact on angiogenesis of a wide variety of toxicants, angiogenic agonists, and antagonists, as well as environmental challenges such as hypoxia. In the last decade, interest has grown in the biological effects of crude oil and its derivatives on developmental processes, likely related to fairly recent major oil spills such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 [102,103]. Studies have been conducted on the general effects of oil on the avian embryo and its circulation; for example, see [104][105][106][107].…”