Belgium

Biologging physiological variables in free-living animals is crucial for conservation but presents practical and technological challenges. Implanted biologgers enable long-term data collection but require surgical or post-mortem retrieval. Wireless data transmission enables periodic data collection without explantation. In this study we tested a wireless temperature biologger. Wireless biologgers (mass 10g) were inserted into the rumens of three sheep, where they remained for two weeks. Attempts to download data were made every five days at 1m intervals, from 0 to 5m from the sheep. To compare performance with a validated non-wireless model (mass 2g), a wireless and non-wireless biologger combined in one unit was inserted into the rumen of two sheep and implanted retroperitoneally in two African buffalo. Biologgers were recovered post-slaughter (sheep) or after predation (buffalo). The wireless biologgers in the rumen of sheep downloaded successfully, with 1440 data points downloaded within 10s from up to 2m away. The wireless biologgers were accurate and precise (bias -0.004°C to -0.002°C; SD 0.048°C to 0.090°C), with 99% of paired recordings differing by ≤0.05°C. The limits of agreement between temperature measurement methods ranged from -0.18°C to 0.17°C and were influenced by sudden decreases in temperature associated with drinking, with the larger wireless biologger exhibiting greater thermal inertia and responding more slowly. Both biologgers from predated buffalo were found in the field (using received signal strength indication) despite no carcass recovery, with wireless signals detected up to 45m away. Our study demonstrates the reliability and applicability of wireless biologgers for remote body temperature monitoring.

SEB Conference 2025

No strings attached: Wireless temperature biologgers to improve remote physiological data collection

biologging

conservation physiology

technology

The 27th International Conference on Systems, Signals and Image Processing.

IWSSIP 2020

technical paper

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SEB’s Annual Conference is celebrated for creating the perfect composition of research, new discoveries and collaborative connections. Be creative and innovative by exchanging ideas and knowledge with masters of biology from all over the world.

History dependent muscle properties have been described since the early 1950s1 . History dependent properties refer to residual force depression and residual force enhancement, rFE, observed when an active muscle is shortened or stretched, respectively. Here, I will focus exclusively on rFE.
rFE is typically measured as the increase in isometric force following active stretching of a muscle, compared to the corresponding isometric force not preceded by active stretching. Despite 75 years of research, the mechanisms underlying rFE remain unknown, although some initially proposed mechanisms have been unequivocally rejected. To identify the molecular events responsible for rFE, we have performed experiments ranging from single actin-myosin interactions using laser traps2 , to in-vivo human skeletal muscles activated voluntarily or by electrical nerve stimulation3 .
Summarizing the results of these studies, it appears (i) that rFE is associated with an increase in force of passive structural proteins, (ii) that this increase in passive force is associated with titin, and (iii) that the increase in titin force is associated with an increase in titin stiffness. We speculate that titin stiffness is increased by binding of proximal titin segments to actin, thereby reducing titin’s free spring length, causing an increase in titin force when a muscle is actively stretched. We further speculate that titin-actin binding is regulated by the exposure of attachment sites on actin through the inward movement of tropomyosin upon strong cross-bridge binding.
1 Abbott & Aubert (1952). J Physiol. 117(1),77.
2 Mehta & Herzog (2008). J Biomech, 41(7),1611-1615.
3 Lee & Herzog (2002). J Physiol, 545(1),321-330.

Characterization of Muscle Properties Across Scales: from Single Cross-Bridges to In Vivo Human Skeletal Muscles

Maintenance metabolism, or standard metabolic rate (SMR), is an important metric for understanding the baseline metabolic requirements of animals and is measured on fasted, resting individuals. Ongoing debate surrounds some of the practicalities and interpretations of measuring SMR in juvenile animals, especially fish, as it can be argued that even fasted juvenile animals will maintain some level of metabolic activity associated with “background” growth. Equally, there is little consensus around the role of reproductive maturation in influencing the measurement and interpretation of SMR.
Here, we take three large datasets on Galaxias maculatus, a diadromous fish species with a pelagic oceanic larval phase, to assess differences in SMR in differentially growing individuals as they transition from juveniles to reproductive adults across four acclimation temperature treatments (15, 18, 20, and 23 °C). We predict that if growth and/or the level of reproductive maturation are significant drivers of variability in SMR, there will be positive relationships between mass-standardised SMR and individual growth phenotypes and/or gonadal volume.
Linear regression analyses showed that individual growth phenotypes had negligible influence on the magnitude or variability in SMR, suggesting that SMR measurements of fasted juvenile fish are not detectably impacted by growth. We also found no clear evidence of a positive relationship between SMR and level of reproductive maturation, raising questions around the energetic burden of reproduction on fish. It has been suggested that metabolism, growth and reproductive investment are co-evolved to maximize lifetime fitness, and we encourage further research into the complicated nature of this relationship.

Life History Attributes Influencing Metabolic Variation in an Estuarine Fish

Palaeontologists have long been fascinated with how ancient organisms moved and fed, butit has proved difficult to address these questions in ways that allow specific hypotheses to betested. As a result, endeavours in the field are sometimes dismissed as unscientific ‘just-so’stories. However, the increasing availability of techniques for visualizing and analysingfossils digitally and in three dimensions has provided a framework for testing specifichypotheses in extinct taxa. One such method is computational fluid dynamics (CFD), a toolfor simulating flows of fluids and their interaction with solid surfaces. In this talk, I will presentcase studies of how CFD has been used to test functional hypotheses in fossil taxa,informing on the ecology and evolution of ancient organisms. I will also outline somepossible future directions in palaeontological CFD analyses, such as simulations acrosslarger spatial scales and coupling different physics models. Ultimately, I aim to show howCFD has the potential to form a key part of the palaeontologist’s toolkit for bringing fossils‘back to life’.

Ancient life in moving fluids: using computational fluid dynamics to test functionaland ecological hypotheses in fossil taxa

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that bioaccumulate and cause harmful effects to organisms. Despite their widespread presence, few studies have investigated how environmental factors influence PFAS toxicity. This study assessed the combined effects of warming scenarios and PFAS mixtures on the metabolic and swimming performance of sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus). Fish were exposed to a mixture of PFOS and PFOA (target concentration: 100 ng/mL, consistent with the US EPA’s Aquatic Life Criteria for chronic exposures) under three temperature conditions (24°C, 26°C, and 28.5°C). Metabolic variables (SMR – standard metabolic rate, MMR – maximum metabolic rate, AS – aerobic scope) and critical swimming speed (Ucrit) were measured after 28 days of exposure. Results revealed a significant interaction between temperature and PFAS on AS, with fish exposed to PFAS showing lower AS at 28.5°C compared to those in PFAS-free water. This reduction in AS was attributed to a decrease in MMR at 28.5°C (though not statistically significant), while SMR remained unchanged. Ucrit followed a similar trend to AS and MMR but was not statistically significant. As Ucrit is closely linked to aerobic metabolic performance, these findings suggest that energy-demanding compensatory mechanisms induced by the temperature-PFAS interaction may have been prioritized over swimming effort. Impairments to AS, a proxy for individual fitness, could reduce overall fish performance, potentially affecting growth and reproduction. Overall, this study suggests that PFAS-induced impairments to AS may be exacerbated under future climate scenarios, posing a significant threat to the health of ecosystems.

The heat and the hazard: Combined effects of PFAS and temperature on Sheepshead Minnow performance

Biomineralization is an evolutionary ancient process found in many marine organisms including the sea urchin larva that form a delicate calcium carbonate skeleton. Calcium and carbonate ions are taken up into vesicles via endocytosis of seawater by the calcifying Primary Mesenchyme Cells (PMCs). Here the amorphous precursor is formed and ultimately exocytosed. However, calcium and carbonate ions only make up about 4.70 % and 0.23 % of the seawater ion composition respectively. To promote calcification, the substrates must be concentrated and seawater and its redundant ions e.g. sodium and chloride removed. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.
Using the sea urchin larva, we investigated the role of the Na-K-Cl (NKCC) cotransporter in promoting salt transport in PMCs. Single cell transcriptomic analyses demonstrated this ion transporter to be mainly expressed within these calcifying cells. Using in vivo confocal microscopy in combination with the specific NKCC inhibitor azosemide we investigated its role in the process of spicule formation during early development. Larvae treated with azosemide showed impaired spicule formation and developed strikingly shorter spicules compared to control conditions. Tracking of calcium incorporation using the calcium-binding dye calcein confirmed reduced mineral deposition rates in the presence of azosemide. Gene expression analyses of this transporter revealed an upregulation during recalcification of the larval skeleton.
These findings suggest that the NKCC cotransporter plays a crucial role for calcification and shed light onto novel vesicular mechanisms of mineralization in echinoderms that are important ecosystem engineers in marine habitats.

Vesicular salt transport mechanisms are crucial for calcification in sea urchin larvae

Mungbean (Vigna radiataL.), a valuable sub-tropical grain legume, typically exhibits an extended, asynchronous flowering window, complicating harvest and increasing vulnerability to abiotic stress. To facilitate breeding efforts, we conducted multi-environment trials across four field experiments in Queensland, Australia (2022-2023), evaluating days to flowering (DTF) and the novel trait flowering duration (FD). Extensive phenotypic variation was observed for DTF (35-70 days after sowing) and FD (20-60 days after sowing), with genotype-by-environment interactions influencing both traits, particularly FD. No relationship was evident between DTF and FD across environments. Genome-wide association studies identified eight quantitative trait loci (QTL) for DTF and one for FD, with no overlapping QTL, further demonstrating that these traits are genetically independent. The accumulation of early or late alleles at DTF QTL explained variations in flowering time, providing actionable insights for breeding programs.
To further dissect flowering mechanisms, controlled environment studies under varying photoperiods (short, neutral, and long) assessed how photoperiod influences flowering initiation, duration, and overall behaviour across a diverse panel of breeding germplasm and genebank accessions. These experiments, combined with shoot tip dissection examined shifts in flowering characteristics underpinning resilience and adaptability and the transition from vegetative to reproductive stages in mungbean.
Our integrated field and controlled-environment approach offers novel pathways to improve mungbean for enhanced food security, environmental sustainability, and climate resilience. This foundational understanding of mungbean flowering traits provides a mechanistic basis for developing varieties with synchronised and optimised flowering patterns, crucial for improving adaptation to diverse agricultural environments under climate change.

Time to flowering and flowering duration in mungbean are unrelated physiological traits with independent genetic controls

Genetic variation in photosynthesis suggests opportunities for yield improvement and breeding strategies. When photosynthesis limits yield is still an open question. Photosynthesis has been extensively studied under low-throughput, growth-chamber experiments, but only recently imaging platforms have allowed us to measure photosynthesis continuously, under dynamic environmental conditions. In contrast to agronomic traits such as plant height or projected leaf area, which typically follow well-defined patterns and are directly related to yield, photosynthetic variables exhibit more complex patterns. This complexity presents challenges in longitudinal modelling and linking photosynthesis to yield.
Using the phenotyping platform in NPEC (Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre), we could phenotype the photosynthetic activity of 394 Arabidopsis inbreds every 15 minutes during the daytime (8.00-20.00) over 12 days. The climate chamber is set to a series of dynamic lighting and temperature treatments that mimic natural field conditions. We used smoothing splines to estimate the temporal and genetic trajectories of various photosynthesis variables. Our early results show that dynamic photosynthesis variables changed diurnally with the amplitude varying for different genotypes. Following the smoothing, we extracted curve parameters and used them to predict biomass, our proxy for yield. Overall, this framework will provide an effective approach to leverage temporal photosynthesis variables to predict end-point traits while also understanding the key processes of photosynthesis that may limit biomass or yield.

From light to biomass: using dynamic photosynthesis data to improve biomass predictions

Global warming is predicted to cause an increased incidence in both, summer droughts, and excessive rainfall and flooding events in winter and early spring months. Existing plants can be adapted to survive and produce high yields in these future climates, through the enhancement of existing characteristics responsible for combating drought and excess water presence. This project investigates the genes responsible for regulating key perennial ryegrass (PRG) root architecture traits such as root length, while identifying the genetic loci responsible. A diverse set of PRG genotypes were compared from an initial screen of 200, which possessed varied root phenotypes. Rhizoboxes and RNA sequencing were used to analyse phenotypic and transcriptomic data. Phenotyping methods including 3D structural analysis using CT scanning and photographic analysis using a range of 2D imaging software are being employed. Near-isogenic-lines (NILs) are being developed to select for the activations or suppression of key identified genes, to analyse their effects on PRG root architecture. Future work will identify the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) through whole genome sequencing. This will be used in combination with transcriptomic data to correlate SNPs presence in certain genes to variations in their transcription levels across different PRG genotypes. Correlated SNPs presence and variations in RNA-sequencing data will then be jointly correlated to alterations in PRG root architecture across NILs. Understanding the underpinning gene networks responsible for variations in both abiotic resistance and root architecture will allow for the identification of genetic markers which can be targeted to inform future breeding strategies.

Linking Genome Diversity to Root Architecture and Growth Dynamics in Perennial Ryegrass

The angle at which roots grow is adjusted by gravity and other environmental cues and whether roots grow shallow or deep is extremely important in agriculture as shallow roots allow for better nutrient (P) absorption while deeper roots lead to more drought tolerant plants. Thus tailoring the root system architecture is of great interest in agriculture. Gravity being a key factor in how roots grow raises some interesting questions with regards to growing plants away from earth, a key aim in the recently established Australia Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space. The impact of lateral root angle in agriculture on earth and beyond will be explored in this talk. What will the root system architecture look like in 17% of Earth gravity when growing crops on the moon? How can synthetic biology be used to engineer optimal roots structure for agriculture on earth and beyond? This talk will outline how synthetic gene circuits can be used to engineer plant development and could be used to sense and integrate environmental signals to create a tailored growth change in plant roots.

Understanding and manipulating root system architecture for agriculture on earth and beyond

Captive breeding often results in the production of  animals that exhibit maladaptive phenotypes that result in lower fitness (comapred to their wild congeners) in the context of conservation reintroductions. These maladaptive phenotypes are likely due, in part, to the environmental mismatch (compared to the wild) that occurs during their early ontogeny in captivity. One such potentially environmental mismatch, that may reduce the fitness of captive bred animals for conservation, is the colour of the housing where the animals are reared. We investigated the effects of tank colour on body colour, somatic growth, survival and behaviour in Chinook salmon, which are endangered throughout much of their range. Six different tank colours (that vary in brightness) were used, including grey, red, black, white, blue and green. The body colour was significantly impacted by the brightness of the rearing tanks. We also examined the plasticity of the body colour by experimentally altering the substrate of the rearing tanks halfways through the experiment. The results of the study will be discussed in light of conservation captive breeding efforts for fishes around the globe.

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