Measuring Hypoxia Induced Endocrine Disruption Biomarkers in the Fathead Minnow

By assessing gene expression intensities in hypoxia exposed fish, the physiological and cellular responses to this common environmental stressor may be developed. These biomarkers can be used to monitor site-specific stresses without tedious and expensive environmental monitoring programs. Further, Gene expression is only caused by stress that the animals receive, while environmental monitoring may not account for changes in fish behavior, fish movement, or other co-factors that attenuate responses. These studies will further the understanding of the role of dissolved oxygen in the physiology and the environment of aquatic fish. The overall goal is to generate biological indicators (biomarkers) to predict hypoxia stress in an aquatic ecosystem using the fathead minnow as the model organism