Project descriptions
Planaria are flatworms found from Arctic to tropical freshwater system, as well as in marine ecosystems. They have several unique and fascinating characteristics. They have a brain, and can learn and memorise. They can regenerate missing body parts when the animal is cut into pieces while not losing their memory of what they have learned. However, we do not know how anthropogenic stressors such as climate change (e.g. heatwaves) or pollutants may affect their behaviours, regeneration, and memory. Contaminant effects can vary between populations, seasons, and other external factors.
The student will combine field sampling and lab experiments to investigate the effects of environmental pollution on planaria behaviour along two river systems in Norway. By comparing planaria responses along and between river systems, we will take a first step in disengaging the context dependence of the contaminant effects, which may be valuable for ecological risk assessment.
As a pollutant, we will use available copper-based biocides since copper competes with the sodium ion channel in the cells. We expect to observe the neurotoxic effects manifested in changes in behaviours and survival. Memory experiments will be developed with the supervisors and conducted in the laboratory. Planaria will be trained to remember the food and how the memory will last after being regenerated under different stressful conditions.
Student(s) will learn how to work with an automatic imaging system, applied statistics, and general toxicology, and gain field skills in beautiful freshwater river systems in Norway. We offer a supportive learning environment, where the student will be part of a larger group working with different invertebrate species in aquatic environments. Hands-on training in the laboratory and the field. A potential visit to our collaborators in France. The possibility of attending a World Congress such as SETAC depends on budget availability.
If you are interested
Please send us a brief description of yourself and your motivation for this project: van.k.dinh@ibv.uio.no and j.d.heuschele@ibv.uio.no, or pass by our office (KBH 4509 – Khuong, or 4513 – Jan).
References
Shomrat, T., & Levin, M. (2013). An automated training paradigm reveals long-term memory in planarians and its persistence through head regeneration. Journal of Experimental Biology, 216(20), 3799-3810. doi:10.1242/jeb.087809
Vila-Farré, M., Rozanski, A., Ivankovi?, M., Cleland, J., Brand, J. N., Thalen, F., Grohme, M. A., von Kannen, S., Grosbusch, A. L., Vu, H. T. K., Prieto, C. E., Carbayo, F., Egger, B., Bleidorn, C., Rasko, J. E. J., & Rink, J. C. (2023). Evolutionary dynamics of whole-body regeneration across planarian flatworms. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 7(12), 2108-2124. doi:10.1038/s41559-023-02221-7
A planarian collected in Skarselva (Photo: Khuong Dinh)
Skarselva