Research Projects

Animals utilise olfaction to discover their environment. Acute olfaction is necessary for rapid environmental adaptation. The olfactory system can detect and differentiate odorant molecules. Olfactory receptor cells sense odorants by attaching receptor protein to their surface. Temperature, for example, affects gaseous chemical concentrations and biological activity, which affect olfaction. Heat and cold stress have harmed fish sensory systems, impacting their biology. Heat lowers olfactory sensitivity owing to increased volatiles in the air. The effect is reversed under cold circumstances. Changes in wild populations and laboratory animals like zebra fish are visible. Temperature changes can influence scent perception. Olfactory responses may be affected by lipid breakdown surrounding receptor proteins in membranes. Olfactory cells become more fluid at high temperatures, altering responses (Riveron et al., 2009). In this experiment, the fish's ability to distinguish fragrance molecules should be tested. The olfactory receptor neuronal cell patterns, quantity, and orientation in wild and laboratory raised zebra fish will be studied. This study will reveal the major and minor changes in the olfactory organ ultrastructure in both scenarios. This may be used to assess a fish's ability to adapt to a changing environment. Heat and cold stress have harmed fish sensory systems, impacting their biology. These variations in wild fish populations can assist build conservation strategies against temperature shifts. Since temperature-dependent chemosensory reception generally regulates wild fish breeding, it is possible to outline crypt cell behaviour during spawning. The discovery of a molecular signalling mechanism might help fish and other vertebrates adapt to changing water temperatures.