Re: [Killietalk] Research projects

[Jeremy Adams <frogfood at mac_com>]

I like the idea of sex determination through environmental factors. I  
can see how this might take extra time, but I could also see how this  
could be an ongoing research projects for other students to pick up  
the following year.

I have also thought about having them test how several different  
environmental factors effect egg production.

The research doesn't necessarily have to e ground breaking or even  
new as the experience is the most valuable part. They do have the  
opportunity to submit their research to a national competition.

Next year will be my first year working with these students. I hope  
to work out as many issues as possible before hand.

Thanks for the input,
Jeremy



On May 6, 2008, at 7:17 PM, Bill Martin wrote:

> Hi Jeremy,
> At 10:36 AM 5/6/2008 , you wrote:
>>
>> I was hoping to get a few ideas on some research projects that I
>> could have some of my students work on at the high school level.
>> These would be juniors and seniors and they would have 6 to 8 months
>> to start and complete their projects. This is an open topic
>> scientific research class, where most students lean towards physics
>> or chemistry. I would like to boost the biology side of things, and I
>> think killifish would be a great model specimen. I am trying to think
>
>> of a few possible ideas that I could use to help get them started,
>> then let them run with it.
>
> I have lot?s of ideas for research projects for fish.  Not many can  
> be done
> with killifish and some involve physiology, some genetics and quite  
> a few
> on fish behavior.  Some would involve little more than effort while  
> others
> in the right hands could win money for college.  My feeble attempt at
> influencing the sex of swordtails before they were born with methyl
> testosterone was enough to get me into the semifinals of the  
> Westinghouse
> (now Intel) Science Talent Search and paid for a substantial  
> portion of
> four years of college.  Years later some very similar research  
> succeeded in
> producing 100% males that were fertile and led to the rewriting of the
> genetics of sex determination especially swordtails and platies.
>
> The idea for killifish is similar to the one already mentioned.   
> But trying
> to influence sex through pH, temperature or another environmental  
> factor
> will probably involve too much time and work.  I once lost all my male
> gularus and was left with four females that all had previously  
> spawned for
> me.  I kept them in the same tank and after six weeks, one started  
> to morph
> into a male and actually spawned with the others.  Using methyl
> testosterone, try to induce sex reversal in female killifish that had
> previously produced eggs.  You can be sure that you will get some  
> visible
> effects but the real test is breeding the treated females back to  
> untreated
> females and looking for fertile eggs.  You can extend it to  
> investigating
> the sex ratio of any fry you get.
>
> I suspect that within several months you would succeed in producing  
> fry and
> in six months get a 50/50 sex ratio fathered by a fish that at one  
> time
> produced eggs.
>
> Email me if you want more ideas regarding angel fish genetics,  
> territorial
> behavior or inter species reactions.
>
> Bill Martin
>
>
>
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