Molecular effects of environmental pollution in wild-caught mosquitofish

Using an interdisciplinary
approach, the project aims to assess the effects of
PFAS on wildlife, focusing on a small freshwater fish,
the mosquitofish, as a model. The project combines
field and laboratory approaches to elucidate the
effects of high levels of PFAS on wild animals by
comparing populations inhabiting sites with high and
low levels of PFAS in the Veneto region. The project
will identify the effects of PFAS on the activity of key
antioxidant enzymes, the level of sexual hormones,
and the transcriptional profiles in target tissues. Lifehistory, behavioural, and reproductive traits will be
also investigated. Overall, the project will provide a
comprehensive understanding of the effects of PFAS
chronic exposure, unraveling PFAS phenotypic
effects and their molecular mechanisms, and finally
providing glimpses into how to cope with such
pollutants.