Susana Garcia Dominguez

#scicommUU24 6/6 Although most of the experimental work is done, much labwork, analyses and writing is still left to do. This coming year will be busy, and I can’t wait to share all the results with you once they are ready!

#scicommUU24 5/6 Urban birds and bumblebees are constantly exposed to traffic-related pollution, yet we know very little about how this type of pollution deposits in these organisms and affects their health. And that’s the reason why I am doing my PhD research 😊

#scicommUU24 4/6 Why is this important? Outdoor air pollution has been classified as carcinogenic for humans and contributes to millions of human deaths every year. Cities are major hotspots for traffic-generated air pollutants, and we are not the only ones living there!

#scicommUU24 3/6 In the lab, I assess the direct links between pollution exposure and the effect on the individual. In the field, I explore whether there are correlations between air pollution levels and fitness measures. Both approaches are necessary and complement each other!

#scicommUU24 2/6 To assess such toxicity, I look at physiological indicators and the levels of expression of certain genes. I also use both lab and field-based approaches and work in an interdisciplinary environment with aerosol physicists.

#scicommUU24 1/6 What is my PhD about? My PhD research aims to delve deeper into the effects of air pollution on birds and insects. Specifically, I investigate how toxic common air pollutants in the city can be to a few passerine species and bumblebees.

6/6 #BOU2024 #Sesh1 Therefore, this is NOT the end of the story. Despite the lack of a positive relationship between Hb and the pollutants PM2.5 and NO2, we also have data that needs to be extracted from another air pollutant, PM10! So…stay tuned for any updates on this study!

5/6 #BOU2024 #Sesh1 Visually, higher Hb levels seem to be connected to lower NO2 levels, but too little data is currently available to confirm this spotted pattern in the exploratory graphs. We still need to delve into a larger dataset, for which this data is only part of.

1/6 #BOU2024 #Sesh1 As urbanization increases worldwide, so does the exposure of urban wildlife to air pollutants. Physiological biomarkers are increasingly utilized to assess how individuals cope with living in urbanized environments.

@Selasphorus1 Thank you! Not yet, in prep status!

@suus_gd Cool stuff! Is any of this published yet?

1/6 #BOU2023 #Sesh3 My talk is about the physiological effects of #airpollution, specifically #soot, on the #zebrafinch. Air pollution causes ¨~4.2 million premature human deaths every year (WHO, 2022). However, does soot affect birds the same way as us humans? Let’s find out!

6/6 #BOU2023 #Sesh3 To wrap this up, the end goal of my #PhD #research is to understand how soot affects the physiology of birds, so we can establish robust biomarkers for monitoring the health of avian wildlife in cities. Thank you for following this peak into my talk!

5/6 #BOU2023 #Sesh3 BUT this is not the full story of this experiment! Future analyses will complement these findings by looking into other antioxidants, genetic damage and gene expression triggered by soot, as well as particle retention in the lungs in our zebra finches.

3/6 #BOU2023 #Sesh3We assessed how pure/uncoated soot and coated soot affected zebra finches in a controlled environment. Each group was exposed to either uncoated soot, coated soot, or fresh air for 5 days, and samples were taken before, right after, or 2 months after exposure.

2/6 #BOU2023 #Sesh3 Soot refers to airborne carbon nanoparticles produced by e.g. diesel combustion. They can damage biomolecules & can be coated with other toxic particles. #Birds may be more sensitive to soot because of their efficient respiratory system & fast metabolic rate.