Biological & Geological Sciences 3019
Biological & Geological Sciences 3012
office: (519) 661-2111 x 81204
lab: (519) 661-2111 x 86772
AFAR: (519) 661-2111 x 84648
I have wide ranging research interests in physiological ecology, and this is reflected in the diversity of lab and field projects attempted (usually successfully) by me, my students and post-docs. Officially, I try to integrate physiology, biochemistry, behaviour, ecology, evolution and conservation biology. Unofficially, my lab group is in a constant state of identity crisis about what we really do. Our work is inherently multi-disciplinary and provides a means to understand how mechanistic processes operate within the larger context of whole organism performance. Physiology, in concert with morphology and behaviour, influences how animals interact with the environment, and understanding its flexibility will help us to predict how species may respond to natural or man-made perturbations.
My current research focuses on the physiology of endurance flight and stopover refueling in migratory birds and bats. We have a wide variety of laboratory and field studies underway using the wind tunnel and other unique capabilities of the Advanced Facility for Avian Research, my mobile Field Laboratory for Integrative Ecological Research (FLIER), and a digital telemetry array that we are installing in Ontario in collaboration with Bird Studies Canada.