Stress
Individual variation in stress responses of animals
Comparative endocrinology, especially avian endocrinology
Conservation endocrinology
Penguin biology
Research theme
The overall goals of my stress research are to understand how individual differences in stress responses are related to the ability of animals to cope with changes in their environment, to develop methods to measure stress in a wide range of biological samples from animals of all vertebrate groups, and to apply knowledge of stress responses and skills in the measurement of stress to practical problems.
The programme of stress research in my laboratory covers field studies of free-living birds including Antarctic penguins, work with birds in captivity, experimental studies of Japanese quail and chickens in the laboratory, and measurements of stress and fearfulness in laying chickens in relation to the welfare of chickens in different housing systems. My endocrine studies have been expanded recently to include stress in amphibians, reptiles and mammals. A feature of the research is the development of methods to measure stress hormones in a wide range of biological samples from diverse species of animals. This range includes plasma and faecal samples from birds, amphibian urine, and blubber from marine mammals.
My research programme generates knowledge of basic mechanisms of stress responses in animals in different situations, and also applies this knowledge to answer practical questions about stress experienced by animals in conservation programmes and in animal production
