The Role of Stress in Natural Populations

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The objective of my research program is to understand the role that stress plays in nature, both in terms of individual effects and of population consequences. The stress axis is one of the key physiological systems that mediates the relationship of an organism with its environment, acting both on a daily basis to affect physiology and behavior and in response to acute and chronic environmental stressors (either biotic or abiotic). The axis and related components are central to long-term evolutionary adaptations to particular ecological challenges. Thus, the axis is a key part of the neuroendocrine pathway that integrates these challenges while at the same time playing a critical role in life history decisions to reproduce, to grow, and to allocate energy into storage. My lab uses the tools of endocrinology, animal physiology and metabolism, epigenetics, population ecology, and behavioral manipulations to study the stress axis. Our primary research models are wild mammals throughout Canada. Our goals over the next five years focus on three main areas: