Gary Burness
Associate Professor
Research interests:
Ecological and evolutionary physiology
Animal energetics
Metabolism
My research is at the interface of physiology, ecology and evolution. I use a combination of field-work and laboratory studies to understand how energetic trade-offs influence reproductive fitness. I am particularly interested in the links among an animal’s metabolic rate, life-history strategy, and response to environmental stress.
Teaching
BIOL 3830H: Animal Physiology I
BIOL 2600 Evolution
Selected publications
Berzins, L.L., Gilchrist, H.G., Matson, K.D., & G. Burness. (2011).
Increased incubation effort sex-specifically impacts immunity in a
long-lived seabird, the black guillemot. Physiol. Biochem. Zool. 84:
222-229
Burness, G., Armstrong, C., Fee, T. and E. Tilman-Schindel. (2010). Is
there an energetic-based trade-off between thermoregulation and the
acute phase response in zebra finches? J. Exp. Biol. 213: 1386-1394.
Chin, E.H. , Love, O.P., Verspoor, J.J., Williams, T.D., Rowley, K. &
G.
Burness. (2009). Juveniles exposed to embryonic corticosterone have enhanced
flight performance. Proc. R. Soc. B. 276: 499-505.
Berzins, L.L., E. Tilman-Schindel & G. Burness. (2008). Sex-specific effects
of handling time on an index of immune function in zebra finches. Physiol.
Biochem. Zool. 81: 383-387.
Farwell, M., M.G. Fox, C.D. Moyes & G. Burness. (2007). Can hypoxia
tolerance explain differences in habitat distribution of two co-occurring
north temperate sunfishes? Environ. Biol. Fish.78: 83-90
Information for prospective students:
I am always excited to discuss graduate opportunities in my lab with highly motivated students. Because the field of evolutionary physiology is by nature inter-disciplinary, I welcome any inquiries from students with backgrounds in physiology, molecular biology, ecology and/or evolutionary biology. Under my guidance, students develop their own research projects within the general framework of animal energetics, and incorporate both field and lab work, whenever possible. For more details about research in the lab, please visit our lab web page (www.trentu.ca/faculty/burness).
