Energetics

Avian Migration and Moult: The Annual Cycle

My research in avian migration and moult is focused on the energetic costs of specific events within the annual cycle, and how birds can be such endurance athletes.

In particular, how animals prepare their bodies for energetically demanding events such as migration, and what mechanisms animals can deploy to recover from such events. My interest in this topic began with my PhD 10 years ago, with Prof Pat Butler and Dr Jon Green (see ‘People’) and we’re still working through data from wild barnacle geese, and eider ducks.

Biomechanics of Weird Things

I’m interested in the freaks of the animal kingdom, particularly animals that have slightly strange ways of getting about or getting their food. Current work is focusing on mole rats , secretary birds and walking fish (see collaborators in the ‘people’ tab).

Aggression Physiology in Fish

Air breathing fish like Siamese fighting fish have a trade off between keeping up aggressive displays to other males while maintaining enough O2 stores. This increased energetic requirement during display necessitates more trips to the surface, which puts individuals at risk from surface-based predation and attack from behind. My research interests here (with Dr Craig White, below) are how Siamese’s manage their O2 levels during male-male interactions.

School of Biological Sciences, Bourne Laboratories,
Royal Holloway, University of London,
Egham, Surrey, Tw20 0EX, UK
Email: Steve.Portugalatrhul.ac.uk