Newsletter / Bulletin

Newsletter /Bulletin

March 2006 / Mars 2006

Awards and Achievements

Dr. Jackie Litzgus received $20,000 from the Endangered Species Recovery Fund (launched in 1988 by World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF) and Environment Canada) for two projects on the thermal ecology of the wood turtle and the conservation status of the spotted turtle. This money will help support field research by her three graduate students. Excellent work!

Dr. Frank Mallory and Biology M.Sc. student Rebecca A. Carter have just received a grant of $32,500 from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources for a study entitled "DNA Profiles, Skull Morphology and Body Conformation of the Coyote, Eastern Canadian Wolf and Timber Wolf in Ontario." Congratulations!

Dr. Frank Mallory (Biology) and Dr. Glen S. Brown (MNR-South Porcupine) received a grant of $18,500 from the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, an independent U.S. based forestry organization, to study "Foraging Habits and Diet in Woodland Caribou". Well done!

Dr. Jan van Mourik (Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Universiteit van Amsterdam) presented a seminar entitled "Restoration ecology in the Netherlands" when he visited the Department on March 27. This presentation was cohosted with Dr. Yves Robichaud from the School of Commerce and Administration.

Thesis Defences

Congratulations to the following student who successfully defended her M.Sc. thesis:

Kim A. Hunter - Predator kairomone perception by Daphnia pulex in metal-contaminated water: Steps towards a mechanistic understanding of metal-inhibited chemosensation (March 3, 2006) - Supervisors: Drs. G. Parker and G. Pyle

Seminars

Dr. E.J. Naranjo-Piñera (Mexico) visited the Deparment on March 1 and presented a seminar entitled "Sustainable use and conservation of ungulates in the Maya forest."

On March 10, Julie Desjardins (McMaster U.) presented a seminar entitled "Sexual conflict in a cooperative world." Her supervisor is Dr. Sigal Balshine in the Dept. of Psychology, McMaster University.

Dr. Jonathan Newman (Dept. of Environmental Biology, U. of Guelph) presented a seminar entitled "Diversity and functioning in very small communities: treeholes as laboratories for community ecology" on March 17.

4th-year Biology thesis presentations

On March 24, 4th-year Biology students presented their research in an all-day seminar series that was organized by Dr. David Lesbarrères. A variety of topics made for a most interesting day. Congratulations to all of the 4th-year undergraduates on their excellent presentations!

In order of presentation:

A. Haq - Mitochondrial function and myopathic markers of skeletal muscle myopathy in mice lacking Bpag1 crosslinking protein

T. Kirwan - Characterization of cellular dysfunction pathways in sepsis

L. Pitre - An analysis of the effects of negative functional groups, cyclodextrin inclusion, and pore size on the encapsulation efficiency and in vitro stability of gentamicin in mesoporous silica materials

A. Buckner - The effects of Raf clones on cell death in 293T cells

C. Song - In silico comparison of microbial exportomes

T. Dannell - Ejaculate investment and geographic variation of male gonad mass of Ontario Walleye (Sander vitreus)

C. Flowers - Evaluation of the physiological status of wild Central Mudminnow (Umbra limi) and Fathead Minnow (Pimephalas promelas) populations from the Greater Sudbury area

A. Brassard - A comparison of the gastro-intestinal tract and body mass ratio in mammals of North America

L. Keable - Prevalence and abundance of gastrointestinal parasites in fisher (Martes pennanti) of Ontario, as affected by geographic location, gender and age of the host

J. Luxemburg - Ectoparasite effects on hematocrit levels in Red squirrels

B. Matthews - Variation in yellow perch gill morphology caused by piscivore introduction in Sudbury area lakes

A. Hoogenboom - Fish community assessment of Kelly Lake: a contaminant trap for metal and nutrient-rich water flowing from the City of Greater Sudbury

H. Riddell - Differences in amphibian diversity and variation in individual body condition between urbanized and protected wetland sites in the Sudbury area

C. Demmer & T. Van Kempen - & T. Van Kempen Comparison of turtle species abundance and richness in damaged and recovered lakes in Sudbury, Ontario

B. Crocker - Migration or history: explanations into changes in genetic diversity of Rana temporaria populations in Southern Sweden

F. Bolton - Effect of body condition on the reproductive output of spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata) from South Carolina

A. Charbonneau - Proposed restoration of a northern ontario diamond mine: drought tolerance of cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum)

T. Murphy - Anthocyanin content at senescence as an indicator of leaf decomposition rate in Acer rubrum and Quercus rubra

S. Dobrzeniecka - Genetic variation in Black Spruce populations growing in contaminated areas in the Sudbury region using ISSR markers

Boreal Ecology Seminars (BIOL 6056)

On March 24, visiting Canadian Forest Service Scientists presented seminars to students of the Boreal Ecology Seminars (BIOL 6056) course. The presenters were:

Tim Lynham - It's hard to keep a good pine stand down: fire ecology for red and white

Dean Thompson - Glyphosate herbicide impacts on amphibians, a lesson in applied ecotoxicology

Lisa Venier - Modelling forest bird distribution and dynamics in the boreal forest: application for forest management

Steve Holmes - Logging and forest birds: a stand-level perspective

Conferences and Presentations

4th-year students at the 2006 Ontario Biology Day

The 2006 Ontario Biology Day was a great success for Laurentian Biology students. After a whole year dedicated to a research project in various fields of Biology, the 4th-year students and three of their professors went to the University of Western Ontario in London on March 18 and 19 to present where they presented talks on their research projects. While there were students from many schools in Ontario (McMaster, Wilfrid Laurier, Lakehead, Nipissing, Western, Toronto, York, Brock, Ryerson), Laurentian was 2nd in proportion with 19 out of 110 students. Great job!

Beyond a certain level of stress, this has been perceived as a great experience for the students, as it was the first time that they presented their research to their peers and potential graduate supervisors, and it was a good preparation for their upcoming presentation to the Department on March 24.

Biology Day 2006

Back row: Dr. Lesbarrères, D., Hoogenboom, A., Matthews, B., Murphy, T., Haq, A., Keable, L., Demmer, C., Buckner, A., Van Kempen, T., Dobrzeniecka, S., Flowers, C., Bolton, F.
Front row: Riddell, H., Brassard, A., Charbonneau, A., Crocker, B.
Absent: Dr. Martínez-Garcia, M., Dr. Beckett, P. Dannell, T., Kirwan, T., Luxemburger, J. Pitre, L., Song, C.
(photo: M. Martínez-Garcia)

See you next year when the 2007 Ontario Biology Day will be hosted by McMaster University in Hamilton.

Other News

Dr. Kabwe Nkongolo and Dr. Victor Clulow are part of a Laurentian project team (directed by Dr. K. Nkongolo) that is assisting the Faculty of Agronomy at the University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), in conjunction with Caritas Development Congo, to improve techniques and crop yields in rural areas of that country. This is part of a $1 million, six-year, CIDA-sponsored partnership project that was launched as part of a food security and capacity building initiative. More than 70% of the Congolese population lives with chronic food insecurity. Training is a key factor in alleviating the problem. The new partnership project will fund equipment, training and development activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo over its six-year term. Read more....

Publications

Alarie, Y. and G.L. Challet. 2006. Description of the larva of Prismopes suturalis Sharp (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae, Hydroporinae) with implications for the phylogeny of the Hyphydrini. Aquatic Insects 28: 31-46.

Ryser P. & Sauder W.R. 2006. Effects of heavy-metal-contaminated soil on growth, phenology and biomass turnover of Hieracium piloselloides. Environmental Pollution 140: 52-61.