Comparative Physiology of Ion, Acid base and Solute Transport
My basic NSERC Discovery funded research program involves understanding the fundamental aspects of how animals move solutes including (primarily Na+ and Cl-), acid-base equivalents (H+, HCO3- and NH4+) and nutrients (glucose, fatty acid) across their membranes. The overall goal is to investigate the evolutionary relationships between early-diverging (but extant) vertebrates by comparing how animals are able to regulate ion and solute transport in changing environmental conditions. We use a combination of whole animal experimentation, cell physiology and molecular biology approaches to investigate these processes. Research animals include both freshwater (trout and zebrafish) and marine (hagfish, dogfish shark and ratfish) species. A significant amount of research also takes places each summer at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre.