Dr. Glenn Tattersall

It’s spotted salamander month in the @jexpbiol.bsky.social calendar!

Taxonomic chauvinism Research in ecology and behaviour is dominated by studies on birds and mammals, and scientists who work on less ‘popular’ organisms (such as amphibian…

pretty much anybody working with amphibs & reptiles is used to this reason for rejection, desperately hoping their study animal can grow wings or fur. :)

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Exaggeration Through Sexual Selection May Impact the Thermal Biology of Arthropods Synopsis. Sexual selection is often invoked to explain the evolution of extravagant morphologies, such as antlers and horns. While the focus is typically o

🚨 New paper in ICB! 🚨

We demonstrate that sexually selected traits like horns and claws aren’t just about mating success: these structures can also shape thermal biology. 🦀🪲🌡️

doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

@tattersallg.bsky.social @avpalaoro.bsky.social @sicbjournals.bsky.social

Supercool Survival Strategies of Blue-Spotted Salamanders In the cold, temperate forests, long before spring fully arrives, blue-spotted salamanders (Ambystoma laterale) are already on the move. These small amphibians begin migrating to their breeding ponds while snow still blankets the ground and ice lingers on and in the soil. This is a risky strategy for a species that can’t survive freezing. Our recent Natural History note…

Supercool Survival Strategies of Blue-Spotted Salamanders

In the cold, temperate forests, long before spring fully arrives, blue-spotted salamanders (Ambystoma laterale) are already on the move. These small amphibians begin migrating to their breeding ponds while snow still blankets the ground and…

Well deserved! I am so happy to share this news about @giacometti.bsky.social's PDF success.

Anyone looking for an MSc student with interests in ecology, physiology, and evolutionary biology (with possible focus on vertebrates) and extensive experience with husbandry, care, and management of large mammals, animal health and welfare? Let me know, I can connect to start a conversation.

15 so far (people who have declined to review a manuscript submitted 10 days ago).

Social card featuring bird for the Canadian Journal of Zoology Call for Applications: Early Career Researcher Associate Editor.

📢 Now #hiring: @canjzoology.bsky.social is recruiting an #ECR Associate Editor! This is a great volunteer opportunity for a postdoc or early-career faculty member to gain editorial experience and build connections!

▶️ buff.ly/hpVApYd

#AcademicSky #SciComm 🧪 #AcWri #PHDSky #ScholComms

Shots of the winners holding their certificates in front of the journal of thermal biology banner

Congrats to the #ASABSpring2025 student winners:

Talks: Justin Tsz Hin Lo, Francesca Angiolani-Larrea and Gabriel Melhado

Posters: @madelinedavis.bsky.social,
Kirstin Gaffney and Jakob Wiil

Flash talks: Jillian Hendricks and Helana Norman

Prizes generously donated by @jthermbiol.bsky.social 🥰

Another paper spotlight for spring migration! Check out this 2020 study where researchers examine energy saving strategies used by migratory songbirds 🐦 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Temperature fluctuations are all around us as we watch the seasons change. Explore how temperature changes impact migration strategies in Chinook salmon in our latest migration spotlight paper 🐟☀️🌊

Check out our recent publication where Lucchini et al. demonstrate the interspecific differences in metabolic rate and evaporative water loss in the Vipera genus. 🐍❄️🔅
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Please follow @thermal-biology.bsky.social on Blue Sky thanks to our social media crew!

1/27 We have a new paper out! Turns out that snowflake yeast have been hiding a secret from us - they've evolved a (very!) crude circulatory system. Not with blood vessels or a heart, but through spontaneous fluid flows powered by their metabolism. 🧪🔬

www.science.org/doi/full/10....

Shape-Shifting Shorebirds: How Wing Length Is Responding to a Warming World We’re excited to share the publication of a new paper in Ecography, led by PhD candidate Sara Ryding (Deakin University, collaboration with Matt Symonds Lab), which explores how climate change may be reshaping the morphology of migratory shorebirds. Using an incredibly extensive dataset of nearly 19,000 juvenile birds across 11 species sampled over 43 years, Sara investigated whether warming temperatures are causing changes in relative wing length, a trait thought to play a role in thermoregulation.

Shape-Shifting Shorebirds: How Wing Length Is Responding to a Warming World

We’re excited to share the publication of a new paper in Ecography, led by PhD candidate Sara Ryding (Deakin University, collaboration with Matt Symonds Lab), which explores how climate change may be reshaping the…

A cartoon depicting two spotted salamanders facing each other in the forest at night. The salamanders are surrounded by trees and standing on dead leaves on the forest floor with a log in the middle of the midground. The salamander on the left says, 'What a nice night it is.' The salamander on the right replies, 'It's not humid enough for me here. I'm going to go hang out by the log before my skin starts to dry out too much'. Illustration by Mike Flannagan (Flantoons).

Salamanders need to make sure their skin stays wet enough to survive living on land. Giacometti & co recently showed that salamanders can sense the humidity in the air and seek out areas that will stop their skin from drying out

journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

Faculty of Math and Sciences Best PhD Dissertation Award to Danilo Giacometti

Congratulations Dr. Danilo Giacometti! The Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences at Brock has awarded you the FMS Best PhD Thesis Award. A supervisor could not be prouder!

🧪

New paper out in @plosone.org from @melaniedscientist.bsky.social 's PhD research.

Relationship between “naturalistic enclosures” and lizard welfare not so simple Bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) have become one of the most popular pet reptiles and in many cases are contributing to research as well. But as their popularity has soared, so too has the need to better understand what these lizards actually need to live well in captivity. Our latest study, recently published in PLOS ONE, examines whether giving bearded dragons more “naturalistic” resources within their enclosures actually improves their well-being.

Relationship between “naturalistic enclosures” and lizard welfare not so simple

Bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) have become one of the most popular pet reptiles and in many cases are contributing to research as well. But as their popularity has soared, so too has the need to better understand…

Congratulations, Dr. Giacometti!

I am really proud to congratulate Dr. Danilo Giacometti for his successful PhD Defence! The thesis entitled "Physiological and behavioural responses to temperature and humidity in fossorial amphibians" was defended today in front of his examining committee: Dr. Don…

Thanks @kcwelch.bsky.social. For anyone using Relative Humidity...please read our paper since the salamanders are suggesting that the more biophysically relevant metric is Vapour Pressure Deficit. And who would doubt a salamander?

Here is a good graphic summarising the paper from @movementecology.bsky.social's lab:

bsky.app/profile/move...

Under the Arctic Sun: Seabirds in the Heat of Climate Change As the Arctic warms at an alarming pace, we’re learning that even cold-adapted species like the thick-billed murre aren’t immune to rising temperatures. Our latest study, led by Fred Tremblay from Dr. Kyle Elliot’s lab at McGill adds to the growing understanding that cliff-nesting seabirds are experiencing heat stress far despite ambient air temperatures rarely exceeding 25°C. Using custom 3D-printed murre models painted to mimic the birds’ plumage, we measured “operative temperatures” (the actual heat experienced by an animal) on Coats Island, Nunavut.

Under the Arctic Sun: Seabirds in the Heat of Climate Change

As the Arctic warms at an alarming pace, we’re learning that even cold-adapted species like the thick-billed murre aren’t immune to rising temperatures. Our latest study, led by Fred Tremblay from Dr. Kyle Elliot’s lab at McGill adds to…

Hydro Hackers: How Salamanders Outsmart “the Drying” For amphibians, water is everything. Their thin skin makes them especially vulnerable to drying out, so staying hydrated is not just about comfort—it is about survival. But how do amphibians manage their hydration state in the face of different temperatures and fluctuating humidity? Our recent study on spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) provides some new insights into this question. We exposed salamanders to two temperatures—17°C and 22°C—within a humidity gradient (Fig 1) to understand how salamanders behaved when given the choice to move toward more or less humid conditions under contrasting thermal conditions.

Hydro Hackers: How Salamanders Outsmart “the Drying”

For amphibians, water is everything. Their thin skin makes them especially vulnerable to drying out, so staying hydrated is not just about comfort—it is about survival. But how do amphibians manage their hydration state in the face of different…

Canadian Society of Zoologists Conference

Harry Kumbhani was representing the lab at the Canadian Society of Zoologists conference last week in Waterloo with his stunning poster below. And he received a little message, possibly from a journal editor encouraging he submit the manuscript, perhaps?!…

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Harry Kumbhani for being awarded an Ontario Graduate Scholarship for his MSc research in my lab. With coursework out of the way, conferences and summer field work beckon, so the timing could not be better!

If interested, contact me by email (with CV) before end of May; I have to choose the candidate before 10/06!

New empirical study from @giacometti.bsky.social's PhD research. pdf will be available shortly (on researchgate).