• We want to understand and explain how organisms work, for instance, how they obtain and allocate energy/water/nutrients, how do they cope with changing environments, and what are the determinants of their ecological and evolutionary success – and sometimes lack of success.

 

• ​My research program covers a broad range of topics, but I am mostly engaged in ecological physiology with strong ties into animal behavior, biophysical ecology, evolutionary ecology and biogeography. In my opinion physiological mechanisms and tolerances, ecological and evolutionary constraints all contribute, depending on the taxon and scale of study, to the distribution, abundance and success of species and populations. I have long studied the impact of environmental changes and cues on animal physiology, with the primary goal of determining and assessing the proximate abiotic and biotic factors that might impact the Darwinian fitness. This endeavor is becoming increasingly important due to the accelerating rate of human-induced environmental perturbation. 

 

• ​Research in my laboratory spans from the cellular and molecular to the level of populations, although with a strong focus on the performance of individual organisms. I have become convinced that evolutionary physiological ecology is pivotally important to understanding threats to the persistence of sensitive species in the face of rapid global change. As a comparative biologist, I work with invertebrates (e.g. periwinkles, mussels, insects and woodlices) and vertebrates (e.g. fish, amphibians, lizards, birds and mammals). That is, I go where my questions take me.



​

​​