A new Perspective out today in Nature Reviews Biodiversity, by Matt Symonds, Sara Ryding, and Marcel Klaassen (Deakin University), with Josh Tabh and Andreas Nord (Lund University) and myself, tack…

A new Perspective out today in Nature Reviews Biodiversity, by Matt Symonds, Sara Ryding, and Marcel Klaassen (Deakin University), with Josh Tabh and Andreas Nord (Lund University) and myself, tackles a problem that has been nagging at climate-change biologists for years: why do studies of a single trait, like body size, or metabolic rate, so often give inconsistent answers about how animals are responding to a warming world?

Congratulations to Dr. Melanie Denommé Stauder for PhD graduation and Sophie Gauthier, BSc Honours graduation. We had spring/summer convocation last week and Melanie and Sophie were both there. Melanie was the recipient of the Spirit of Brock award and a Distinguished graduate award. Here we celebrating outside my lab, although the photo-shy Sophie is not yet available:

Knowing how many animals are in a population sounds straightforward, but the method you use to count them can dramatically change the answer. Our new study, led by Patrick Moldowan as part of his P…

Knowing how many animals are in a population sounds straightforward, but the method you use to count them can dramatically change the answer. Our new study, led by Patrick Moldowan as part of his PhD work at the University of Toronto, draws on 14 years of data from the long-running Bat Lake Integrated Salamander Study / Bat Lake Inventory of Spotted Salamanders (

OE3C is a student-run conference, by students, for students. In 2026, OE3C is being hosted by Brock University. This year's theme is Navigating Earth's Ecosystems Today and Tomorrow.

I am really proud to congratulate Dr. Melanie Denommé Stauder for her successful PhD Defence! The thesis entitled "Analyzing common husbandry practises and potential indicators of welfare in Pogona vitticeps" was defended today in front of her examining committee: Dr. Noam Miller (External, Wilfrid Laurier University), Dr. Dustin Duncan (External within Brock University), Dr. Michael Owen (Chair, Brock University), Dr.

Assistant Professor-Department of Biology (Zoologist)

Despite being a major event in early tetrapod evolution, many living fish species occasionally leave water, but the reasons are not always obvious. Some do it to feed, some to escape predation, and some to cope with poor water quality, although rarely for long periods of time. Another intriguing possibility is that fish may use land to help regulate their body temperature.

Immigration Department advertises option for families to come to Canada as figures show steep decline in international students

Measuring body temperature should seem straightforward, but in ectotherms, the act of measuring can be part of the problem. For especially small amphibians in particular, common approaches like cloacal thermometry require restraint and direct contact, raising the possibility that handling itself alters body temperature before it is even recorded. In this study, we asked a simple but important question: does brief, gentle handling measurably change the body temperature of salamanders?

A lot of news has happened in the past month and I have been negligent about updating. All lab members have had awards, scholarships, and bursary announcements that warrant celebration! • Melane Denommé Stauder (PhD student) will be receiving the Jack Miller Graduate Award for the Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences this coming year. Stay tuned for a future announcement as I'm not sure this is public knowledge yet.

Danilo Giacometti was interviewed by NPR a couple of weeks ago about our blue-spotted salamander paper in CJZ. Check it out here: And next spring, see if you can find salamanders migrating over snow.

A recent paper from the lab, led by PhD student Melanie Denommé, examines a foundational assumption in reptile husbandry: that animals will inherently prefer naturalistic enclosures over simpler, more utilitarian ones. Using bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) as a model species, Melanie conducted preference tests in which lizards were given free choice between naturalistic and standard enclosure styles (Figure 1).

Our new paper, led by MSc student Harry Kumbhani and building on fieldwork conducted by former MSc student Curtis Abney, explores how Eastern Garter Snakes (Figure 1) navigate the complex thermal landscapes of wetlands in southern Ontario. Using detailed operative temperature models, which were copper snake replicas equipped with temperature loggers, our team quantified how three adjacent habitat types (closed forest, mixed shrub, and open peat; Figure 2) differ in the thermal opportunities they provide.

A new study led by Morgane Vandendoren, Nicole Bedford, and others from Adam Nelson's lab at the University of Wyoming has uncovered a new role for oxytocin, the so-called “love hormone.” Published in eLife, the research shows that oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamus act as a kind of biological switch, helping mammals transition from cooler, resting states to warmer, active ones.

Synopsis. Sexual selection is often invoked to explain the evolution of extravagant morphologies, such as antlers and horns. While the focus is typically o

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…

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.

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!

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.

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 Miles (External, Ohio University), Dr. Toby Mündel (External within Brock University), Dr. Diane Mack (Chair, Brock University), Dr. Miriam Richards, Dr. Kiyoko Gotanda, and myself.

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.

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.