Many studies of stress ecology rely on determining an organism’s levels of relevant hormones, such as cortisol and corticosterone (CORT). While these hormones have many functions, organisms often increase levels of these hormones to allow them to respond effectively to stressful conditions. But this hormonal response poses its own challenge for scientists! Capturing an animal, restraining … Continue reading Quick on the (Blood) Draw: Measuring Reptile Hormone Levels
Assessing the impacts of invasive species can be difficult. One major reason for this is that, in the case of many biological invasions, we lack appropriate sampling or data from before the invasion. In most cases, we don't know an invasive species is going to arrive, or what aspects of ecology it might impact in the … Continue reading New Paper out in Global Change Biology!
Finding a broad yet rigorous definition of stress in biological systems has been a major challenge. In our new paper led by Marco Del Giudice, we use a systems biology approach to address how control theory may shed light on the concept of stress and suggest extensions of this approach, including for studies of global change.
Christopher J. Thawley 