My name is Alexander Jackson. I am a PhD candidate studying comparative and evolutionary physiology at the University of California, Irvine.
As a comparative and evolutionary physiologist I am broadly interested in phenotypic plasticity associated with the oxygen transport cascade in response to elevated metabolic states. My interest in elevated metabolic states stems from the idea, well articulated by Jackson (1987), that animals in their natural setting are forced to meet the demands of multiple elevated physiological states simultaneously. For example, a gravid female is still required to forage, escape predators, and digest meals throughout gestation. For my dissertation research, I ask whether there is a measurable metabolic cost associated with gravidity, and whether or not activity and digestion are additive or have a specific prioritization regarding oxygen delivery capacity.
By measuring quantitative variables associated with each physiological state, I seek to determine the relative oxygen transport capacity that each state may impose on an organism. Current work also includes measuring themoregulatory strategies throughout gestation. My hypotheses are based on literature by Hicks & Bennett (2004), Bennett & Hicks (2001), Secor et al., (2000), and Jackson (1987).
Question 1: What is the relative energetic cost of gravidity compared to exhaustive activity and digestion?
Question 2: Does gravidity affect thermoregulatory patterns in squamate reptiles?
To answer these questions my dissertation research focuses on three major areas of physiology:
1. Energetics
2. Thermal Physiology
3. Cardiopulmonary Physiology
Citations:
Hicks, JW., Bennett, AF. (2004). Eat and run: Prioritization of oxygen delivery during elevated metabolic states. Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, 144(2004), 215-224.
Bennett, AF., Hicks, JW. (2001). Postprandial exercise: Prioritization or additivity of the metabolic responses? The Journal of Experimental Biology, 204, 2127-2132.
Secor, SM., Hicks, JW., Bennett, AF. (2000). Ventilatory and cardiovascular responses of pythons (Python molurus) to exercise and digestion. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 203, 2447-2454.
Jackson, DC. (1987). Assigning priorities among interacting physiological systems. In New directions in Ecological Physiology (ed. M. E. Feder, A.F. Bennett, W. W. Burggren and R. B. Huey), pp. 310-326. New York: Cambridge University Press.
As a comparative and evolutionary physiologist I am broadly interested in phenotypic plasticity associated with the oxygen transport cascade in response to elevated metabolic states. My interest in elevated metabolic states stems from the idea, well articulated by Jackson (1987), that animals in their natural setting are forced to meet the demands of multiple elevated physiological states simultaneously. For example, a gravid female is still required to forage, escape predators, and digest meals throughout gestation. For my dissertation research, I ask whether there is a measurable metabolic cost associated with gravidity, and whether or not activity and digestion are additive or have a specific prioritization regarding oxygen delivery capacity.
By measuring quantitative variables associated with each physiological state, I seek to determine the relative oxygen transport capacity that each state may impose on an organism. Current work also includes measuring themoregulatory strategies throughout gestation. My hypotheses are based on literature by Hicks & Bennett (2004), Bennett & Hicks (2001), Secor et al., (2000), and Jackson (1987).
Question 1: What is the relative energetic cost of gravidity compared to exhaustive activity and digestion?
Question 2: Does gravidity affect thermoregulatory patterns in squamate reptiles?
To answer these questions my dissertation research focuses on three major areas of physiology:
1. Energetics
2. Thermal Physiology
3. Cardiopulmonary Physiology
Citations:
Hicks, JW., Bennett, AF. (2004). Eat and run: Prioritization of oxygen delivery during elevated metabolic states. Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, 144(2004), 215-224.
Bennett, AF., Hicks, JW. (2001). Postprandial exercise: Prioritization or additivity of the metabolic responses? The Journal of Experimental Biology, 204, 2127-2132.
Secor, SM., Hicks, JW., Bennett, AF. (2000). Ventilatory and cardiovascular responses of pythons (Python molurus) to exercise and digestion. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 203, 2447-2454.
Jackson, DC. (1987). Assigning priorities among interacting physiological systems. In New directions in Ecological Physiology (ed. M. E. Feder, A.F. Bennett, W. W. Burggren and R. B. Huey), pp. 310-326. New York: Cambridge University Press.
