A male ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) hovers and feeds from a syringe while carrying a small load of beads. The electromyogram (EMG) traces shown are similar to those occurring in birds muscles during this behviour. Recent MSc graduate Sajeni Mahalingam’s paper, “Neuromuscular control of hovering wingbeat kinematics in response to distinct flight challenges in the ruby-throated […]

We’ve arrived in Colima, Mexico! Before beginning our research on fish-eating myotis bats (Myotis vivesi), we’re taking some time to enjoy the unique ecology of the area. Our first adventure was to Cuyutlán, a coastal location only a 40 minute drive from Colima. The first stop was El Tortugario Centro de Ecológia de Cuyutlán, a […]

A publication by the Welch lab featuring the work of undergraduate researchers Amina Allalou, Prateek Sehgal, and Jason Cheng, in collaboration with UTSC Department of Biology lecturer, Aarthi Ashok, has been published in PLOS ONE. GLUT1 (A & B) and GLUT4 (C & D) staining of muscle fibers in the ruby-throated hummingbird (A & C) […]

The Welch Lab won funding to support postdoctoral fellow Dr. Laura McKinnon’s research on arctic shorebird nestling ecology and physiology. This funding comes from the University of Toronto Scarborough Vice-Principal of Research – Research Competitiveness Fund.

Congratulations to Dr. Laura McKinnon, a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow in the Welch Lab, on winning a 2013 L’Oreal Canada for Women in Science scholarship! Only 2 of these awards are given each year for all of the sciences throughout Canada. This truly exceptional award will be used to support Dr. McKinnon’s research on the ecology […]

Recent MSc graduate Chris Chen’s paper, “Hummingbirds can fuel flight completely with either exogenous glucose or fructose” was accepted for publication in Functional Ecology! This will be Chris’s first publication. Chris is currently pursuing his PhD in the Hood Lab at York University. Here is a brief summary of the paper’s findings and importance: Hovering on a high fructose diet A ruby-throated hummingbird […]