UNews - Andrew Iwaniuk

Comparative neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk revels in unlocking the what, how and why of bird behaviour

trevor.kenney — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 20:49:02 +0000

Have you ever wondered how hummingbirds can hover in place or fly backward; seen chickadees and blue jays tucking away food for winter snacks; or questioned the ability of birds to problem solve their way into garbage and food containers?

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge professor Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk (Department of Neuroscience), a Board of Governors Research Chair in Comparative Neuroscience, has seen it all when it comes to bird behaviour — but more importantly, he’s studied the brains of these incredible animals to understand why and how they perform these remarkable tasks.

Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk with a wedge-tailed eagle at Lamington National Park in Queensland, Australia.

It was the lack of information on bird brains that intrigued Iwaniuk when he first took up studying the creatures. He originally had done extensive research work on the feeding behaviour of wallabies, kangaroos and their relatives while completing an honours thesis at Monash ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Australia and then on the feeding behaviour of carnivores for his Master of Science at ULethbridge.

“I realized we knew all these things about the anatomy of mammal brains but there was this whole group of other animals that shared a number of behaviours with mammals,” he says. “Birds have complex social relationships, they have biparental care, they use tools, they can solve problems and then they have other behaviours that are entirely unique like migrating between the poles, being able to fly and being able to survive in a range of different conditions that essentially mammals just cannot.”

Birds, and their behaviours, have been experiencing a surge in popularity in recent years, born out of the pandemic when people, confined to their homes, started to notice their surroundings more — and one commonality was the presence of birds.

“There’s a lot more citizen science happening now than ever before,” says Iwaniuk, who says he is regularly asked questions about birds by community members if he’s observing them or taking pictures while walking his dogs.

“We’ve also seen a lot of public media campaigns in recent years about our effects on birds, which has raised awareness. There’s a lot more concern about window collisions and what happens with birds landing in tailing ponds, as well as the efforts of wildlife rehabilitation centres.”

Iwaniuk and colleague Dr. Georg F. Striedter (professor of neurobiology and behavior, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of California, Irvine) have co-authored a new book that “marries the enthusiasm of bird enthusiasts for the what, how and why of avian behavior with the scientific literature on avian biology, offering the newest research in an accessible manner.”

Bird Brains and Behaviour is published by MIT Press and available Aug. 5.

“We’ve tried to aim for people with some science background, people who are keenly interested in birds and who may have some familiarity with the basics of evolutionary biology or bird behaviour,” says Iwaniuk.

The book delves into the process of how birds have evolved, what makes them different from other types of invertebrate animals and then examines the components of the bird brain and how it differs from the mammalian brain.

“What’s the most quintessential feature of a hummingbird — hovering. There's obviously a motor component to that, but in order to maintain that really stable position is dependent on their vision, and that is dependent on a very specific brain region that responds to how an animal is moving through space,” explains Iwaniuk.

He compares how the hummingbird moves to that of humans as they walk or ride a bike.

“We’re tracking our movement through space, feeding that information into spatial memory networks so we can work out where we are and where we’re going. This allows us to figure out whether we’re accelerating, decelerating, turning, all that essential feedback for how our eyes are moving and how we’re detecting things with our semicircular canals, which gives us a sense of balance. When you compare that to the brain of a hummingbird, you find that region of their brains is hugely enlarged and that’s what is allowing them to maintain their position.”

This, of course, is incredibly important because if hummingbirds could not maintain their position while feeding, they would pierce the flowers they feed on and lose the nectar they need to survive.

This is just one example of the fascinating behaviours his research has detailed and opens the door to many more explored in depth within the book.

“We started talking about putting this book together in 2022 and it took us a while to write up the first few chapters but when we shopped that around, MIT Press was very interested,” says Iwaniuk. “It’s exciting to have it finished and we’re really happy with MIT Press because they allowed us to add some features like QR codes throughout the book where you can scan them to link to videos that highlight specific behaviours and interviews with neuroscientists who actually work on bird brains.”

The ebook is available for free from MIT Press and the hard copy is available through most online and local bookstores.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge-led international study finds harriers have evolved hunting technique similar to owls

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 May 2025 14:58:34 +0000

Owls have long been considered unique in their famous ability to hear exactly where their prey is. However, a new study has shown that another, unrelated group of raptors – the harriers – are able to keep a much better ear out for their next meal than previously thought.

An international team of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Flinders ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Australia) researchers made the discovery when they found unexpectedly owl-like traits in the ear and brain of several harrier species, such as the Australian spotted harrier. Their study, The evolution of an “owl-like” auditory system in harriers: Anatomical evidence, is now available online in Journal of Anatomy.

A northern harrier seeks prey while flying over a field. PHOTO by Bob Bowhay, rdbimages.ca

“Owls have fine-tuned hearing abilities, allowing some species to locate prey in complete darkness. Until recently, it was assumed that all their hearing adaptations were unique to owls. However, our study shows that that harriers have independently evolved several key adaptations for finding prey by sound,” says Sara Citron, a ULethbridge PhD student who led the study.

Citron’s supervisor, Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk, says the team focused on harriers — a group of hawks found in North America, Australia, NZ, Europe, and parts of Africa and Asia — because they show some unusual, owl-like hunting behaviours.

“Hawks tend to hunt primarily by sight. But unlike other hawks, harriers fly low over tall grass with their beak pointed to the ground. During this so-called “quartering flight”, they are not only looking for prey, they are also listening for it,” says Iwaniuk.

Co-author Aubrey Keirnan, a PhD student at Flinders ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ who is co-supervised by Iwaniuk, says that simply by looking at the harrier, you can see similarities with owls.

A northern harrier in flight. PHOTO by Bob Bowhay, rdbimages.ca

“The Australian Spotted Harrier is a great example,” she says. “When you look at this species’ face, you can see a distinctive disc-shaped face, which may improve their prey localization just like owls.”

Citron adds that their find also matches older behavioural studies showing that harriers can locate sounds with similar accuracy to owls, but how they did this has previously remained a mystery.

Using specimens from wildlife rehabilitators and museums in Australia and Canada, the team examined the anatomy of the skull and brain of harriers and other, closely related hawk species such as the wedge-tailed eagle. They found that, like owls, harriers have enlarged ear openings and expanded two brain regions that are essential for calculating where a sound is coming from.

“These auditory nuclei are found in the brainstem and compare the time at which sounds arrive at the left or right ear. If a sound arrives at both ears at the same time, then the sound is coming from directly in front of an animal. If there is a delay, this indicates that the prey is more to the left or right,” says co-author Dr. Vera Weisbecker, an associate professor in evolutionary biology at Flinders ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. “By expanding these two brain regions, harriers can make such computations more accurately than other hawks, allowing them to locate where a potential rat, mouse or other rodent is hiding in the grass.”

“Harriers have therefore evolved an auditory system similar to owls, enabling them to target sounds as accurately as owls in a remarkable example of convergent evolution of both brain and behaviour in animals separated by over 60 million years,” adds Citron.

The team is careful to point out that the auditory system of many owls is far more sophisticated than that of harriers. This explains the ability of some owl species — like the barn owl — to hunt in complete darkness whereas hawks only hunt during the day.

“There are several other features that help owls with their keen hearing which we did not find in harriers,” says Citron. “For example, some owl species have asymmetric ears that allow them to locate sound with greater acuity, and these owls also have several other enlarged brain regions that were not enlarged in harriers.”

The team hopes their study results will encourage further research on bird anatomy to find out how a species perceives its surrounds.

“Anatomical studies like ours are a window into how a bird perceives the world around it, which can be extremely useful for bird conservation,” says Iwaniuk. “For example, harriers’ reliance on sound for prey location means that they are likely more sensitive to traffic and industrial noise. This could be contributing to the large decreases in Northern Harrier populations we have seen in Canada.”

Ruffed Grouse study to aid in management of prized game bird

trevor.kenney — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 17:48:36 +0000

Future hunting seasons for Alberta’s Ruffed Grouse population may be managed differently once the results of a new study by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers Drs. Theresa Burg and Andrew Iwaniuk are analyzed.

The southwestern Ruffed Grouse is a highly prized game bird in Alberta.

The study, which received $30,400 in funding support from the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA), seeks to build on previous work that identified the southwestern Ruffed Grouse population in the Crowsnest Pass area differs genetically from other Alberta populations. The goal now is to determine how many populations can be identified with genomics methods applied to a broader sampling of Ruffed Grouse populations across the province.

“The management of hunted game species is highly dependent on the identification of populations and estimating the sizes of those populations and their connectivity,” says Burg, professor and Chair of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Department of Biological Sciences. “Genomics is increasingly used in the study of species of concern as well as harvested species, providing new insights into differentiation of species which in turn can have implications into how the species is managed.”

Proper management of the game bird will ensure the long-term viability of all Ruffed Grouse populations.

A previous study, funded by an ACA Biodiversity Grant, was conducted in 2016 by ULethbridge alumnus Ashley Jensen (MSc ’17) and featured the gathering of Ruffed Grouse samples in the Crowsnest Pass area. The new study will involve the acquisition of samples from a larger number of populations than the 2016 work and, by using a genomics approach, provide higher resolution differences between the Alberta populations.

“Genomics methods have higher precision because many more genetic markers are examined, which gives us much more precise population differentiation,” says Burg. “As well, because there is gene flow between populations, genomics is much better at accurately identifying inbreeding, which gives us better insight into which populations may be at risk of further habitat disruption or unsustainable hunting rates.”

The Ruffed Grouse is a highly prized game bird in Alberta and is intensively managed for hunter harvest, with its hunting season running primarily from September through January. Currently, bag limits for Ruffed Grouse are set at five per day with a 15-bird possession limit. Despite the intense hunting pressure on some Ruffed Grouse populations in the province, very little data exist on their population genetics throughout most of their range. The Crowsnest Pass population that was studied in 2016 yielded an unexpected variation from other parts of the province. This new study will sample more sites, including those in northern Alberta as well as isolated populations in Elk Island National Park and Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.

“By using genomics we will be able to accurately identify and delineate Ruffed Grouse populations and calculate the degree of heterogeneity within them,” says Burg. “This will tell us the status of the Crowsnest Pass population as well as other distinct regional populations and how much they differ from more continuous populations.”

From there, the researchers will be able to assess whether higher bag limits are sustainable across the various wildlife management units or if lower bag limits are needed to ensure the long-term viability of all Ruffed Grouse populations.

Mysterious Night Parrots may not see in the dead of night

trevor.kenney — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 16:18:30 +0000

Australia’s most elusive bird, the Night Parrot, may not be much better at seeing in the dark than other parrots active during the day.

An international collaboration between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk and Flinders ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Dr. Vera Weisbecker, has revealed the endangered parrot’s visual system is not as well-adapted to life in the dark as would be expected for a nocturnal bird, raising concerns it might be adversely impacted by fencing in the Australian outback.

“Night Parrots must be able to find their way at night – to find food, avoid obstacles while flying, and escape predators”, says Weisbecker.

“We therefore expect their visual system to show adaptations for seeing in the dark, similar to other nocturnal birds – New Zealand’s Kakapo parrot and owls with enlarged eyes for example. However, we found that this wasn’t the case.”

Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk

Dr. Karine Mardon, from The National Imaging Facility at The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Queensland Centre for Advanced Imaging, scanned the then only known intact skull of the exceedingly rare species, as well as skulls from related parrots, using computed tomography (CT scanning).

Co-author Aubrey Keirnan then compared 3D reconstructions of the Night Parrot’s skull and brain with that of related parrot species.

“We found that the Night Parrot has similar eye size to other parrots, with smaller optic nerves. It also has smaller optic lobes, which are visual processing areas in the brain.”

“This suggests that the Night Parrot may not be great at seeing in the dark: its vision is likely sensitive, but with poor resolution, so that it might not be good at distinguishing obstacles like wire fences or even predators in dark conditions.

The findings raise questions about the night parrot’s ability to survive with low numbers in remote outback Australia — where fencing is important for stock management and predator exclusion.

Iwaniuk (Canada Research Chair in Comparative Neuroanatomy), says this study was a highly innovative approach to examine a species so rare it was considered extinct for most of the 20th Century. It also highlights the importance of museum collections in furthering our understanding of endangered species.

“The species is so elusive that we do not even know how many individuals are left. To conserve the species, it is critical that we understand its behavioural needs and capabilities, but these are nearly impossible to observe.”

“The Queensland Museum bird collection is an important research resource and co-author, collection manager Heather Janetzki, made available the extremely valuable Night Parrot specimen along with several other species for this comparative study.”

Weisbecker says the research team was lucky to have this specimen — found in 1990 by Australian Museum bird expert Dr. Walter Boles.

“He spotted its mummified body by accident, lying by the side of the road after apparently being hit by a truck — it is amazing that its skull stayed intact!”

Night Parrot specialist and PhD student Nick Leseberg from UQ’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences was a co-author of the study.

"These results suggest that removal of unused fences should be a priority in areas where night parrots are known to occur. However, we probably can't go entirely without fences — stock needs to be managed with fences, and some forms of predator exclusion could be important for protecting the Night Parrot."

“We therefore need to be very careful with our fencing strategies, at least by increasing the visibility of wire fences, but alternatives such as low-tension electric fencing could be even better.”

Background info

Night parrots are one of only two nocturnal parrot species worldwide (the other is New Zealand’s famous Kakapo), exceedingly rare, and live well-hidden in remote outback Australia.

So well-hidden in fact that the first physical evidence of the Night Parrot’s persistence after 1875 came in 1990, when the then curator of birds at the Australian Museum, Walter Boles, literally bumped into a mummified specimen lying by the side of the road.

It took another 23 years for the first verified live sightings of the species in Queensland. Since then, a team of scientists and conservationists have been working hard to protect the night parrot.

Canada Foundation for Innovation investment to support creation of cutting-edge cellular imaging research centre

trevor.kenney — Fri, 29 May 2015 17:24:48 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will embark on the creation of a new interdisciplinary research facility that promises to be Canada’s leading cellular imaging research centre thanks to a $2 million investment from the Government of Canada’s Canada Foundation for Innovation.

The Cell Signaling Interdisciplinary Research Centre (CSIRC) is a facility that will bring together researchers from neuroscience, biochemistry and biological sciences.

Today, the Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), announced more than $333 million for new research infrastructure that Canadian researchers will use to advance Canadian knowledge in areas ranging from mood disorders and robotics to food security and the search for new planets.

At the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, the $2,098,277 investment towards Dynamic Brain Mapping: Cell signaling to systems function, will create the Cell Signaling Interdisciplinary Research Centre (CSIRC), a facility that will bring together researchers from neuroscience, biochemistry and biological sciences.

“We plan to create Canada’s leading cellular imaging research centre to make fundamental discoveries on how dynamic regulation of brain and other systems activity determines risk for important diseases,” says lead investigator Dr. Robert Sutherland, Board of Governors Research Chair in Neuroscience. “These discoveries will provide new, key targets for developing prevention and therapy strategies.”

Sutherland, who will work closely with fellow neuroscientists Drs. Aaron Gruber, Andrew Iwaniuk, Bryan Kolb, Robert McDonald, Bruce McNaughton, Gerlinde Metz and Majid Mohajerani as well as Drs. Olga Kovalchuk (biological sciences) and HJ Wieden (biochemistry), explains how the new facility will extend the scope of researchers who are currently studying basic processes regulating brain health, degenerative disorders, infective agents and cancer.

“Gene expression and epigenetics play a key role in answering how cells learn, how they process, store and distribute information acquired during development,” he says. “CSIRC will enable us to make new discoveries in gene expression, epigenetics and therapeutics in cancer, dementia, developmental brain disorders, stroke and infections.”

Dr. Lesley Brown, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Interim Vice-President (Research), says the CFI investment recognizes the research expertise present at the U of L.

“Our researchers are respected as leaders in their field and the work they do is of great relevance to important areas of public concern such as health care,” says Brown. “This investment from the federal government is an endorsement of the world-class research being conducted here on campus.”

Nearly all of the infrastructure will enable the usersof the CSIRC group to conduct brain-imaging projects with viral vectors and genetically modified rodents. It will allow the group to move forward their activities, such as health-related research, training and partnering with non-academic collaborators, to that of a world leader.

“Today’s announcement will strengthen Canada’s reputation in science and technology by supporting research infrastructure that will attract world-class talent, train a new generation of students and make discoveries that benefit Canadians in remarkable ways,” says Holder.

Rethinking Our Understanding of Brain Evolution

david.kirby — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 20:21:06 +0000

When it comes to the evolution of the brain, bigger doesn’t always mean better, says Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk (MSc ’00).

Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk is the newly appointed Canada Research Chair in Comparative Neuroanatomy in the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Iwaniuk is the newly appointed Canada Research Chair in Comparative Neuroanatomy in the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Over his five-year term, he will combine evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology and neuroscience to chart the historical course of the brain in order to improve our understanding of brain anatomy and function, both in animals and humans. A key goal is to debunk the notion that larger brains are always more cognitively powerful than smaller ones because they contain more neurons, the cells that process and transmit information.

“This theory doesn’t necessarily hold true, because there are different densities of neurons in the brains of different animals,” says Iwaniuk, who is also an associate professor of neuroscience. “For example, birds pack in more neurons in their brains than primates, even though primates are currently at the top of the list in terms of the number of cells in their brains.”

What we know about bird brains is scarce: data on bird brain anatomy is available for only four per cent of the world’s 10,000 bird species. To that end, Iwaniuk has developed the largest comparative avian brain collection in the world, with more than 600 specimens representing more than 160 bird species. Studying the brains of birds will continue to be one of Iwaniuk’s key research priorities during his CRC term.

Another will be to explore the when and why of large brains, with Iwaniuk seeking to answer questions such as: Why did primates evolve large brains? What are the pros and cons of relatively large brains? And, what mechanisms underlie the evolution of relatively large brains? He will look for the answers in existing data on human fossil history, and on the evolutionary trajectories of animals such as birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians.

Examination of bird brains will not be limited to the species around today, as Iwaniuk will also examine brains of extinct species through digitally reconstructing their brains from skulls. This is important, he says, because the anatomy of the brain can be used to determine the sensory and cognitive abilities of extinct species. He is currently collaborating with a researcher at National Museums Scotland to study the brain of the dodo, a species symbolic of extinctions caused by humans, to determine its sensory abilities, how it fit into the ecology of its home on the island of Mauritius, and why the species became extinct.

Finally, Iwaniuk will develop a publicly accessible electronic archive of his collection of avian brain data in order better facilitate existing and future national and international research collaborations. Ultimately, he would like to establish his lab as a top Canadian centre for evolutionary neurobiology.

In the classroom, Iwaniuk will create a new course that focuses on the natural behaviour of animals in the environment and how that behaviour is modulated by species differences in the brain. He will also create opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from around the world to gain hands-on learning experiences by assisting with his research.

As his research progresses, Iwaniuk hopes the insights that emerge about brain evolution will tell us more about what makes the human brain unique, which could ultimately affect the way we treat human diseases.

“Better understanding the fundamental differences in how different brains are organized relative to one another can teach us about more effective ways to treat neurological conditions and disorders,” he says.

Spotlight on Research - 50 x 50

david.kirby — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 23:27:16 +0000

50 Research Chairs by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's 50th Anniversary in 2017

It's ambitious. It's aspirational. And above all it affirms the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's commitment to continuing to build one of Canada's leading research environments.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is aiming for 50 Research Chairs by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's 50th Anniversary in 2017.

“Research Chairs are high-profile academic appointments that enable the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to attract and retain accomplished and promising scholars to lead research programs that confirm our strength and shape our future,” says U of L interim Vice President (Research) Dr. Lesley Brown. “This initiative signals our commitment and strength as a comprehensive university.”

As of October 2014, the U of L’s research roster boasts 33 research Chair appointments, sponsored either through external agency support (24) or through institutional appointment as U of L Board of Governors Research Chairs (9).

In two short years, that number will increase to 50.

The new appointments will come from diverse disciplines. They will be leaders in their fields, nationally and internationally renowned for their research programs. They will come from afar and from within the institution.

“The 50 X 50 initiative will enable us to grow, strengthen and build upon our existing research portfolio across the breadth of the institution,” says Brown. “It will enable us to diversify in more established areas as well as recognize our current U of L faculty members who are already conducting high-profile research and creative performance.”

In two short years, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will increase its research Chair count to over 50.

And with each research Chair appointment comes protected time devoted to research, sharing outcomes and translating knowledge, and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students.

As a result, graduate programs will grow, and there will be even more opportunities to enrich the undergraduate experience by including students in research programs.

“This initiative will build exceptional capacity across all disciplines and will continue to enhance the student experience,” say Brown. “The results will extend well beyond campus, impacting communities across Alberta and around the world.”

Meet four new recent research Chair appointments:

Dr. Brenda Leung - Faculty of Health Sciences Emmy Droog Chair in Complementary and Alternative Health Care.

Dr. Nehalkumar Thakor - Campus Alberta Innovates Program Chair of Synthetic Biology and RNA-based Systems.

Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk (MSc '00) - Canada Research Chair in Comparative Neuroanatomy in the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience.

Dr. Majid Mohajerani - Campus Alberta Innovation Program Chair in Brain Health and Dementia.

Iwaniuk inducted as Fellow into Royal Society of Canada

trevor.kenney — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 18:59:12 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk, a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Comparative Neuroanatomy, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and was officially inducted into the RSC at the annual general meeting in Quebec City this past weekend.

Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk, centre, with U of L President Dr. Mike Mahon and Interim Vice-President (Research) Dr. Lesley Brown at the Royal Society of Canada annual general meeting.

One of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's emerging young researchers, Iwaniuk's research program aims to understand how the brain evolves into different sizes and forms in different species.

Following is his nomination citation.

Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk

Since publishing his first scientific paper in 1998, Andrew has strived to be not only a productive Canadian scientist, but also one that expands our basic knowledge of how the brain is organized. He has been enormously successful in research productivity, attracting graduate students and in expanding his research support through tri-council agencies and other sources. Andrew’s research focuses on how the brain evolves and he is widely regarded as an emerging leader in his field, as shown by his appointment to several editorial boards, service as a reviewer to a wide range of journals and granting agencies worldwide and dozens of invited presentations. Andrew’s papers are not only cited within his specific field and in neuroscience, but also across multiple other disciplines of the life sciences, such as psychology, paleontology, ornithology, anthropology and animal behaviour. Few other researchers at my career stage or within my field have achieved such widespread success and recognition. Three aspects of his research deserve special mention and are discussed below.

One of the more significant papers that arose from Andrew’s PhD thesis focused on parrot brains. Parrots are renowned for their cognitive abilities, which are often on par with primates, but until his study was published, we knew very little about the composition of their brains and how their brains stacked up against other birds and mammals. He collected data for a large number of parrot species and using sophisticated statistical methods showed that parrots have some of the largest brains, relative to body size, of any birds and that their brains are dominated by the cerebral hemispheres. Further, the relative size of the brain and cerebral hemispheres of parrots are very similar to that of primates. In fact, some parrots had larger brains than primates of a similar body size. This was the first demonstration that parrots and primates had brains that were so similar to one another and changed how we view parrot behaviour, including animal welfare implications. The paper attracted a significant amount of attention from the media as well as from researchers interested in neuroscience, cognition and behaviour.

In that same year, Andrew also published a paper that has changed how many researchers view brain evolution. Prior to the publication of this study, many papers had discussed how evolutionary changes in the brain rarely occur independently of one another, yet there were few attempts to use multivariate statistics to develop a comprehensive view of how the brain evolves across a wide range of species. In this study, Andrew used multivariate statistics and a large dataset that he developed to show that groups of birds clustered together in multivariate space in groups he referred to as ‘cerebrotypes’. The concept of cerebrotypes is that each ‘type’ reflects a distinct brain shape determined by the sizes of all of its constituent regions. These cerebrotypes are an important concept with respect to brain evolution because they not reflect developmental traits or phylogenetic relationships. Instead, birds were grouped according to a suite of behavioural and ecological characteristics. In other words, species that were not closely related to one another shared similar cerebrotypes because of apparent similarities in behaviour and ecology. For example, species that have the same foraging behaviour shared common cerebrotype, even though they were not closely related to one another. This was the first paper to ever demonstrate that a multivariate analysis of the brain’s anatomy could be linked to behaviour and the first to document how the avian brain evolved in a comprehensive fashion. It is one of his most highly cited papers and was the most frequently downloaded and cited paper in the journal (Brain, Behavior and Evolution) for over one year. Further, it has stimulated further research into multivariate approaches, thereby changing how researchers analyze evolutionary patterns in brain anatomy across species and even within populations.

Perhaps the greatest contribution that Andrew has made to date is his impressive comparative brain collection. At over 500 specimens representing more than 160 species, this is the largest comparative brain collection in Canada and the largest collection of bird brains in the world. These range from Central American hummingbirds to albatrosses and penguins and all birds in between. This collection has formed the basis of 30 publications to date, including the two studies discussed above. Collectively, these studies have greatly improved our knowledge of species differences in the nervous system and how this variation reflects ecology and behaviour. There are far too many examples to discuss in detail, but a couple of studies on the visual system warrant specific comment. In the first study, Andrew found that a single brain region that processes visual motion is greatly enlarged in hummingbirds and this enables them to maintain a ‘stationary’ position while feeding. This was the first evidence that hummingbird flight involves a neural adaptation and was not only featured on the journal’s cover, but also on numerous media outlets. In the second study, Andrew was able to examine the brain of a Kakapo, which is a critically endangered nocturnal parrot found only in New Zealand. This unique parrot has a brain that has features that are both parrot-like and owl-like, a finding that has broken traditional notions of how brains are adapted to a nocturnal lifestyle. It also provided novel insight into the sensory abilities of the Kakapo, which will aid significantly in captive breeding efforts.

Through these studies, Andrew has received international recognition as an expert in evolutionary neurobiology. He sits on several editorial boards and has been the only Canadian researcher invited to two prestigious meetings on brain evolution. The most recent of these meetings was organized by the National Science Foundation and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and his input is playing a significant part in determining funding priorities related to evolutionary neurobiology in the United States.

Iwaniuk named a Tier II Canada Research Chair

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 16:20:06 +0000

Leading neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk, one of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s emerging young researchers, has been awarded a Tier II Canada Research Chair for a research program aiming to understand how the brain evolves into different sizes and forms in different species.

One of the U of L's emerging young researchers, Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk's research program aims to understand how the brain evolves into different sizes and forms in different species

The Canada Research Chairs program announced a total of 137 new and renewed research Chairs at 34 post-secondary institutions Thursday, committing $118 million to the program, with an additional $7.9 million in infrastructure support provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The Canada Research Chair program awards $500,000 over five years for Tier II awards.

“Since coming to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Dr. Iwaniuk has consistently advanced his research program, all the while providing exceptional training for undergraduate and graduate students as well as post-doctoral fellows,” says Dr. Lesley Brown, the U of L’s Interim Vice-President (Research). “His program is an excellent example of the interdisciplinary work conducted on campus and encouraged between faculty members because he combines methods of diverse disciplines, specifically evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology and neuroscience.”

Over the past five years, Iwaniuk, now a Canada Research Chair in Comparative Neuroanatomy, has secured over $1.2 million in funding through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Alberta Ingenuity Fund, CFI and matching funds.

Toronto born, Iwaniuk grew up in Edmonton, Alta. and completed his undergraduate studies at Monash ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Australia. He made his way back to Alberta to study under Drs. Sergio Pellis and Ian Whishaw at the U of L, completing a master’s degree in psychology, before earning his doctorate upon return to Monash. He then worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and Smithsonian Institution before joining the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as a faculty member in 2008.

Through his research work, Iwaniuk has received international recognition as an expert in evolutionary neurobiology. At over 500 specimens representing 160 species, he boasts the largest comparative brain collection in Canada and the largest collection of bird brains in the world. One of his more recent studies found that a single brain region that processes visual motion is greatly enlarged in hummingbirds, thus allowing them to maintain a stationary position while feeding. This was the first evidence that hummingbird flight involves neural adaptation.

He says that despite decades of intense neuroscience research, how the brain evolves into different sizes and forms in different species remains a mystery.

“My research aims to resolve this mystery by specifically examining how the brain evolves and why, using a series of cutting edge technologies and analytical methods,” says Iwaniuk. “The results of these studies will yield new information on how the brain evolves, what evolutionary changes in brain anatomy have occurred and why these changes are necessary, all of which are fundamental to understanding brain function in all animals, including humans.”

By better understanding how the brain evolves, Iwaniuk will be able to provide new insights into what makes the human brain unique and why.

Faculty members at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge consistently demonstrate that they are among the very best researchers in Canada. Iwaniuk’s appointment as a Canada Research Chair in Comparative Neuroanatomy brings to 33 the number of research Chair appointments at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. More information on U of L researchers is available on the U of L research website.

U of L researchers combine to earn $1.8 million in NSERC funding

trevor.kenney — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 16:22:57 +0000

A total of 12 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers will receive funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) this year, enabling future U of L discoveries in a variety of areas including neuroscience, biological sciences and chemistry and biochemistry.

Dr. Gerlinde Metz is receiving NSERC funding for her project, Experience-dependent Compensation and Brain Plasticity, one of 12 U of L researchers to receive an NSERC grant this year.

Canada’s Minister of State (Science and Technology), the Honourable Ed Holder, made the national funding announcement earlier today at Western ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in London, Ont.

U of L researchers receiving Discovery Grant funding include: Dr. Alice Hontela (biological sciences); Dr. Olga Kovalchuk (biological sciences); Dr. Locke Spencer (physics and astronomy); Dr. Theresa Burg (biological sciences); Dr. Lawrence Flanagan (biological sciences); Dr. Ute Kothe (chemistry and biochemistry); Dr. Paul Hazendonk (chemistry and biochemistry); Dr. Gongbing Shan (kinesiology and physical education); Dr. Daya Gaur (mathematics and computer science); Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk (neuroscience); Dr. Gerlinde Metz (neuroscience); and Dr. Adriana Predoi-Cross (physics and astronomy).

Iwaniuk will also receive funding through the Discovery Accelerator Supplement program.

Additionally, Dr. Hans Joachim Wieden (chemistry and biochemistry) is receiving funding under the Research Tools and Instruments Grants Program.

In total, U of L researchers will receive approximately $1.8 million in funding over the next five years.

“NSERC funding is an important support that will help these very worthy U of L researchers move their respective programs forward, which in turn will benefit our communities in terms of economic growth and quality of life,” says Acting Vice-President (Research), Dr. Lesley Brown. “Further, these funds over time have played a critical role in the U of L’s rapid transition from a primarily undergraduate institution to one of Canada’s leading research universities of its size.”

NSERC also announced recipients of its graduate scholarships and fellowship awards. Adela Gherga (mathematics and computer science) and Mark Hornsby (biological sciences) are receiving graduate scholarships while Jenni Karl (neuroscience) is receiving a post-doctoral fellowship award.

NSERC grants aim to develop, attract and retain the world’s most talented researchers at Canadian universities who are working in a multitude of scientific and engineering disciplines.

For details on the NSERC grants and associated projects, visit the NSERC website.

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