UNews - Theresa Burg

Migratory songbirds found to have greater genetic diversity

trevor.kenney — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 17:12:12 +0000

Songbirds who make the arduous flight from their nesting sites in northern boreal forests to warm, southern climates in the winter may be rewarded for their journey with greater genetic diversity, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. The study was co-authored by researchers from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, among others, and led by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Michigan (UM).

A Mountain Chickadee

Researchers found that songbird species that migrate from the boreal forests of the northern United States and Canada to the tropics to overwinter have more genetic diversity than species who stick closer to their northern breeding locations, either not migrating or migrating only short distances, for example, to the southern United States.

“We spent years collecting samples from different species across Canada that were included in the study. Our lab has primarily been focusing on resident birds who do not migrate and found lower levels of movement or gene flow compared to migratory species,” says Dr. Theresa Burg, a professor in ULethbridge’s Department of Biological Sciences. “Two of the most remarkable findings are that some of the long-distance migrants show reduced gene flow and that levels of genetic diversity correspond to migration distance.”

Having high genetic diversity means that a population has a large breadth of gene variants both within individuals and within a species’ population. Genetic diversity can tell a story of a species’ evolutionary history: It shows how much genetic variation within the species has been maintained vs. lost because of greater population size fluctuation throughout history.

“Long distance migration has evolved to be a very successful strategy for birds because even though it’s difficult and requires extraordinary physiology, it allows them to spend the northern winter in a place where they enjoy a higher survival rate,” says lead author Benjamin Winger, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and curator of birds at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Michigan’s Museum of Zoology.

"What our genetic diversity results likely mean is that these really long-distance migrants have had more stable populations over evolutionary history, which is amazing because they’re undergoing these phenomenal, risky migrations."

Migration, genetic diversity and gene flow

Scientists have been mulling migration’s impact on bird population genetics for a long time.

Winger and colleagues began sampling bird populations across the boreal forest for genetic research more than 15 years ago in hopes of eventually completing the study, and also used genetic samples from several museum collections, including the UM Museum of Zoology.

Many of the birds are closely related but have different migration strategies, Winger says. For example, hermit thrushes and Swainson’s thrushes are closely related species that breed in the same boreal region. But the hermit thrush spends the winter farther north, in the southern United States, and the Swainson’s thrush spends the winter in South America.

The researchers first examined the birds’ genomes to look at the impact of long-distance migration on gene flow. This was a challenge, says first author Teresa Pegan, who completed the work as a UM doctoral student, because across the boreal forest, the populations within each bird species were so closely related. They all lived in regions within the boreal forest, the mostly coniferous forest that encircles the globe in the northern hemisphere.

A Canada Jay

“The boreal forest covers about 60 per cent of Canada and comprises 75 per cent of Canada’s forests. Boreal birds mainly breed in Canada and parts of the northern United States and overwinter in South and Central America. Twice a year they migrate long distances between their breeding and wintering grounds. Using DNA data, we can get a better understanding of how much mixing occurs among breeding populations over long periods of time,” says Burg.

Any patterns the researchers expected to find were going to be subtle. To tease out these subtle differences, Pegan sequenced 1,700 genomes from the 35 species of birds. She then designed a computational analysis that allowed the researchers to search for genetic patterns within each species. These genetic patterns would help the researchers determine the birds’ gene flow, or movement of genetic variants across populations in the boreal forest.

“Are birds breeding in Alberta and Ontario part of the same population or are they different,” asks Burg. “This helps us better understand how populations are connected across their range, how changes in one geographic area can impact birds in another area and informs conservation strategies.”

Human impact and climate change

The researchers say their findings can help provide background information for conservation efforts to help these birds survive the pressures of climate change and human impact on their habitat. For example, their results show that some bird groups return to the same small part of forest each year to breed.

“The boreal forest throughout Canada and the United States experiences substantial pressure, not just from climate change, but from resource extraction,” says Winger. “Deforestation of boreal forest throughout the US and Canada is more severe than many people realize.

“We’re showing that some species probably have a lot of gene flow, so they probably have a lot of movement throughout the breeding range. But others really come back to the same patch of forest every year, and those might be more susceptible to deforestation. They may be less able to fly 15 kilometres away if they come back and their nesting site has been clear cut.”

The large collaboration included research co-authors from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Royal Alberta Museum, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Spring Island Trust, New York State Museum and Colorado State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Broad areas of research awarded federal funding

caroline.zentner — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 21:03:34 +0000

A spectrum of research projects at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge have been awarded nearly $2.6 million in federal funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

The funding is part of $693.8 million for several NSERC research competitions recently announced on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

“This investment in ULethbridge research activities speaks to the excellence and nationally competitive research we do — everything from mapping fuels for wildland fires to bee behaviour and the dynamics of black holes,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, vice-president research. “Our researchers investigate topics that impact the ways we understand the world around us and the complex influences and interconnectedness of the natural environment, agriculture and food security, and deep space phenomena.”

In addition, Dr. Monique Giroux had her Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Métis Music renewed for $500,000 through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

In all, 14 ULethbridge projects are receiving funding support from NSERC through the Discovery Grant and Discovery Development Grant programs. Among them are the following projects:

Dr. Laura Chasmer, a professor in the Department of Geography & Environment, will use novel Earth observation and geospatial data to examine how variations in vegetation ecosystems, both in space and in time, may enhance and reduce wildfires in Western Canada. The research program, which will include Indigenous land managers and knowledge keepers, will develop new ways of understanding fire hazards and recommendations for ecosystem management to lessen the impact of fire and improve the resilience of ecosystems and communities.
Dr. Sergio Pellis, Department of Neuroscience, will investigate the role of rough-and-tumble play or play-fighting in the development of cognitive and social skills in non-human mammals. Based on preliminary findings, Pellis hypothesizes that species with more complex social systems that require them to negotiate more varied relationships will have patterns of play that train youngsters for the social skills they’ll need as adults.

Discovery Grants

The funding listed for the following projects is over five years:

Dr. Theresa Burg, Biological Sciences — Evolution of High Latitude Birds ($200,000)
Dr. Shelley Hoover, Biological Sciences — Interactions between social bee behaviour and health ($190,000)
Dr. Steve Wiseman, Biological Sciences — Toxicant Induced Dysregulation of Oocyte Maturation ($235,000)
Dr. Nehal Thakor, Chemistry & Biochemistry — Regulation of mRNA Translation During Cellular Stress and Apoptosis ($200,000)
Dr. Laura Chasmer, Geography & Environment — Spatio-temporal variations in wildland fire fuel connectivity and behaviour using multi-data analytics ($275,000)
Dr. Joy Morris, Mathematics & Computer Science — Unexpected Symmetries of Graphs ($135,000)
Dr. David Euston, Neuroscience — Risk, Reinforcement Schedules, and Dopamine ($165,000)
Dr. Sergio Pellis, Neuroscience — Social play, the prefrontal cortex and the development of socio-cognitive skills ($275,000)
Dr. Alexandra Tetarenko, Physics & Astronomy — Unravelling how black holes power explosive outflows ($145,000)
Dr. Stephanus Henzi, Psychology — Contingency and Specificity in the Structure and Dynamics of Social Behaviour in Baboons and Vervet Monkeys ($235,000)
Dr. Jean-Baptiste Leca, Psychology — Mechanisms and evolution of material culture in primates: Does object play facilitate tool use? ($268,690)
Dr. Jamal Mansour, Psychology — Measuring cognitive processes that predict eyewitness identification performance ($165,000)

Discovery Development Grants

The funding listed for the following projects is over two years:

Dr. Philip Bonaventure, Geography & Environment — Climatic, geomorphic and ecosystem-driven multi-scale permafrost modelling and testing ($40,0000)
Dr. David Morris, Mathematics & Computer Science — Arithmetic groups, orderability, bounded generation and automorphisms ($40,000)

The Research Support Fund supports a portion of the costs associated with managing the research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, such as salaries for staff who provide administration support, training costs for workplace health and safety, maintenance of libraries and laboratories, and administrative costs associated with obtaining patents for inventions.

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas grant supports ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge research expertise

trevor.kenney — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 20:59:41 +0000

Eight ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge research projects focused on water storage, carbon storage, insect health, fish habitat and the endangered sage grouse will go ahead thanks to a $500,000 grant from Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (AEPA).

“We’re joining forces with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge to look deeper into environmental issues impacting southern Alberta,” said Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, in a news release. “This grant will help us better maximize and manage Alberta’s water supply, reduce emissions, recover species at risk and protect the environment in the years ahead. This is a great example of government and university scientists working together.”

The three-year research grant will ultimately help both government and ULethbridge researchers better understand and respond to environmental challenges in southern Alberta and across the province.

"The Ministry's significant investment in these innovative and provincially important research projects led by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers working with Environment and Protected Areas colleagues is greatly appreciated,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, vice-president research. “The research includes answering important questions about water resources and habitat management, carbon storage in landscapes, ensuring diverse and thriving insects, birds, and fish populations, as well as human actions and interventions that affect water and lands."

The projects target diverse areas of research. Drs. Matthew Bogard and Sam Woodman (BSc '15), a postdoctoral fellow, will collaborate with researchers from AEPA and Ducks Unlimited Canada to map and define patterns of prairie wetland carbon and nutrient stocks.

In another project, Drs. Theresa Burg and Melissa Chelak, a postdoctoral fellow, will work with AEPA scientists to see how endangered sage grouse populations are responding to recent habitat restoration, namely oil and gas reclamation efforts.

Drs. Laura Chasmer, Chris Hopkinson and Craig Coburn will be focusing on the vulnerability of peatlands to wildfire. Peatlands in Alberta have been drying out in recent years, reducing their ability to slow the spread of forest fires and resulting in increased carbon loss into the atmosphere. In addition, Chasmer and Hopkinson will also work on a project to assess the province’s lake water resources.

Climate phases, such as El Nino, can impact the productivity of native grassland and wetland ecosystems. Dr. Larry Flanagan and AEPA will examine how these year-to-year variations in weather contribute to fluctuations in productivity and carbon sequestration in these ecosystems and how these factors in turn can affect dryland farming, ranching, irrigated crop production and bird habitat.

How rainbow and brown trout in urban rivers such as the Bow River are affected by the combined effects of exposure to two stormwater associated chemicals as well as increased water temperatures and decreases in dissolved oxygen is the subject of research by Drs. Steve Wiseman and Andreas Eriksson, a postdoctoral fellow, in collaboration with researchers from AEPA and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan.

Grasshopper expert, Dr. Dan Johnson, will be conducting extensive field sampling of Orthoptera to determine their diversity, abundance and biomass in wildlife food webs. Orthoptera includes insects such as grasshoppers and crickets.

A project team led by Dr. Jodie Asselin, an anthropology professor, in collaboration with government researchers, will look at the impact of human activities on the ecology of the Upper Oldman Watershed to assist in the development of policies that balance the needs of recreational users with the protection of at-risk species such as bull trout.

“These projects will help to monitor and build understanding of the southern Alberta environment and potentially lead to better responses to droughts, floods, species at risk and less predictable climate changes,” says McMartin.

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.

Board of Governors appoints Tier I Board of Governors Research Chairs

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2021 22:23:11 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors appointed four new Tier I Board of Governors Research Chairs recently.

“It is my great pleasure to announce these appointments,” says Dr. Robert Wood, interim vice-president research. “Without exception, each of these colleagues is recognized as an exemplary and innovative researcher in their respective field. The programs of research and student training that they have each proposed for their term as a Board of Governors Research Chair will further elevate our reputation and impact as a comprehensive academic and research university.”

Tier I Board of Governors Research Chairs

Dr. Carly Adams is a founding member of the Centre for Oral History and Tradition and Professor in the Department of Kinesiology. As a social historian and advocate for oral history, her research explores community, resiliency and gender with a focus on sport, recreation and leisure experiences. Adams, in collaboration with Dr. Darren Aoki at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Plymouth, UK and several community partners including the Galt Museum, Nikka Yuko Japanese Canadian Garden, and Nikkei Cultural Society of Lethbridge and Area launched the Nikkei Memory Capture Project in 2017. In 2019, they were awarded a SSHRC Insight Grant in support of this research.

Dr. Theresa Burg is a leader in avian molecular ecology. She received her BSc and MSc from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia, her PhD from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Cambridge, and was a NSERC postdoctoral fellow at Queen’s ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and Chateaubriand Fellow at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique in France. In 2006, she started at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and is currently a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. She has served on the editorial board for four international journals, numerous scientific committees and results from her research have been used in developing conservation and management policies.

Dr. Elizabeth Galway is co-director of the Institute for Child and Youth Studies and a faculty member in the Department of English, where she teaches courses in children’s literature, nineteenth-century literature, and Canadian literature. She is the author of From Nursery Rhymes to Nationhood: Children’s Literature and the Construction of Canadian Identity (Routledge 2008), which examines literature for young readers from 1867-1911. Her most recent work focuses on children’s literature from the First World War, and she has published widely on this topic.

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, investigates the mechanisms and origins of sex differences in cognitive function. Born and raised in Mexico City, Gonzalez obtained a bachelor’s in psychology from the National Autonomous ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Mexico (UNAM) and completed a MSc and a PhD in Neuroscience at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. She continued with four years of postdoctoral training at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Western Ontario. In 2009, she returned to the U of L as a Canada Research Chair in Sensorimotor Control (renewed in 2014). Her research is aimed at understanding sensorimotor and cognitive functions throughout the lifespan with particular interest in sex differences. The ultimate goal of her research is to develop programs to enhance cognitive and motor abilities that improve quality of life for everyone.

All terms begin on July 1, 2022 for a five-year period.

U of L researchers awarded more than $1.8 million in NSERC funding

caroline.zentner — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 16:47:48 +0000

Eleven ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers have been awarded Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Grants worth approximately $1.8 million, payable in instalments of anywhere from one to five years.

“��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers were very successful this year, with 11 out of 14 applications being awarded funding,” says Dr. Erasmus Okine, U of L vice-president (Research). “This funding of almost $2 million demonstrates the calibre of research our scientists are engaged in and I congratulate each one of them.”

Dr. Gerlinde Metz, a neuroscience professor, received the U of L’s largest grant worth a total of $510,000. She and her research team will continue exploring early life stress and its effects on brain plasticity. They’ll examine how early life stress alters brain development, connections between neurons, and behaviour. They’ll also look at whether factors such as age and sex determine the response to early life stress and whether early life stress affects subsequent generations.

Dr. Theresa Burg, a biology professor, studies how the evolution of high-latitude species is linked to historical and present-day environmental changes. Examining how landscape features and past climate changes have shaped today’s populations can further the understanding of population dynamics and help predict how these species might respond to future climate change.

Dr. Dmytro Yevtushenko, a professor in the Department of Biology and Research Chair in Potato Science, was awarded an early career researcher supplement in addition to a Discovery Grant. Yevtushenko will conduct research into the natural defense mechanisms of potato plants. His work could lead to higher crop yields, less crop loss, increased food safety and could help point the way to improving disease resistance in other crops.

Dr. Borries Demeler, Canada 150 Research Chair and a professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is a leading biophysics scientist with expertise in analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). AUC is used to analyze molecules in solution. He has established the Canadian Center for Hydrodynamics, which is equipped with three unique AUC instruments to accelerate biophysical research in Canada. He hopes to develop new analysis protocols and software tools that will benefit basic research in biochemistry, physics and material science.

Other U of L researchers who received grants include Dr. Jon Doan (kinesiology and physical education), Dr. Stewart Rood (biology), Dr. Lawrence Flanagan (biology), Dr. Anthony Russell (biology), Dr. Hadi Kharaghani (mathematics and computer science), Dr. Matthew Tata (neuroscience) and Dr. Saurya Das (physics and astronomy).

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.

An eye to the future

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:32:57 +0000

Some students begin their university careers with a blank slate before them, while others have a clear direction in mind. Count Erin Smith (BSc '12) among the latter.

She had determined well before she even stepped on campus that biology was her future, even if the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge was originally not her first choice university.

"I'm not going to lie, the decision to come here had a lot to do with convenience," says Smith. "My family was here and it was a chance to save some money and live at home. When we were living in Red Deer I had planned to go to Guelph ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and do biology there but we moved to Lethbridge in my Grade 12 year and the U of L had a biology program too."

That decision would not only prove to be financially responsible, but opened Smith to an opportunity she might never have seen elsewhere — the chance to conduct undergraduate research with a full faculty member and leader in her field.

Erin Smith (BSc '12), pictured here with an owl from the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, turned an applied study opportunity into a possible career path.

"Dr. Theresa Burg is amazing," says Smith. "I took a couple courses with her and specifically the evolution and conservation courses she taught were awesome. I then did an applied study with her last summer, which turned out to be a great experience."

Burg works primarily with birds, using molecular markers to study various evolutionary and ecological aspects of natural populations and how they relate to physical (e.g. glaciers) and non-physical (e.g. foraging patterns) barriers. Much of her research focuses on vertebrates, examining a range of topics from mating systems, hybrization, population structure and systematics.

For Smith, the applied study work opened her up to a new world and a job at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale.

"I was building a genetic tree using owl DNA, so I had the opportunity to gather feathers from the Birds of Prey Centre and extract DNA from them in the lab," she says, clearly enthused. "I then did genetic sequencing with them, which was really cool."

For someone who admits she never even had a budgie as a child, working with birds of prey could be intimidating but Smith has never been shy about diving in to new challenges.

"It was a huge learning curve, but Colin Weir (co-founder) and Marianne DeRocher (senior staff member) are so good with the training they help you feel comfortable with everything," says Smith.

She now handles most every bird on site, assists with the flight shows and tours, feeds the birds, breeds mice for their diets and basically does "all the gross jobs".

It's that same intrepid spirit that led her to pursue international volunteer opportunities, combining her love for wildlife conservation with the chance to help underprivileged children. Two years ago she joined the Volunteer Eco Students Abroad (VESA) organization on a trip to Ecuador where she assisted in the construction of school buildings, literacy initiatives and conservation activities. This past week she jetted to Africa for a similar tour of duty with VESA.

Needless to say, she has thrived in the U of L environment.

"I've loved how I've been able to learn here," she says. "There's a lot of expectation that you could go at it on your own but at the same time, everyone was always right there if you needed any questions answered. I found that especially in the labs, a lot of it was structured but you had the opportunity to go off on your own and do things at your own pace and in your own way."

Upon returning from Africa, Smith will spend another summer at the Birds of Prey Centre and after that, she's undecided, only that a career in wildlife conservation is her desired path.

"It's up in the air right now," she says. "I really enjoy what I'm doing out here and we'll see where I go from there."

This story first appeared in the June 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the entire issue in flipbook format, follow this link.

Species discovery

trevor.kenney — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:04:37 +0000

It's not every day that you get to make a definitive decision on a new species. But after a number of years of review, research submitted for peer review in 2008 by Dr. Theresa Burg and then-undergraduate student Derek Raines has been recognized as being a key factor in distinctly defining a group of endangered albatrosses located on remote Amsterdam Island in the South Indian Ocean.

"When it was first discovered in 1984, researchers described it as a new species because its plumage resembled a juvenile wandering albatross, which was a darker colour and in other groups whitens as it matures," says Burg. "They have a different breeding date and are smaller, and they have juvenile plumage. That gave me the idea they were different, but some research had lumped them in with other species. There had been research done on more slowly evolving genes, and there was no difference found. We looked at the other groups and found there were three other groups separated by seven to nine (genetic) differences."

Dr. Theresa Burg cradles a young albatross. Photo by Scott Schaffer, San Jose State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Burg argued that the longer the time that there has been a separation of genetic information, the better the chance the birds were distinct – and her peers agreed.

The challenge of physically getting the research done can be daunting, because as Burg describes it, the island is in the 'middle of nowhere' near Antarctica.

Getting there would typically involve a plane trip to the Falkland Islands off the coast of Argentina, a long boat ride courtesy of the British Navy and either a helicopter ride or, more typically, being cast into the freezing water in a small boat to reach the island.

The upside? E-mail through a satellite phone.

The downside? Aside from the trip and weather, dodging cranky fur seals that, despite their slow 'look' can outrun a person, head-high clumps of grass and a long turnaround time to return samples to a lab – sometimes weeks, depending on passing mail boats.

A pair of albatrosses announce their presence.

Her doctoral research began at Cambridge ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in the UK where as part of her program she was researching fur seals near the Falkland Islands. She was approached to work on albatrosses because there was less research available and the opportunity seemed unique.

The challenge now is to look for more opportunities to protect the species, since albatrosses are a threatened group of birds.

"Of the 22 different known species, 75 per cent are threatened, and this population in particular is critically endangered," says Burg. "They are a small population to begin with because of a breeding cycle that produces a single egg every two years and they face further challenges from rats introduced from whaling ships which eat the egg, and death by long-line fishing."

Burg's research these days is less distant and more accessible. She is focusing on genetic markers in chickadees, woodpeckers and jays, where her research is showing evidence of the evolutionary changes in these birds since the last ice age.

"There appears to be higher levels of variation in the species in areas that were not covered in ice, versus areas that were," Burg said. "Understanding this can help us to determine what process led to the creation of species of birds."

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - Theresa Burg

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