For further information about Dr. Silke Nebel and her research, please visit her website at:
http://publish.uwo.ca/~snebel2/
Dr. Silke Nebel
Evolutionary ecology of avian migration systems
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Position: Postdoctoral Fellow Office Location: Advanced Facility for Avian Research Room 205 Phone: +1 519 661-2111 ext. 84669 Email: snebel2@uwo.ca Website: http://publish.uwo.ca/~snebel2/ |
Degrees and Institutions:
- Simon Fraser University, Canada, PhD (Feb '04)
- Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, MSc project (Jul '98)
- University of Göttingen , Germany , Biology, MSc in Biology (Oct '98)
- University of Aberdeen , Scotland , Biology (Jun '95)
- University of Würzburg , Germany , Biology(Jul '94)
Research Statement
My research focuses on the ecology and evolution of avian migration systems, particularly those of shorebirds.
My current project looks at the trade-off between immune function and flight performance in migratory birds. Migratory birds are often blamed for the spread of avian influenza, however, evidence that birds infected with highly-pathogenic avian influenza can migrate long-distances unhampered is still lacking. Both migration and mounting an immune response are energetically very demanding, and according to life-history theory, birds cannot optimize both simultaneously. To study this trade-off, we are carrying out experiments in a wind tunnel at the Advanced Facility for Avian Research at UWO.
This project is done with collaboration with Dr. Chris Guglielmo (University of Western Ontario).
