ProfessorKate Buchanan

My research interests lie across the importance of early life effects on physiological and behavioural development through to the relevance to the evolution of signalling systems. I work on a range of bird species, focusing on songbirds and mostly on zebra finches in recent years. Having conducted my PhD work on the evolution of bird song, this remains a principle area of interest. My postdoctoral work focused on explaining the evolution of complex song repertoires in terms of the importance of environmental stress. I have more recently developed interests in the importance of cyclic environmental regimes and their relevance for embryonic programing.
Currently I have active involvment in the following research projects : 1) the condition-dependence of song learning in zebra finches, 2) prenatal acoustic sensitivity in birds and the relevance for vocal learning 3) the factors controlling reproductive readiness in opportunistically breedingbirds 4)
prenatal environmental cues and circadian physiology 5) comparative endocrinology and comparison of endocrine measures 6) egg hormones and maternal effects. These project interests are or have recently been supported by ARC funding through my Future Fellowship project 'Learning in a changing world: Maternal effects on offspring development and behaviour,' (2014-2021), as well as two Discovery projects held jointly with Dr Mylene Mariette : DP18101207 'Revisiting the ontogeny of vocal learning in birds: from neuron to fitness' and DP210101238 'Avian embryonic perception: what role for good vibrations?' held jointly with the Max Planck Seewiesen Germany and College of William and Mary, USA. Recent funding from Velux Stiftung supports work examining ontogeny of the circadian clock in altricial birds, the timing of hatching and the relevance of latitudinal variation in reproductive timing in oppportunistically breeding zebra finches.

Knowledge Areas
1. Evolution of acoustic signals
2. Neural control of acoustic signalling and perception
3. Assessing endocrine levels in wild Australian animals
4. Endocrine control of begging behaviour
5. Avian neurobiology

Projects
1. My long term interest in the impact of early developmental experience on adult birds is currently funded by Velux Stiftung, as well as Agrifutures Australia. In this project we are assessing the impact of rhythmic light and temperature cycles before hatching on the growth and development of both wild birds and poultry. PhD student Caleb Wellard (Gary Sansom Agrifutures scholarship) is assessing the impact of incubation lighting on hatch timing, gene expression, development and physiology in broiler chickens. PhD student Tennison Gurumayum is assessing the development of rhythmic gene expression in zebra finches, as well as the role of latitudinal origin in determining reproductive timing in this opportunistic breeder.

2. Together with postdoctoral fellow Dr Mylene Mariette (Uni of Seville), I have been working on prenatal acoustic sensitivity in birds and the importance for early development and vocal learning. This project, (ARC DP18 and DP21) seeks to determine when and how passerine birds can hear prior to hatching and the implications for parental and sibling signalling.

3. I am interested in maternal effects in terms of their implications for offspring development and also the nature of their mechanisms. PhD student Anna Miltiadous is examining maternal corticosterone in zebra finches, yolk deposition and implications for epigenetic effects in collaboration with Dr Damien Callahan (Deakin) and Dr Lee Ann Rollins (UNSW).

4. PhD student Amira Mohamed is working on neural control of heat calling in zebra finches (supervised by Dr Susanne Hoffmann, Max PLanck Seewiesen), as well as auditory sensititvity to heat calls and embryonic vibration prior to hatching. This project will also involve assessing the neural response to conspecific alarm calling in noisy miners with Dr Hoffmann (ERC Consolidator grant).