Katherine Louise "Kate" Buchanan is an avian behavioural ecologist currently working in Deakin University's School of Life and Environment Sciences. Her research focuses on investigating how sexual selection has shaped the evolution of complex songs in birds and ultimately how this is reflected in the evolution of the brain itself.

Professor

Katherine Louise Buchanan
NationalityAustralian
Alma materUniversity of Glasgow
Known forResearch on developmental stress in songbirds
Scientific career
Fieldsbehavioural ecology, ornithology
ThesisSong and sexual selection in the sedge warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) (1997[1])
Doctoral advisorClive Catchpole

Education and appointments edit

Kate Buchanan gained a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Glasgow in 1989 and a Doctor of Philosophy from Royal Holloway, University of London in 1997, working with Professor Clive Catchpole. After studying for two postdoctoral degrees at the University of Stirling, she was awarded a Personal Research Fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 at Cardiff University. She was a lecturer at Cardiff University from 2003 to early 2008.[2]

In early 2008, Buchanan took a position at Deakin University, Australia, at the Geelong campus, where she works within the Centre for Integrative Ecology.[3] She was awarded an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship in 2014.[4] Buchanan is currently editor-in-chief of BirdLife Australia's scientific ornithology journal Emu.[5]

Scientific work edit

She is most well known for her work on early development in songbirds and the effects of early developmental stress on the song system[6] and genetic and environmental control of sexual signals.[7] However, she has interests in the interactions between early development and control of the stress related behaviour and physiology[8] and whether immunocompetence can mediate the costs of sexual traits.[9] Her work has demonstrated the effects of the exposure of wild birds to endocrine disrupters in terms of both behaviour and physiology.[10][11]

References edit

  1. ^ Katherine L. Buchanan (1997) Song and sexual selection in the sedge warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) PhD thesis, Royal Holloway, University of London.
  2. ^ "AsPr Kate Buchanan". Staff profile. Deakin University. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  3. ^ "About". Centre for Integrative Ecology. Deakin University. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Assoc Prof Kate Buchanan has been awarded an ARC Future Fellowship Award". Centre for Integrative Ecology. Deakin University. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Associate Professor Kate Buchanan". About the Editorial Team. CSIRO Publishing. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  6. ^ Buchanan, Katherine L.; Leitner, Stefan; Spencer, Karen A.; Goldsmith, Arthur R.; Catchpole, Clive K. (2004). "Developmental Stress Selectively Affects the Song Control Nucleus HVC in the Zebra Finch". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. 271 (1555): 2381–2386. doi:10.1098/rspb.2004.2874. JSTOR 4142813. PMC 1691866. PMID 15556891.
  7. ^ Woodgate, Joseph L.; Buchanan, Katherine L.; Bennett, Andrew T.D.; Catchpole, Clive K.; Brighton, Roswitha; Leitner, Stefan (2013). "Environmental and genetic control of brain and song structure in the zebra finch". Evolution. 68 (1): 230–240. doi:10.1111/evo.12261. PMID 24102614.
  8. ^ Careau, Vincent; Buttemer, William A.; Buchanan, Katherine L. (2014). "Developmental stress can uncouple relationships between physiology and behaviour". Biology Letters. 10 (12): 20140834. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2014.0834. PMC 4298193. PMID 25519754.
  9. ^ Robers, M. L.; Buchanan, K. L.; Evans, M. R. (2004). "Testing the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis: a review of the evidence". Animal Behaviour. 68 (2): 227–239. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.05.001. S2CID 9549459.
  10. ^ Markman, Shai; Guschina, Irina; Barnsley, Sara; Buchanan, Katherine; Pascoe, David; Müller, Carsten (2007). "Endocrine disrupting chemicals accumulate in earthworms exposed to sewage effluent". Chemosphere. 70 (1): 119–125. Bibcode:2007Chmsp..70..119M. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.06.045. PMID 17675209.
  11. ^ Markman, Shai; Leitner, Stefan; Catchpole, Clive; Barnsley, Sara; Müller, Carsten; Pascoe, David; Buchanan, Katherine (27 February 2008). "Pollutants Increase Song Complexity and the Volume of the Brain Area HVC in a Songbird". PLOS ONE. 3 (2): e1674. Bibcode:2008PLoSO...3.1674M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001674. PMC 2244705. PMID 18301751.