Publications
- Altshuler, D.L., and M.V. Srinivasan 2018. Comparison of visually guided flight in insects and birds. Frontiers in Neuroscience 12:157 [ Link ]
- Dakin, R., P.S. Segre, A.D. Straw, and D.L. Altshuler 2018. Morphology, muscle capacity, skill, and maneuvering ability in hummingbirds. Science 359:653-657 [ Link ]
- Gutierrez-Ibanez, C., A.H. Gaede, M.R. Dannish, D.L. Altshuler, and D.R. Wylie 2018. The retinal projection to the nucleus lentiformis mesencephali in zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) and Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna). Journal of Comparative Physiology A doi:10.1007/s00359-018-1245-5 [ Link ]
- Tyrell, L.P., B. Goller, B.A. Moore, D.L. Altshuler, and E. Fernandez-Juricic 2018. The orientation of visual space from the perspective of hummingbirds. Frontiers in Neuroscience 12:16 [ Link ]
- Gaede, A.H., B. Goller, J.P.M. Lam, D.R. Wylie, and D.L. Altshuler 2017. Neurons responsive to global visual motion have unique tuning properties in hummingbirds. Current Biology 27:279-285 [ Link ]
Douglas Altshuler
Professor
Email:
Office phone: (604) 827-5361
Lab phone: (604) 822-2373
Web page: Lab page
Research area: Comparative Physiology
Lab Members: M. Armstrong, V. Baliga, R. Dakin, C. Harvey, E. Press, S. Senthivasan, G. Smyth, J. Theriault, J. Wong, L. Wood, S. Wu
History: BA (Hons) History, University of California, Santa Cruz; MSc Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University; PhD Department of Zoology, University of Texas at Austin; NIH PDF Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology
One of the most remarkable adaptations in animals is the ability to fly. Birds, bats and insects are among the most successful of terrestrial organisms, and their colonization of diverse habitats and ecological roles provides a rich context for studies of animal behavior and ecology. The study of how animals fly is an intrinsically multidisciplinary field that involves aspects of aerodynamics, physiology, and neuroscience. Although most flight research concerns either mechanisms or ecological interactions, flight behavior provides a powerful yet experimentally tractable system with which to merge reductionist and comparative approaches to understand how complex locomotion is accomplished, and how variation in locomotor performance influences higher-order behaviors. In my laboratory, we aim to integrate approaches ranging from laboratory experiments to evolutionary comparisons because understanding the mechanisms of flight control also requires understanding the historical forces that have shaped it. Conversely, to evaluate the mechanisms by which ecological changes result in biological adaptations requires a well-described system that can be studied in different environments.
Awards
2018
23rd Annual Lawrence R. Blinks Memorial Lecturer in Physiology, Stanford University
For Research
2017
UBC Killam Faculty Research Fellowship, Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Fund for Advanced Studies
For Research
2016
Peter Wall Scholar
For Research
2013
Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Awardee
For Research
2007
George A. Bartholomew Award
For Research
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Last updated 15 March 2018