PEOPLE Susan Marsh-Rollo, Lab Manager 905.525.9140 ext. 27920 905.526.9225 (fax) marshse@mcmaster.ca Research Interests: The underlying neurophysiological mechanisms of social behaviour in vertebrates. My research interests are to understand the physiological and genetic underpinnings of social behaviour using African cichlid fishes as a model species. I am also interested in how the environment influences the evolution of behaviours in social vs non-social species. As the lab manager, I oversee and assist with undergraduate thesis projects and with aspects of graduate students' research. I also coordinate the maintenance and daily care of the various species of fish in our wonderful fish laboratory. Volunteers are always needed and readily welcomed! Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in a volunteer opportunity. Connie (Constance) O'Connor, Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour 905.525.9140 ext. ext. 27920 coconn@mcmaster.ca Research Interests: Evolution and mechanisms of reproductive and social behaviours. My post-doctoral research is focused on the genomic and physiological mechanisms underlying social behaviour in cichlids. Karen Cogliati, Ph.D. Student Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour 905.525.9140 ext. 26037 cogliakm@mcmaster.ca Research Interests: The Evolution of Alternative Reproductive Tactics, Parentage Analyses and Ecological Correlates of Parental Care and Reproduction in Midshipman fish. I am interested in understanding what factors play a role in the maintenance of Male Alternative Reproductive Tactics (MARTs). My research investigates how male tactics vary in abundance both spatially and temporally, and how this variation influences paternity success in the Plainfin Midshipman, Porichthys notatus. I am also interested in understanding how ecological factors, including predation, nest density and environmental contamination, may impact these male tactics. Cody Dey, Ph.D. Student Department of Biology Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour 905.525.9140 ext. ext. 24032 deycj@mcmaster.ca Research Interests: Cooperative breeding, social communication systems, sexual selection and reproductive skew in the joint laying Pukeko. I am interested in reproductive skew, communication, and sociality in the cooperatively breeding pukeko (Porphyrio porphyrio). Pukeko are cooperatively breeding birds that show a large within and between populations variation in their social structure. These birds live in permanent or seasonal social groups composed of 2-15 adults of mixed sex. Pukeko’s are a great system to study the factors that facilitate social living and determine the structure and dynamics of social groups. In particular, I am studying how communication systems and intersexual conflict influence social networks, dominance hierarchies and reproductive sharing in this species. My work is primarily field based, but I often use lab techniques to strengthen and compliment these studies. I am co-supervised by Dr. Balshine and Dr. Quinn in the Biology Department. Adam Reddon, Ph.D. Student Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour 905.525.9140 ext. 26037 reddonar@mcmaster.ca Research Interests: Decision Making in Social Groups, especially as it pertains to aggression, contest behaviour and social behaviour in Cichlid Fishes. My research focus is on cooperation and conflict in small-scale animal societies. I work with Neolamprologus pulcher, a cooperatively breeding cichlid fish endemic to Lake Tanganyika, Africa. In particular, I am interested in the roles of aggression and social partner choice in modulating conflict resolution within social groups. I am interested in understanding decision making in a social context from both proximate (mechanistic) and ultimate (functional) perspectives. Erin McCallum, M.Sc. Student Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour 905.525.9140 ext. ext. 26037 mccalles@mcmaster.ca Research Interests: The effects of contaminant exposure on learning and decision-making in the round goby Neogobious melanostomus. My research focuses on how contaminated environments affect the brain, body and behavior of the round goby. I assess how pharmaceutical and metal contaminants found in wastewater effluent and sediments within the Hamilton Harbour influence decision making behaviours such as mate choice, foraging and predator evasion in the round goby. I use field and laboratory exposures to analyze how these pollutants have single and interactive effects on learning and cognition. In addition, I am assessing how different concentrations and exposure time-courses to these contaminants affect the brain and body morphology of round goby. Fizza Jafri Undergraduate Thesis Student 905.525.9140 ext. ext. 27919 jafrif@mcmaster.ca Research Area: Lateralization and object recognition and inspection. My research is focused on understanding how fish explore familiar versus unfamiliar objects and the extent that they are lateralized in this regard. I am using the social living cichlid fish, Neolamprologus pulcher in this research. Amanda Pereira Undergraduate Thesis Student 905.525.9140 ext. ext. 27919 pereirac@mcmaster.ca Research Area: Ecological Correlates of Parental Care in the Plainfin Midshipman My research is on ecological correlates of parental care in Plainfin midshipman. I'm looking at how overall body condition of Type I males changes over the breeding season. I am quantifying the gut contents of males from different beaches across the Pacific North West. Dominika Tomczyk Undergraduate Thesis Student 905.525.9140 ext. ext. 27919 dtomczyk06@gmail.com Research Area: I study contaminant-associated differences in learning capacity using the condition place preference protocol with round goby from Hamilton Harbour. Consequences of contaminant exposure on cognitive capacity in the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus). In an effort to understand the effects of chronic in situ exposure to high levels of contamination on fish cognitions, I am exploring how fish from contaminated sites in Hamilton Harbour compare to those from cleaner sites, with respect to learning and memory. I am using the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), an invasive, pollution-tolerant fish species from Europe, as a model organism. Michael Barone Undergraduate Project Student 905.525.9140 ext. ext. 27919 baronem@mcmaster.ca Research Area: I am a research project student, helping out on the Plainfin Midshipman project. I am conducting egg size analyses and nest area measures to explore both ecological and male traits on reproductive success in this species. Rachel Charney Undergraduate Project Student 905.525.9140 ext. ext. 27919 charnere@mcmaster.ca Cayli Hunt Undergraduate Project Student 905.525.9140 ext. ext. 27919 huntcj@mcmaster.ca Research Area: Paternity in Midshipman and DNA extraction I am a research project student, helping out on the Plainfin Midshipman project. I am assisting in DNA extractions of adult fish fin clippings, eggs and fry. In addition, I determine the development stage that the eggs and fry were at collection. Max Rannie Undergraduate Project Student 905.525.9140 ext. ext. 27919 rannieml@mcmaster.ca Research Area: Sexual discrimination and preference in Neolamprologus pulcher As a project student, I assist several PhD and MSc students with their research, experimentation, and analysis. I have special interest in the cichlid species Neolamprologus pulcher because of their complex and often amusing social behaviours. I am conducting experiments on mate choice and sex discrimination capabilities in this species. Mike Lee, Undergraduate Volunteer I am a volunteer in the lab and do a wide variety of tasks and have a special interest in evolution and ecology especially connected to the round goby population studies. Aliyah Mohamed, Undergraduate Volunteer I am a volunteer in the lab and do a wide variety of tasks. I have a special interest in evolution of cooperation and social behaviour and help to do behavioural scoring on a series of lab projects on these topics. Twishna Patel, Undergraduate Volunteer I am a volunteer in the lab. I am responsible for a wide variety of tasks and have a special interest in the round goby population studies. Shakil Salim, Undergraduate Volunteer I am a volunteer in the lab. I am responsible for cleaning the tanks on a weekly basis and try to help out during the round goby dissection days. Tiffany Tsui, Undergraduate Volunteer I am a volunteer in the lab. I am responsible for cleaning the tanks on a weekly basis and try to help out whenever I am needed. Grant Fortin, Volunteer 905.525.9140 ext. ext. 27919 grant.fortin@gmail.com I am a volunteer in the lab. I am responsible for enumerating the number and types of organisms found in Hamilton Harbour sediments. Click here to view my PREVIOUS STUDENTS