The research group studies physiological adaptations to life at high
Our research is curiosity-driven and aims to understand the
Our methodology spans from state-of-the-art molecular techniques to
The research group is located in the Arctic Biology facility at the UiT campus, which includes offices, laboratories, animal rooms, workshops, store rooms and garages within 4 separate buildings totalling about 2 700 m2. The buildings are located within a fenced area of >50 000 m2 which also includes pens for holding experimental animals. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has approved the research animal facility for the maintenance of arctic mammals and birds (reindeer, seals, ptarmigan) and hibernation facilities for golden hamsters. The group also operates a field station on Ryøy, ~20 km outside Tromsø, and in Adventdalen on the high-arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
Recently we modernised our ptarmigan facility, surgery suite and molecular biology laboratories. We also have access the Marine Research Laboratory in Kårvika for our fish work and R/V Helmer Hanssen for our seal research.
Evolution of seasonal adaptations in voles - a physiological and genetic approach
Diel activity rhythms in wild songbirds in the Subarctic
Thermal properties of arctic fox fur and the effects of fur lice infestation
Seasonal regulation of melanogenesis in ptarmigan
The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus of The Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) and it’s Circadian Outputs
The effect of endurance training on mitochondrial function in Siberian huskies and Alaskan huskies
Circannual rhythms in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus)
Can baleen whales be safely live-captured for studies of their physiology?
Nitrogen Excretion and Aspects of Water Balance in Fasting Hooded Seal Pups (Cystophora cristata)
Validating the Tritiated Water Method in Adult Harp Seal
Characterization of the biological clock in Svalbard ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea)
Munin has a full list of PhD and MScs completed.
If you want to join us for a masters project you can either register for the Arctic animal physiology masters program at UiT or if you are already on a MSc program at a different university you can register as an exchange student for the masters project: Exchange Masters project or the Erasmus+ Traineeship.
You may also be able to start the project sooner than the application deadline listed under exchange student masters project, please contact us directly to find out.
Please note that for many of the projects involving animals the supervisors will need at least 6 months notice to set up the project before you are due to start with the work, so please contact us early.
Thyroid hormone regulation of mitochondrial activity in hibernation
Ever wonder how a hibernator re-warms itself? This project focuses on an endocrine tissue called brown fat which produces heat through uncoupled mitochrondria to re-warm the whole animal. In order to prepare for the hibernation season thyroid hormone levels in the brain are altered, this project will look at the effect of changing thyroid hormone levels in the brown adipose tissue on thermogenesis. The student will:
Contact David Hazlerigg or Shona Wood (David.hazlerigg@uit.no or shona.wood@uit.no )
Behavioural analysis of hibernating and non-hibernating strategies
Golden hamsters prepare for winter by lowering their body temperature to approximately 33C, some take this a step further initiating full hibernation by periodically lowering their body temperature to 8C! This project will compare the two winter strategies calculating activity, food intake and energy expenditure over the winter season. The student will:
Contact Shona Wood (shona.wood@uit.no )
Do ptarmigan use torpor (“hibernation”)?
Svalbard ptarmigan have remarkable adaptations to survive the arctic winter, increasing fat stores and plumage to maintain body temperature. Torpor is a state metabolic rate suppression which leads to a regulated lowering of body temperature, multiple species of bird use torpor to save energy. The aim of this project is to determine whether the Svalbard ptarmigan employs this strategy. The student will:
Contact Shona Wood (shona.wood@uit.no )
Relationship between calcium appetite and antler growth in reindeer
Antler growth in deer is the only example of regenerative bone growth seen in adult mammals, and is therefore of major biomedical interest (regenerative medicine). Among deer species, reindeer are the only species in which both males and females grow antlers. The seasonal cycle of antler growth and casting entails a high calcium demand which must be met partly through calcium intake in the diet or through mobilization of calcium reserves elsewhere in the skeleton (seasonal osteoporosis). The project will investigate the extent to which seasonal changes in appetite and bone demineralization respond passively to antler calcium demand or to innate circannual programs controlling physiology and behaviour. Using our captive herd of tame reindeer, the project will involve a combination of behavioural monitoring for changes in taste preference, monitoring of antler growth and assessment of hormonal and metabolic parameters.
Contact: David Hazlerigg (david.hazlerigg@uit.no) & James McCutcheon (Psychology, james.e.mccutcheon@uit.no)
Overwintering strategies and activity rhythms in a living fossil
The living fossil lepidurus arcticus is found in ephemeral pools and permanent freshwater lakes on Svalbard. There are two potential avenues of research:
At present, we don't know if L. arcticus responds to photoperiod, if it has a biological clock and if it has a rhythmic expression of the clock genes. Knowledge of life cycle can be useful for understand the biological rhythms in this and other high arctic species. Moreover, climate change studies predict a special effect in high-latitude lakes (Giorgi et al., 1997), which includes longer ice-free periods. Changes in the length of the ice-free period may have differential effects on the development of species, altering the zooplankton community structure.
The student will:
Contact David Hazlerigg or Shona Wood (David.hazlerigg@uit.no or shona.wood@uit.no )
Clocks and chronotypes of wild Arctic songbirds
(students interested in joining the breeding season fieldwork should contact Barbara as soon as possible)
We have opportunities to study circadian clocks, daily rhythms and chronotypes of wild free-living songbirds (great tits, blue tits, willow tits or pied flycatchers). Students may develop their own research projects and are welcome to contact Barbara to discuss their ideas. Depending on the season, topics can range from: a) basic characterization of rhythms of individually marked birds in the field (especially during the polar night and midnight sun); b) studying how activity patterns relate to reproductive success and survival; c) impacts of artificial light at night on daily/seasonal rhythms; d) studying the circadian clock of songbirds during the polar night and midnight sun; e) other studies involving behavioural tests (personality, cognition) may also be possible depending on the season.
Activities can involve:
Contact Barbara Tomotani (barbara.m.tomotani@uit.no )
Evolution of biological clocks in land snails
We are establishing a new animal species to be a model for studying selection of biological clocks in nature: the copse snail. We have the opportunity to study biological clocks, daily rhythms and winter dormancy both in laboratory and in the field. Being a new model species, there are plenty of possibilities for students to develop their own research projects. Students are welcome to get in touch with Barbara to discuss their ideas.
Depending on the season, topics can range from: a) basic characterization of rhythms; b) experimentation with winter dormancy; c) circadian clock during the “midnight sun”; d) big data approach to determine winter dormancy in land snails; e) other studies involving behavioural tests (e.g., personality), heritability of traits, and ecological biogeography may also be possible.
Activities can involve:
Contact Barbara Tomotani (barbara.m.tomotani@uit.no )
Olfactory imprinting in Atalantic salmon
Salmon have the remarkable ability to navigate from the open sea to their natal streams where they reproduce. We think they achieve this by using a magnetic sense to get them to the right area, then by using their olfactory sense to pilot the rest of their way back home. Some amazing studies done back in the 60s and 70s show that this later part is the result of a memory, or olfactory imprint, which is laid down during a sensitive window when the young salmon, which hatch in the rivers, migrate to sea. We still do not know, however, how the opening and closing of this sensitive window is timed.
In 2023 we imprinted captive salmon to a chemical agent under different day-lengths to determine whether olfactory imprinting is associated with seasonal lighting cues. To determine the imprinting status of these fish we will test their behavioural responses to the chemical agent in a two-choice maze when the fish reach reproductive maturity in autumn 2025. The project will involve hands-on work during the Atlantic salmon behavioural tests, the use of machine learning tools for video analysis, and lab-based molecular assays to determine the endocrine status of the fish during the choice test.
Contact Alex West (alexander.c.west@uit.no) to discuss further
Smoltification in salmon and/or immune function in salmon
Contact David Hazlerigg (David.hazlerigg@uit.no) to discuss further.
The research group offers research-based teaching in general and comparative physiology, both at the Bachelor, Master and PhD levels.
Courses and teaching activities:
Publications
Popular science articles of our research
Local news article on hibernation (in Norwegian)
Svalbard reindeer cover image in JEB
Feature on our work on Hooded seals in JEB
Early career researcher spotlight on Chiara Ciconne working Hooded seals
Feature on our work on Sibernian hamsters and maternal light
Endurance physiology in Huskys (in Norwegian)
European research council funded hibernation project (in Norwegian)
Peer-reviewed articles
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