Dr. Anderson is a former Director of the Ecotoxicology Program at UC Davis and former Chair of his department. He currently teaches an undergraduate course in Wildlife Ecotoxicology and a graduate seminar in Ecotoxicology, as well as having served as Chairperson of the Ecotoxicology "area of emphasis" in the Ecology Graduate Group. His research interests focus on avian biology, emphasizing baseline ecology to interpret effects of perturbation, and the distribution and effects of various environmental contaminants on birds.

Dr. Anderson's current research involves studies of contamination effects, distribution, and dynamics of organic and inorganic materials in birds from California and Baja California coastal and wetland environments, including the Klamath Basin, Clear Lake, San Joaquin Valley, and Rio Colorado Delta/Gulf of California region. Anderson is also actively involved in the conservation and management of avian populations and their habitats.

Our extension laboratory is dedicated to solving the problems of and contributing to the efficiency of California's poultry and game bird producers, both commercial and non-commercial. My interests are in the area of fertility and hatchability and I work with the producers of everything from bantam chickens through commercial turkeys. A special interest is the history of women in poultry production.

Research in our laboratory is focused on protein and energy metabolism. Current efforts include describing amino acid trafficking for protein synthesis at the molecular and cellular levels, computer modeling of protein synthesis and whole animal work examining dietary amino acid effects on nitrogen balance and immune function. These efforts make use of a variety of species including birds, dairy cattle, goats, swine, rats and mice. Our laboratory is also very interested in the nutrition of captive and companion animals. Current efforts include work with parrots, finches, ducks, and cockatiels.

My research interests are pathogenesis of infectious diseases of poultry; control of infectious diseases with management, host-derived resistance, medication, and/or vaccination with a special emphasis on the immunosuppressive viruses of poultry and the pathogenesis of multifactorial diseases. Species: turkeys, chickens, ducks, gamebirds.

Recent Publications:

• Mondal, S., C. Cardona. Comparison of four regions in the replicase gene of heterologous infectious bronchitis virus strains. Virol, 324:238-248, 2004.
• Cortes, P., C.J. Cardona. The pathogenesis of a Marek's disease virus mutant lacking vIL-8 in resistant and susceptible chickens. Avian Dis. 48:50-60, 2004.
• Sommer, F., C.J. Cardona. Chicken anemia virus in broilers: Dynamics of the virus in two commercial broiler flocks. Avian Dis. 47:1466-1473, 2003.
• Cardona, C., Iherjirika, A., and McClellan, L. Haemoproteus lophortyx infection in bobwhite quail (Colianus virginiasus). 46:249-255, 2002.

Research interests are in the interfaces of behavior, endocrine and neuroendocrine physiology and ecology. Specifically environmental regulation of avian reproductive cycles, behavioral and physiological responses of birds to unpredictable environmental events, and how animals' early experiences affect their behavior and physiology later in their lives.

My laboratory research focuses on avian telomere biology, with chicken being the primary organism under study. Our studies concentrate on the organization, inheritance and stability of telomere array organization in normal, immortalized and transformed cell systems, both in vitro and in vivo. Telomere stability is one of the most significant genetic mechanisms controlling overall genome stability and influencing cellular proliferation, senescence and transformation. Current projects include analysis of the regulation and function of the telomere-telomerase pathway during virus-induced oncogenesis Students are trained in the disciplines of genetics, cytogenetics, and genomics with an emphasis on comparative vertebrate biology. Research and technology levels range from molecular and cellular to the organismal. Other interests and areas of research include gene mapping and chromosome organization, congenital and inherited developmental mutations, and conservation of poultry and avian genetic resources.

Recent Publications:

• Delany, M.E., L.M. Daniels, T.M. Gessaro, and K.L. Rodrigue. 2007. Mapping of mega-telomeres in the chicken genome. Cytogenetic and Genome Research 117:54-63.
• van de Lavoir M.-C., Diamond, J.H., Leighton, P.A., Mather-Love, C., Heyer, B.S., Bradshaw, R., Kerchner, A., Hooi, L.T., Gessaro, T., Swanberg, S.E., Delany, M.E., and Etches, R.J. 2006. Germline transmission of genetically modified primordial germ cells. Nature 441: 766-769.
• Chang, H., and M.E. Delany. 2006. Complicated RNA splicing of chicken telomerase reverse transcriptase revealed by profiling cells both positive and negative for telomerase activity. Gene 379:33-39.
• Delany, M.E. 2006. Avian genetic stocks: the high and low points from an academia researcher. Poultry Science 85:223-226.
• van de Lavoir, M.-C., Mather-Love, C., Leighton, P., Diamond, J.H., Heyer, B.S., Roberts, R., Zhu, L., Winters-Digiacinto, P., Kerchner, A., Gessaro, T., Swanberg, S., Delany, M.E., and R.J. Etches. 2006. High-grade transgenic somatic chimeras from chicken embryonic stem cells. Mechanisms of Development 123:31-41.

My research integrates studies in behavioral ecology with analyses of population biology and conservation genetics. Most of our work focuses on waterfowl, but we are also studying other avian communities. On-going projects include: (1) field studies of the ecology and evolution of reproductive parasitism in Barrow's and Common Goldeneyes, Wood Ducks, and Black-headed Ducks; (2) development of molecular genetic techniques (DNA fingerprinting, PCR, DNA sequencing) to study kinship, parentage, and phylogenetic relationships among the Anatidae; and (3) field studies and computer modeling of the interactions between social behavior, demography, and community structure in cavity-nesting waterfowl. Our field sites include California, Argentina, British Columbia, and Ontario.

Wildlife geneticist and veterinarian. Research in my laboratory revolves around wildlife ecological genetics, population health, and ecology. My students, lab members, and I work on projects that integrate: wildlife population genetics, ecology of wildlife diseases, and conservation genetics.

Species of interest include free-ranging species of management concern, threatened and endangered species, mammalian carnivores (terrestrial and marine), wild pigs, raptors (birds of prey) and corvids (magpies, jays, crows, and relatives), with a special interest in California species. Among avian interests of my group are: Yellow-billed Magpies, Crows, Jays, Buteos including Red-shouldered Hawks, Swainson's Hawks, and Red-tailed Hawks; Accipiters including Coopers Hawks; Strix species including Great Gray Owls; effects of West Nile Virus on bird populations.

Students conduct research on ways to prevention of lipid oxidation in poultry muscle, eggs and their products, methodologies for determination of cholesterol and its oxidized derivatives in poultry muscle and eggs and assessment of lipid/protein interactions in poultry muscle.

Research by students in my laboratory is directed towards understanding: 1) how an immune response to a disease challenge influences nutrient needs, growth, reproduction and well-being of birds; 2) the impact of nutrition on immunity and disease resistance; 3) the metabolic adaptations required by carnivorous and nectivorous birds; 4) the role of the immune system in pathology resulting from environmental pollutants.

Recent Publications:

• Lee, K.A. and K.C. Klasing. 2004. A role for immunology in invasion biology. TREE. 19:523-529.
• Humphrey, B.D., C.C. Calvert, and K.C. Klasing. 2004. The ratio of full length IgY to truncated IgY in immune complexes affects macrophage phagocytosis and the acute phase response of mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos). Dev Comp Immunol. 28:665:672.
• Koutsos, E.A., C.C. Calvert, and K.C. Klasing. 2003. The effect of an acute phase response on tissue cartonenoid levels of growing chicks. Comp Biochem Physiol. 135:635-646.
• Wang, R., J.R. Millam, and K.C. Klasing. 2003. Distribution of interleukin-1 receptor in chicken and quail brain. Comp Biochem Physiol. 136:663-671.

Study of the ecology of avian parasitism, parasitism in the biology and conservation of bird species; habitat fragmentation and parasite infestation responses.

Research in my laboratory is focused on the assessment and improvement of the welfare of captive and managed birds. Current areas of emphasis include: 1) modifying the housing and management of broiler chickens to promote exercise and decrease growth-related skeletal problems, and 2) investigating the effects of environmental and social enrichment on behavioral development, especially the development of abnormal behaviors like feather pecking and stereotypy.

Recent Publications:

• Shields, S.J., Garner, J.P. and Mench, J.A. 2004. Dustbathing by broiler chickens: a comparison of preference for four different substrates. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 87: 69-82.
• Appleby, M.C., Mench, J.A. and Hughes, B.O. 2004. Poultry Behaviour and Welfare. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.
• Garner, J.P., Meehan, C.L., Famula, T.R., Mench, J.A. 2005. Genetic, environmental, and neighbor effects on the severity of stereotypies and feather picking in Orange-winged Amazon parrots: an epidemiological study. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 96:153-168.
• Miller, K.A., Garner, J.P., Mench, J.A. 2006. Is fearfulness a stable and consistent trait that is measurable using behavioural tests? A validation of four fear tests using Japanese quail. Animal Behaviour 71:1323-1334.
• Gustafson, L., Cheng, H-W., Garner, J.P., Pajor, E.A. and Mench, J.A. 2007. Effects of bill-trimming on the behavior, bill morphopathology, and weight gain of Muscovy ducks. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 103: 59-74.

Neural control of turkey reproduction

Most birds breed seasonally and most temperate-clime species limit seasonal reproduction with some form of photorefractoriness, a physiological process that results in gonadal involution. We are using neuroanatomic techniques and exploiting the behavior of long day-induced immediate early gene responses to elucidate neural circuitry mediating photorefractoriness and to learn how thyroid hormone contributes to the development of photorefractoriness.

Environmental estrogens and songbird reproduction

Endocrine disruptors that mimic endogenous estrogens alter normal differentiation of brain and behavior in songbird chicks, leading to impaired reproductive fitness. We are investigating whether songbirds may be similarly susceptible to phytoestrogens. If so, plants may employ phytoestrogens as a defense against avian herbivory.

Parrot reproduction and behavior

The quality of the pair bond is a strong predictor of reproductive fitness in monogamous parrots. We are investigating whether behavioral attributes of parrot chicks, i.e., personality traits, predict pair formation, pair bond quality and therefore contribute to reproductive fitness of adults. Other research is investigating cage enrichment preferences of parrots.

Recent Publications:

• Millam, J.R., C.B. Craig-Veit and T.D. Siopes. 2003. Photostimulated fos-like immunoreactivity in tuberal hypothalamus of photosensitive vs. photorefractory turkey hens. General and Comparative Endocrinology 134: 175-181.
• Millam, J.R. Endocrine disruption in a song bird, the Zebra finch. 2005. In “Functional Avian Endocrinology (provisional title),” Dawson A, Sharp PJ, Eds. Narosa Publishing House, New Delhi. Pp. 285-299.
• Spoon T.R., J.R. Millam and D.H. Owings. 2007. Behavioural compatibility, extrapair copulation and mate switching in a socially monogamous parrot. Animal Behaviour 73: 815-824.
• Rainwater T.R., M.B. Wood, J. R. Millam and M. J. Hooper. Effects of perchlorate on growth and behavior of a granivorous passerine, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. (In press.)

Our laboratory is concentrating on developing assisted reproductive techniques for psittacines. The model species is the budgerigar. Our laboratory is also working various studies (hematology and pharmacology) which are directly applicable to companion avian medicine.

Work in my laboratory is focused on the influence of genetics and vaccinal immunity on disease resistance in poultry. We concentrate primarily on diseases that affect the young bird or embryo. Some examples are Marek's disease, Infectious Bronchitis virus and Infectious Bursal Disease virus. Other areas of interest include examining the role of serum enzymes in disease diagnosis of poultry and field investigations.

Research in my laboratories deals with cell and developmental biology of birds and other animals. Much of it focuses on muscle growth and abnormalities, neurotoxicology, and the impact of pesticides on humans and wildlife from the molecular to the habitat levels of integration of living systems.