After completing their work in Arizona “Team Torpor” transitioned to Oregon for a second year of work on Anna’s hummingbird during July. Collaborator Dr. Anusha Shankar, a Rose Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell, joined us for this final leg of the torpor field work.
In addition to extending the work done in Arizona to the non-migratory Anna’s, Anusha was completing work started last year focused on understanding changes in gene expression associated with the use of torpor. For the entire month Anusha and the rest of the team (Emily, Sophia, Santi, and Shenni) turned my shed into a makeshift torpor lab!
The work involved data collection on birds at night then preparation for molecular and histological work during the day. And, of course, Anusha always must fit time in for evening Salsa dancing! It was a very buy month! Below are some photos for you to enjoy.
