Cosima Porteus

Campus

UTSC

CSB Appointment

Full

Research Areas

Animal Biology, Physiology

Education

Ph.D University of British Columbia 2012
MSc University of Guelph 2006
BSc University of Guelph 2004

Primary Undergraduate Department

UTSC Biological Sciences

Graduate Programs

Cell Systems and Biology

Research Description

The focus of our laboratory is to understand how fish sense, interact with and respond to their environment, linking environmental changes or challenges to whole animal physiology, behaviour and ecology. Our current focus is on anthropogenic factors as these have contributed significantly to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2). The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased in the last 100 years and it is predicted that it will continue to do so in a business as usual scenario. The oceans absorb about a quarter of the total carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere and this consequently leads to ocean acidification. Additionally, sea surface temperatures are also increasing as a consequence of climate change. We are currently using a combination of techniques including in vivo physiology, cellular imaging, high through-put sequencing, immunohistochemistry, and nerve recording, in combination with behaviour experiments to gain a better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that allow aquatic animals to respond to environmental stressors. We have recently shown that elevated carbon dioxide affects the olfactory system of European sea bass (Porteus et al 2018, Nature Climate Change). These findings have far-reaching impacts and applications from marine conservation to commercial and recreational fisheries. The current research in our lab is investigating the effect of multiple stressors on the olfactory pathways in fish.