My lab is involved with a number of research projects that deal with the sensory ecology of natural populations of insects and their predators. Our primary study model is the auditory system in the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) and how this sensory system has evolved and what present-day physiological and ecological factors maintain it. I've described some active areas in the lab and you are invited to browse through them to see if one of them appeals to you. A good way to get an idea what goes on in my lab is to check out some of the papers I've done with my students on my homepage. I am also interested in hearing from you about graduate projects that do not exactly match these descriptions but that you think would fit in with the general theme of insect sensory systems and behaviour.

What can I study?

Sensory ecology and evolution

These projects are carried out at the Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS) located near the town of Chaffey's Locks in eastern Ontario. We move to QUBS every June and set up auditory neurophysiology and behavioural experiments in the station's laboratories. The area that QUBS sits on has an unusually diverse insect fauna and allows us to use populations of wild insects to understand their natural behaviour. Working here is a pleasant summer-long experience but it requires a full three month research period away from Toronto. These projects are suited towards students who have had a senior undergraduate project in similar topics and are ready to begin their graduate studies in the summer. We have also had students who are accepted to the University's graduate programme in the spring but defer their starting date until September. These students are paid as research assistants to work on a project at QUBS and if they decide to continue with it for their graduate project, they enroll in the fall and continue to work on it throughout the winter. This is a good way for students to "test the waters" about their interests in graduate research.

Here are some publications that have come from work at QUBS:

Yack, J.E., Scudder, G.G.E. and Fullard J.H. 1999. Evolution of the metathoracic tympanal ear and its mesothoracic homologue in the Macrolepidoptera (Insecta). ZOOMORPHOLOGY 119:93-103.

Surlykke, A., Filskov, M., Fullard, J.H., Forrest, E. 1999. Auditory relationships to size in noctuid moths: bigger is better. NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 86:238-241.

Fullard, J.H. and Dawson, J.W. 1999. Why do diurnal moths have ears? NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 86:276-279.

Fullard, J.H., Forrest, E., and Surlykke, A. (1998) Intensity responses of the single auditory receptor of notodontid moths: a test of the peripheral interaction hypothesis in moth ears. J. EXP. BIOL. 201:3419-3424

Lewis, F. and Fullard, J.H. (1996) The neurometamorphosis of the ear in the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar and its homologue in the earless forest tent caterpillar moth, Malacosoma disstria. J. NEUROBIO. 31:245-262.

Faure, P, J.H. Fullard and J. Dawson (1993) The gleaning attacks of the northern long-eared bat, Myotis septentrionalis, are relatively inaudible to moths. J. EXP. BIOL. 178:173-189.

Lewis, F., J.H. Fullard and S. Morrill (1993) Auditory influences on the flight behaviour of moths at a Nearctic site. II. Flight times, heights and erraticism. CAN. J. ZOOL. 71:1562-1568.

Morrill, S.B. and J.H. Fullard (1992) Auditory influences on the flight behaviour of moths in a Nearctic site. I. Flight tendency. CAN. J. ZOOL. 70:1097-1101.

Fullard, J.H. (1982). Echolocation assemblages and their effects on moth auditory systems. CAN. J. ZOOL. 60:2572-2576.

Fullard, J.H. and Barclay, R.M.R. (1980) Audition in spring moths as a possible response to differential levels of insectivorous bat predation. CAN. J. ZOOL. 58: 1745-1750.

Fullard, J.H. and M.B. Fenton (1977) Acoustic and behavioural analyses of the sounds produced by some species of Nearctic Arctiidae (Lepidoptera). CAN. J. ZOOL. 55: 1213-1224.

Fullard, J.H. (1977) Phenology of sound-producing arctiid moths and the activity of insectivorous bats. NATURE 267: 42-43.

Neuroethology

In early September, we move back to the main laboratories at the University of Toronto at Mississauga.in Mississauga, Ontario. Although UTM is affiliated with the University of Toronto, it is located about an hour from the main St. George campus and, for the most part, the UTM Department of Biology operates independently. Graduate students here perform their studies in our laboratories but are free to use the facilities of the main campus. Most of the research libraries are located on the main campus but with the advent of the World Wide Web, students at Erindale have full access to over 3000 journals and can order books through the inter-university system.

Projects in the UTM lab deal with understanding the mechanisms of the auditory system in insects and how these systems enable insects to escape predators or find mates. The insects we use for these studies come from colonies raised during the summer as well as those purchased from suppliers around the world. These projects are suited for students who wish to wait until September to begin their graduate research. These students do their graduate course work in the fall while they teach undergraduate laboratories in the courses that UTM offers in physiology, animal behaviour and neurobiology and generally think about what they would like to do for their project. UTM has a number of individuals who are actively researching aspects of insect biology (Insect Behaviour Group) and are willing to advise students about their interests.

Here are some publications that have come from work at the UTM labs:

MacDermid., V. and Fullard., J.H. (1998) Not all receptor cells are equal: octopamine exerts no influence on auditory thresholds in the noctuid moth, Catocala cerogama. NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 85:505-507

Northcott, M. and Fullard, J.H. (1996) The closed-loop nature of the tymbal response in Cycnia tenera. BRAIN BEHAV. EVOL. 48:130-136.

Dawson, D.W. and Fullard, J.H. (1995) The neuroethology of sound production in tiger moths (Arctiidae). II. Location of the thoracic circuitry controlling the tymbal responce in Cycnia tenera Hubner. J. COMP. PHYSIOL. A 176:541-549.

Fullard, J.H., Simmons, J.A. and Saillant, P.A. (1994) Jamming bat echolocation: the dogbane tiger moth Cycnia tenera times its clicks to the terminal attack calls of the big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus. J. EXP. BIOL. 194:285-298.

Yack, J.E. and J.H. Fullard (1993) Proprioceptive activity of the wing-hinge stretch receptor in Manduca sexta and other atympanate moths: a study of the noctuoid moth B-cell homologue. J. COMP. PHYSIOL. A 173:301-307.

Fullard, J.H. (1992) The neuroethology of sound production in tiger moths (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae). I. Rhythmicity and central control. J. COMP. PHYSIOL. A 170:575-588.

Yack, J.E. and J.H. Fullard (1990) The mechanoreceptive origin of insect tympanal organs: a comparative study of similar nerves in tympanate and atympanate moths. J. COMP. NEUROL. 300:523-534.

Fullard, J.H. and B. Heller (1990) Functional organization of the arctiid moth tymbal (Insecta, Lepidoptera). J. MORPH. 204:57-65.

Fullard, J.H., G.K. Morris and A.C. Mason (1989) Auditory processing in the black-sided meadow katydid Conocephalus nigropleurum (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). J. COMP. PHYSIOL. A 164: 501- 512.

Cardone, B. and Fullard, J.H. (1988) Auditory characteristics and sexual dimorphism in the gypsy moth. PHYSIOL ENT. 13:9-14.

Fullard, J.H. (1984) Listening for bats: pulse repetition rate as a cue for defensive behavior in Cycnia tenera (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). J. COMP. PHYSIOL. A. 154:249-252.

Fullard, J.H. (1982). Cephalic influences on the defensive behavior of the Dogbane Tiger Moth, Cycnia tenera. PHYSIOL. ENT. 7:157-162.

Fullard, J.H. (1979) Behavioural analyses of auditory sensitivity in Cycnia tenera Hubner (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). J. COMP. PHYSIOL. 129: 79-83.

Fullard, J.H., M.B. Fenton and J.A. Simmons (1979) Jamming bat echolocation: the clicks of arctiid moths. CAN. J. ZOOL. 57: 647-649.

Morris, G.K., G.E. Kerr and J.H. Fullard (1978) Phonotactic preferences of female meadow katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalus nigropleurum). CAN. J. ZOOL. 56: 1479-1487.

Fullard, J.H. (1977) Variability and absence of sexual dimorphism in the sounds of Cycnia tenera Hubner (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). J.N.Y. ENT. SOC. 85: 21-25.

How do I apply?

If you are interested in working in my lab the first thing to do is talk to me. E-mail me with your ideas and why you would like to be part of the research we are doing. Don't be worried about having a well-defined project in mind when you first e-mail me. It's better that you have a general interest in insect behaviour and the sensory mechanisms that control it. You should have had some undergraduate courses in animal behaviour and/or physiology but many of the techniques we use in the lab can be learned when you arrive. You don't have to be a full-fledged neurobiologist to begin your studies in the lab, but that's what you can become if you want.

After you contact me, we will determine if you are suited for the work we do here and go about organizing your application procedures. The Department of Zoology has certain minimum grade and course pre-requisites that you must satisfy. Those requirements can be seen by contacting the department's web page. Once you have been accepted and you have determined when you would like to start we can go about putting your project together. This is always a flexible enterprise and I encourage students to explore a number of options before deciding upon their final project. I will suggest papers for you to read and people to talk to about your plans and the University has many research seminars that you can attend where your ideas can develop. The Insect Behaviour Group is an informal gathering of the people at Erindale who are working with insects. They hold seminars every week and these are good opportunities for new grad students to discuss their plans and get some feedback on experiments they would like to conduct.

When do I apply?

Students usually apply for graduate school in their final undergraduate year and the sooner you start this process, the better are your chances of being accepted. If you have the minimum requirements for the Department of Zoology, you are given provisional acceptance in the spring and final acceptance in the summer depending on your final grades. Although you are affiliated with Erindale College you must enroll with the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies whose main offices are in the St. George Campus. The SGS and the Department of Zoology has a number of deadlines that you can check out here. In general, you can apply to begin in June or September and when you do depends on how you would like to arrange your project (see above).

How much do I get paid?

The Department of Zoology has a guaranteed minimum income for its graduate students which is updated each year (go here for current level). This amount must come from one or more of the following sources: 1. a scholarship to yourself, 2. funds from your supervisor's research grant that are given to you, 3. stipends you receive from teaching undergraduate laboratories and/or tutorials. You should check with your provincial and/or federal graduate funding sources (e.g., Ontario Graduate Scholarship Office, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) for information on applying for scholarships. In addition, the Department has a number of fellowships that students can apply for.

Notice: due to the higher fees that foreign (i.e., visa) students are required by the provincial government to pay for their graduate courses, the minimum guaranteed income is much higher for these students. It is unlikely that I would be able to provide enough support money for visa students that do not have their own scholarships but please inquire.

How long does it take?

The Department has deadlines of two years for the M.Sc. and five years for the Ph.D. degree after which the guaranteed minimum income rule no longer applies. These deadlines provide ample time to complete your degree and prevent you from falling into the trap of becoming a "tenured" graduate student with little chance of finding permanent employment.

Please contact me anytime throughout the year for more information.

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