School of Life and Environmental Sciences
Faculty of Science and Technology
| Position | Senior Lecturer |
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| Area | School of Life and Environmental Sciences |
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| kate.buchanan@deakin.edu.au |
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| Phone | +61 3 5227 1321 |
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| Fax | +61 3 5227 2232 |
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| Campus | Geelong |
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| Career |
Throughout my career, my research interests have focused on avian sexual selection and signalling. My Ph.D. work was centred on understanding why complex acoustic signals, such as the song of many common bird species, are used by females to make mate choice decisions.
I have also worked on the cost of producing visual sexual signals, for example the black chest bib of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), which signals male dominance and determines access to resources. Addressing the evolution of complex song repertoires, we have tested the role of early developmental stress in controlling the development of song and the brain nuclei associated with song production. This work has demonstrated the condition-dependence of complex acoustic signals, suggesting they have evolved as indicators of past health and condition. As a development of this work we have recently tested the effects of environmentally relevant levels of chemicals known to act as endocrine disrupters on avian behaviour and physiology. This work has shown that pollutant exposure can adversely affect avian physiology, behaviour and neural development. Finally, I have an on-going interest in endocrine control of begging behaviour in nestling birds. |
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| Research Interests |  Physiological stress and acoustic signaling Endocrine disrupters as animal stressors Immunocompetence and the cost of signaling Endocrine control of begging behaviour |
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| Current positions | Editor of Emu Austral Ornithology (www.publish.csiro.au/nid/96.htm) Consulting Editor of Animal Behaviour (www.elsevier.com/locate/anbehav) Member of the Peer Review College for Natural Environment Research Council Secretary of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Ethics Committee |
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| Current PhD students | Alexandra Pollard (Eye design in birds) Ben Knott (Physiological control of avian colour vision) Joseph Woodgate (Effects of stress on female preferences) |
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| Recent Publications | Markman, S., Leitner, S., Catchpole, C.K., S. Barnsley, D. Pascoe, C. T. Müller, and K. L. Buchanan (2008) Pollutants Increase Song Complexity and the Volume of the Brain area HVC in a Songbird PLoS One 3(2): e1674.
Roberts, M.L., K.L. Buchanan, D. Hasselquist, A.T.D. Bennett and M.R. Evans (2007) Physiological, morphological and behavioural effects of selecting zebra finches for divergent levels of corticosterone. Journal of Experimental Biology. 210, 4368-4378. Buchanan K.L, A. R. Goldsmith, C. A. Hinde, S. C. Griffith and R. M. Kilner (2007) Does testosterone mediate the trade-off between nestling begging and growth in the canary (Serinus canaria)? Hormones and Behaviour 52, 664-671. Markman, S. I. A. Guschina, S. Barnsley, K. L. Buchanan, D. Pascoe, C. T. Müller (2007) Endocrine disrupting chemicals accumulate in the earthworm Eisenia fetida exposed to sewage effluent. Chemosphere 70, 119-125. Goodship, N.M.and Buchanan, K.L (2007) Nestling testosterone controls begging behaviour in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca Hormones and Behaviour 52, 454-460. Nicholson, J. K. L. Buchanan, R. C. Marshall & C.K. Catchpole (2007) Song sharing and repertoire size in the sedge warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus: changes within and between years. Animal Behaviour 74, 1585-1592. Roberts, M.L, K.L. Buchanan, A.T.D. Bennett & M. R. Evans (2007) Mate choice in zebra finches: does corticosterone play a role? Animal Behaviour 74, 921-929. H. Siitari, R Alatalo, K.L. Buchanan, P. Halme and J. Kilpimaa (2007) Color signals in the Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix): signal properties and their condition dependency American Naturalist 169, S81-S92 Quillfeldt, P., I. Träger, K. Griffith, K.L. Buchanan & J.F. Masello (2007) Is sex-specific mass gain in Cory’s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea related to begging and steroid hormone expression? Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 61, 793-800. Marshall, R.C., K.L. Buchanan & C.K. Catchpole (2007) Song & female choice for extra-pair copulations in the sedgewarbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Animal Behaviour 73, 629-635. Hodgson, Z.G., S.L. Meddle, M.R. Roberts, K.L. Buchanan, M.R. Evans, R. Metzdorf, M. Gahr, S.D. Healy (2006) Spatial ability is impaired and mineralcorticoid receptor mRNA expression in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) selected for acute high corticosterone response to stress. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 274 (1607): 239-245. Roberts. M.R., K.L. Buchanan, D. Hasselquist and M.R. Evans (2006) Effects of testosterone and corticosterone on immunocompetence in the zebra finch Hormones and Behaviour 51, 126-134. Pizzari, T, T.R. Birkhead, M.W. Blows, R. Brooks, K.L. Buchanan et al (2006) Debating Sexual Selection and Mating Strategies Science 312, 690. Evans, M.R., M.L. Roberts & K.L. Buchanan and A. R. Goldsmith (2006) Heritability of corticosterone response and pleiotropic effects on life history traits in the zebra finch. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 19, 343-352. Quillfeldt, P., J.F. Masello, I.J. Strange & K.L. Buchanan (2006) Begging and provisioning of Thin-billed prions Pachyptila belcheri is related to testosterone and corticosterone. Animal Behaviour 71, 1359-1369. Viney, M., E. Riley & K.L. Buchanan (2005) Optimal immune responses: immunocompetence revisited. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20, 665-669. Goodship, N.M & K.L. Buchanan (2005) Nestling testosterone is associated with begging behaviour and fledging success in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca Proceedings of the Royal Society B 273, 71-76 McNamara, J. M. & K.L. Buchanan (2005) Stress, resource allocation and mortality Behavioral Ecology 16, 1008-1017. Spencer, K.A., K.L. Buchanan, A.R.Goldsmith, & C.K. Catchpole (2005) Parasites affect song complexity in a songbird Proceedings of the Royal Society B 272, 2037-2043. Spencer, K.A, J.H. Wimpenny, K.L.Buchanan, P.G. Lovell, A.R. Goldsmith, & C.K. Catchpole (2005) Developmental stress affects the attractiveness of male song and female choice in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 58, 423-428. Buchanan, K. L., S. Leitner, K. A Spencer, A. R. Goldsmith & C. K. Catchpole (2004) Developmental stress selectively affects the song control nucleus HVC in the zebra finch brain Proceedings of the Royal Society B 271, 2381-2386. Spencer, K.A., K.L. Buchanan, A.R. Goldsmith, & C.K. Catchpole (2004) Developmental stress, social rank and song complexity in the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) Proceedings of the Royal Society B Suppl 271 S121-S123. Roberts, M.L., K.L. Buchanan & M.R. Evans (2004) Testing the Immunocompetence Handicap Hypothesis: A review of the evidence. Animal Behaviour 68, 227-239. Marshall, R.C., K.L. Buchanan & C.K. Catchpole. (2003) Sexual selection and genetic diversity in a songbird Proceedings of the Royal Society B Suppl. 270, S248-S250. Buchanan, K.L. & A.R. Goldsmith (2004) Non-invasive endocrine data for behavioural studies: the importance of validation. Animal Behaviour 67, 183-185. Beynon, M.J. & K.L. Buchanan (2003) An illustration of variable precision rough set theory: The gender classification of the European barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). Bulletin of Mathematical Biology 65, 835-858. Buchanan, K.L., M.R. Evans & A.R. Goldsmith (2003) Testosterone, dominance signalling and immunosuppression in the house sparrow, Passer domesticus. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 55, 50-59. Spencer, K.A., K.L. Buchanan, A.R. Goldsmith & C.K. Catchpole (2003) Song complexity signals past developmental stress in the zebra finch. Hormones and Behaviour 44, 132-139. Buchanan, K.L., K.A. Spencer, A.R.Goldsmith & C.K. Catchpole (2003) Song is an honest signal of past developmental stress in the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Proceedings of the Royal Society B 270, 1149 –1156.
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