Dr. Andy Turko
The Turko Comparative Conservation Physiology Lab opened its doors at the University of Guelph in 2024. Before that, I did postdocs with Jonathan Wilson (Wilfrid Laurier University), Sigal Balshine (McMaster), Graham Scott (McMaster), and Trevor Pitcher (University of Windsor). I completed my PhD at the University of Guelph under the supervision of Patricia Wright. My research focus is understanding how physiology and behaviour interact to determine how animals cope with changing environments.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Ben Koseck
Ben started his MSc in the lab in September 2024 after completing a BSc at McMaster University where he did an honours thesis with Dr. Karen Kidd. His project is examining the adaptations of fish gills to naturally occurring suspended sediment.
Olivia Stanton
My MSc research primarily focuses on studying the interspecific variation in thermal habitat choice for many species of local Ontario stream fish. My main objective will be to determine why some fish species can tolerate large fluctuations in temperature and other species cannot, which could be important knowledge for conservation practitioners to understand due to the increasing threat of climate change.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Ava Belrose
Ava is currently in her fourth year at the University of Guelph, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marine and Freshwater Biology. Her thesis project examines the effects of energy reserves on gill remodelling in Yellow Perch when they are exposed to hypoxia.
Charlotte Guest
Charlotte is currently getting her BSc with Honours in Wildlife Biology and Conservation at Guelph. Her undergraduate thesis is focused on behavioural avoidance of sediment in redside dace and other freshwater fish species.
Miriam Lutchmedial
Miriam is currently completing her BSc in the Honours of Marine and Freshwater Biology. She joined the Turko lab during the summer of 2024 analyzing Redside Dace gills in response to changes in environmental conditions. She is currently working on an Honours thesis on the physiology of goldfish and the mechanisms which cause gill remodeling.
Anya Chigak
Anya is in her 3rd year in the Marine and Freshwater Biology Program at the University of Guelph. She joined the lab as a volunteer in her 2nd year and is examining the gill morphology and histology in Brazilian killifish (in collaboration with Waldir Miron).
Rona Broadway
I am currently in my undergraduate studies in Marine and Freshwater Biology at the University of Guelph. Co-president of the Marine and Freshwater biology club, and actively pursuing a career in research marine biology. I am studying seasonal variation in gill morphology of native fishes.
Heleny Delos Santos
I'm Heleny, an undergraduate student in Zoology. My role in the lab involves processing gills obtained from field work through the preparation of slides and microscopy.
