Creagh Breuner, Ph.D.
Position
Assistant Professor, Organismal Biology and Ecology
Ph.D
Behavioral Endocrinology, University of Washington, 1998
BA/BS
Zoology, University of Washington, 1991
CV
Lab Page
Current Research
Animals live in rapidly changing and unpredictable environments. The ability to respond appropriately to unpredictable changes is critical for survival and reproduction. My research focuses on the behavioral and physiological changes that occur in response to unpredictable events (stressors), the hormonal and cellular mechanisms that underlie these changes, and the ecological repercussions of these changes for animals in their natural environment. I focus my studies on the adrenocortical response to stress, and the behavioral and cellular actions of glucocorticoids in three species of birds, the white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys), the white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), and the house sparrow (Passer domesticus).
Recent Publications
Wada, H. Salvante, K.G., Wagner, E.C., Williams, T.D., and Breuner, C.W. (in review) Ontogeny and individual variation in the adrenocortical response of zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) nestlings. General and Comparative Endocrinology
Wada, H. and Breuner, C.W. (in review) Transient elevation of corticosterone alters begging behavior and growth of white-crowned sparrow nestlings. Journal of Experimental Biology
Wada, H., Hahn, T.P., and Breuner, C.W. (2007) Development of stress reactivity in white-crowned sparrow nestlings: total corticosterone response increases with age, while free corticosterone response remains low. General and Comparative Endocrinology 150(3): 405-413
Lynn, S.E., Hahn, T.P., and Breuner, C.W. (2007) Free-living male mountain white-crowned sparrows exhibit territorial aggression without modulating total or free plasma testosterone. Condor 109(1): 173-180
Ward, C., Fontes, C., Breuner, C., and Mendonca, M. (2007) Characterization and quantification of corticosteroid binding globulin in a southern toad, Bufo terrestris, exposed to coal combustion waste General and Comparative Endocrinology 152 (1): 82-88
