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Porter, Warren
 Warren P. Porter, PhD
Professor
Research Area: Effect of Multiple Stresses. Ecotoxicology. Multiple low level stresses such as from climate, toxicants, disease, or nutrition, affecting immune, endocrine, neurological systems, growth, reproduction and development potential, population dynamics and community structure.
Home Dept: Zoology, College of Letters and Sciences
Affiliated Depts: Molecular and Environmental Toxicology; Engineering Physics
Address
207 Zoology Research
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608/262-1719 - Email
Research
This past year has been an exceptional one for our lab in all three areas of our research.
Modeling Animal Landscapes: We have 2 major papers published and 1 in review in this area of our research in 2006. The first paper shows that we can use our newly patented mechanistic landscape scale energetics and behavior programs to calculate present and past bird distributions, food, water, and activity constraints for the rare (extinct?) Po’ouli on the island of Maui. This is part of a larger collaborative effort to understand the dynamics of rare and endangered birds on Hawaii. Our second paper examines distribution limits of the endangered serow deer on the island of Honshu, Japan. There was an exceptional observation database that we were able to use to test predictions of habitat utilization. Our distribution prediction calculations agreed with more than 99% of the observed 1 km2 grid cells occupied by the serow on Honshu. The third paper, in review, expands our model capabilities to environmental contaminant loading at landscape scales. We calculated diving cormorant requisite fish consumption and consequent rates of toxic loading of environmental contaminants in their food for the south end of Green Bay, WI. Another paper nearly ready to submit demonstrates our ability to predict double crested cormorant migration times between Wisconsin and Louisiana and to assess their impact on fish populations in those locations. In other work to be presented this summer in the Netherlands we are using the microclimate and animal models to model endangered amphibians in the Targee National Forest in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. That amphibian work is in collaboration with Dr. Paul Bartelt. Thanks to Paul’s physiological and radio telemetry data, we have been able to confirm that calculated amphibian habitat utilization and movement patterns are exceptionally consistent with radio telemetry data from free ranging toads. The programs have demonstrated the ability to accurately calculate energetics and behavior at landscape scales for representatives of amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, pollinating insects, a species of disease carrying mosquito and butterflies.
Subtle Biological Effects of Environmental Contaminants: We have serious concerns about children exposed to low level pesticide mixtures from lawns and in the food, water, and air that passes through their bodies. Children do not have defensive enzymes at levels present in sexually mature adults. Our 2002 paper showed that a common lawn chemical pesticide mixture can induce abortions and resorptions of fetuses at very low parts per billion concentrations. The greatest effect was at the lowest dose. Thanks to Richard Dwelle and Dr. James Jaeger, we have an extraordinarily sensitive new means of measuring mouse learning abilities at many levels. We are currently conducting long term studies to explore the effects of subtle low level pesticide mixture exposures on learning abilities, immune function, hormone levels, and developmental disorders.
Early detection of infectious disease: We have new state-of-the-art technologies that can detect isotopic ratio changes in breath due to catabolic events on a continuous, noninvasive flow-through basis. We have been able to confirm all of our prior data using mass spectrometry and are now observing in 24 hour a day experiments the process of infection in real-time. Our early data indicate that we can detect such changes within approximately two hours of the time of administration of an infection. This would have immense benefits in intensive care units and many other applications. We have one patent and three new applications pending or in process covering our research discoveries. We have founded an off-campus company, Isomark, LLC, that may license and develop commercial applications as it sees fit. However, all fundamental research will be done exclusively through our research group and patented through WARF.
Early detection of infectious disease: We have new state-of-the-art technologies that can detect isotopic ratio changes in breath due to catabolic events on a continuous, noninvasive flow-through basis. We have been able to confirm all of our prior data using mass spectrometry and are now observing in 24 hour a day experiments the process of infection in real-time. Our early data indicate that we can detect such changes within approximately two hours of the time of administration of an infection. This would have immense benefits in intensive care units and many other applications. We have one patent and three new applications pending or in process covering our research discoveries. We have founded an off-campus company, Isomark, LLC, that may license and develop commercial applications as it sees fit. However, all fundamental research will be done exclusively through our research group and patented through WARF.
Publications- Kearney, M. and W.P. Porter. 2004. Mapping the fundamental niche: physiology, climate, and distribution of Australian nocturnal lizards. Ecology. 85(11): 3119-3131.
- Kilpatrick, A.M, W.A. Mitchell, W.P. Porter, and D.J. Currie. 2006. Testing a mechanistic explanation for the latitudinal gradient in mammalian species diversity. Evol. Ecol. Res. 8(2):333-344.
- Porter, W.P., N.P. Vakharia, W.D. Klousie and D. Duffy. 2006. Po’ouli landscape bioinformatics models predict energetics, behavior, diets and distribution on Maui. Int. Comp. Biol. 1-16. on line doi:10.1093/icb/icl051
- Natori, Y. and W.P. Porter. 2006. Habitat Evaluation for the Japanese Serow (Capricornis crispus) by Energetics Landscape Modeling. Ecol. Appl. (in press).
- Meadows, S., W. P. Porter and S. Craven. 2007. Spatially Explicit Microclimate and Biophysical Models Calculate the Cumulative Intake of Organochlorine Contaminants by Breeding Double-Crested Cormorants in Southern Green Bay, WI. Env. Toxicol. and Chem.
- Kilpatrick, A.M, W.A. Mitchell, W.P. Porter, and D.J. Currie. 2006. Testing a mechanistic explanation for the latitudinal gradient in mammalian species diversity across North America. EER.
- Michael J. Angilletta, Jr., Peter H. Niewiarowski, Arthur E. Dunham, Adam D. Leache´, and Warren P. Porter. 2004. Bergmann’s Clines in Ectotherms: Illustrating a Life-History Perspective with Sceloporine Lizards. The American Naturalist. 164(6): 168-183.
- Maurer, B.A., Brown, J.H., Dayan, T., Enquist, B.J., Ernest, S.K.M., Hadly, E.A., Haskell, J.P., Jablonski, D., Jones, K.E., Kaufman, D.M., Lyons, S.K., Niklas, K.J., Porter, W.P., Roy, K., Smith, F.A., Tiffney, B., Willig, M.R. 2004. Similarities in Body Size Distributions of Small-Bodied Flying Vertebrates. Evolutionary Ecology Research. 6: 783-797.
- Kearney, M. and W.P. Porter. 2004. Mapping the Fundamental Niche: Physiology, Climate, and the Distribution of a Nocturnal Lizard. Ecology. 85(11): 3119-3131.
Check PubMed for other publications by Warren P. Porter
Mark Jankowski, PhD
Warren Porter, PhD
Julia Haviland, Zoology Graduate Student
Dan Butz, PhD
Photo Credit: Chris Frazee, Media Solutions
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