RIEL seminar series
Chytridiomycosis and the mechanism of skin disruption (ONLINE ONLY)
Presenter | Dr Nicholas Wu | |
---|---|---|
Date |
|
|
Time |
to
|
|
Contact person | E: RIEL.outreach@cdu.edu.au | |
Location | Online only, via Zoom | |
Open to | Public |
Chytridiomycosis, a lethal skin disease caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is responsible for many amphibian declines worldwide. Bd disrupts skin function, interfering with ionic and osmotic regulation. In this seminar, Dr Nicholas Wu will discuss his integrative work on understanding the causal mechanisms behind how the skin function is disrupted from Bd infection and how an under-studied behaviour, sloughing, can help sometimes mitigate or exaggerate pathogen-induced skin disruption.
Dr Wu earned his BSc in biological sciences from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, followed by a PhD in ecological physiology at The University of Queensland. From 2019–2021, he was appointed as a postdoctoral research associate at The University of Sydney, and is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Western Sydney University. His main research area is in ecological and evolutionary physiology, with a focus on how changing environments constrain the physiology and life history of organisms while understanding the mechanisms for how they cope with environmental stressors.
Dr Wu's work primarily utilises vertebrates like reptiles, amphibians, fish, and bats as model systems, and he approaches his research from an integrative perspective, from molecular to whole-organism to macroecological responses.
Related Events
Carbon and water adventures in north Australia
With climate change and increasing land use pressures there is more and more demand for knowledge of carbon dynamics and water use as well as water resource management. Lindsay’s research is focused on providing better understanding of the biophysical environment of tropical land and water systems.
Read more about Carbon and water adventures in north AustraliaMonitoring threats to Australian threatened birds
This seminar will review the estimated impact of threats and the extent to which their management is understood and implemented for all threats to all Australian threatened bird taxa.
Read more about Monitoring threats to Australian threatened birdsLiDAR remote sensing of riparian vegetation: Deriving structural and functional tree information
Before now, understanding of forest resources has been restricted to the simplicity of tree measurement techniques. In recent years, terrestrial LiDAR has gained attention as a means for a more accurate and non-destructive assessment of tree and plot scale biomass
Read more about LiDAR remote sensing of riparian vegetation: Deriving structural and functional tree information