Gary Burness, Trent University

Research

bird fitness hormone maternal effect metabolism phenotypic plasticity physiological cost stress

Latest papers

Effects of Partner Workload and Increasing Environmental Temperature on Nestling Provisioning and Body Temperature in a Declining Aerial Insectivore.
Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology · 2026 · senior author
Interactive Effects of Temperature Acclimation and Dietary Fatty Acids on Metabolic Rate and Body Composition of Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata).
Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology · 2025 · senior author
Transcriptomic responses to within-generation and intergenerational environmental warming in a cold-adapted salmonid.
The Journal of experimental biology · 2025

All 45 publications

Latest funding

Environmental effects, thermal energetics, and avian life history variation
NSERC · 2020 · Principal investigator
$235,000
Environmental effects and life-history variation in birds
NSERC · 2014 · Principal investigator
$252,000
Energetics and avian life-history trade-offs
NSERC · 2009 · Principal investigator
$95,000

All 7 grants and awards

45 publications.

01

Effects of Partner Workload and Increasing Environmental Temperature on Nestling Provisioning and Body Temperature in a Declining Aerial Insectivore.

Heft MC, Hennigar B, Burness G

Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1002/jez.70075 PMID: 41735185

02

Interactive Effects of Temperature Acclimation and Dietary Fatty Acids on Metabolic Rate and Body Composition of Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata).

Campbell MJ, Mastromonaco GF, Burness G

Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1002/jez.2915 PMID: 40114467

03

Transcriptomic responses to within-generation and intergenerational environmental warming in a cold-adapted salmonid.

Penney CM, Burness G, Zapata G, Lefebvre F, Wilson CC

The Journal of experimental biology2025

DOI: 10.1242/jeb.249415 PMID: 40152448

04

Endotherms trade body temperature regulation for the stress response.

Tabh JKR, Hartjes M, Burness G

Proceedings. Biological sciences2023Senior author

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1251 PMID: 37909077

05

Correction to: Stress-induced changes in body surface temperature are repeatable, but do not differ between urban and rural birds.

Tabh JKR, Mastromonaco GF, Burness G

Oecologia2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05136-5 PMID: 35246752

06

Stress-induced changes in body surface temperature are repeatable, but do not differ between urban and rural birds.

Tabh JKR, Mastromonaco GF, Burness G

Oecologia2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05120-z PMID: 35138449

07

Using mass spectrometry to investigate fluorescent compounds in squirrel fur.

Hughes B, Bowman J, Stock NL, Burness G

PloS one2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257156 PMID: 35192622

08

Limited transgenerational effects of environmental temperatures on thermal performance of a cold-adapted salmonid.

Penney CM, Burness G, Tabh JKR, Wilson CC

Conservation physiology2021

DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coab021 PMID: 33959288

09

Body temperature is a repeatable trait in a free-ranging passerine bird.

Tapper S, Nocera JJ, Burness G

The Journal of experimental biology2021Senior author

DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243057 PMID: 34498672

10

Infrared thermography as a technique to measure physiological stress in birds: Body region and image angle matter.

Tabh JKR, Burness G, Wearing OH, Tattersall GJ, Mastromonaco GF

Physiological reports2021

DOI: 10.14814/phy2.14865 PMID: 34057300

Environmental effects, thermal energetics, and avian life history variation

Principal investigatorNSERC2020Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Burness, Gary

Keywords: stress; metabolism; fitness; bird; physiological cost; hormone; maternal effect; phenotypic plasticity

$235,000

Environmental effects and life-history variation in birds

Principal investigatorNSERC2014Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Burness, Gary

$252,000

Energetics and avian life-history trade-offs

Principal investigatorNSERC2009Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Burness, Gary

$95,000

Vehicle for large-scale field experiments and surveys

Co-investigatorNSERC2008Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Dorken, Marcel

$33,648

Evolution of energy metabolism in vertebrates

Principal investigatorNSERC2004Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Burness, Gary

$125,000

A respirometry system for studying vertebrate energy metabolism

Principal investigatorNSERC2004Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Burness, Gary

$24,723

Avian reproduction and environmental change: integrating ecology and physiology

Co-investigatorNSERC2003Special Research Opportunity Program - Pre-research

Principal investigators: Williams, Tony

$117,100

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Biology
Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program

Co-authors at Trent University, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Jeff Bowman

Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program

3 shared papers, latest 2022

Mark Forbes

Biology

1 shared papers, latest 2014

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their NSERC grant from 2020

Subject: Prospective PhD student: bird Dear Professor Burness, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Effects of Partner Workload and Increasing Environmental Temperature on Nestling Provisioning and Body Temperature in a Declining Aerial Insectivore." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your NSERC-funded project "Environmental effects, thermal energetics, and avian life history variation" (2020), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]

Gary Burness

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Effects of Partner Workload and Increasing Environmental Temperature on Nestling Provisioning and Body Temperature in a Declining Aerial Insectivore.

Interactive Effects of Temperature Acclimation and Dietary Fatty Acids on Metabolic Rate and Body Composition of Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata).

Transcriptomic responses to within-generation and intergenerational environmental warming in a cold-adapted salmonid.

Endotherms trade body temperature regulation for the stress response.

Correction to: Stress-induced changes in body surface temperature are repeatable, but do not differ between urban and rural birds.

Stress-induced changes in body surface temperature are repeatable, but do not differ between urban and rural birds.

Using mass spectrometry to investigate fluorescent compounds in squirrel fur.

Limited transgenerational effects of environmental temperatures on thermal performance of a cold-adapted salmonid.

Body temperature is a repeatable trait in a free-ranging passerine bird.

Infrared thermography as a technique to measure physiological stress in birds: Body region and image angle matter.

Environmental effects, thermal energetics, and avian life history variation

Environmental effects and life-history variation in birds

Energetics and avian life-history trade-offs

Vehicle for large-scale field experiments and surveys

Evolution of energy metabolism in vertebrates

A respirometry system for studying vertebrate energy metabolism

Avian reproduction and environmental change: integrating ecology and physiology

Frequent collaborators

Jeff Bowman

Erica Nol

James Scott Quinn

Mark Forbes