Introduction for Todd Gleeson at the ADVANCE Seminar

Dean Gleeson earned a doctorate from the University of California, Irvine in developmental and cell biology in 1979, and has been a member of the Boulder faculty since 1981. He is a professor in the Department of Integrative Physiology, and maintains a research laboratory that has trained numerous undergraduates and 20 graduate students and postdoctoral associates. He earned Boulder campus Student Office of Alumni Relations (SOAR) teaching-honors in 1985. He has published over 100 articles and abstracts on his studies of muscle carbohydrate metabolism and the metabolic consequences of muscle fatigue in animals, and he is an elected fellow of the AAAS. He served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs on the Boulder campus from 1997-2001, and has served as dean of the College since 2001.

THE EFFECT OF INTENSE LIGHT ON BIRD BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY

It has been known for centuries that light (photoperiod) is possibly the major environmental stimuli affecting bird behavior and physiology. The length of the light period stimulates the breeding cycle, migration, fat deposition, and molt in most species of birds. Therefore, it is only natural that one would think of using light as a means of bird control. In fact, light has already been used as a bird control; flood-light traps have been used to trap blackbirds (Meanley 1971); Meanley states that 2000-W search lights have been used to alleviate depredation by ducks in rice fields. Pulsing light is already used on aircraft, aircraft hangers and high towers as a means of detourinq birds (Schaefer, 1968). With some positive results already obtained with light as a bird control, the next step is to see if a better light source (the laser) might not have a greater effect. The laser is basically an intense and coherent light with extreme directivity and, thus, might have greater influence on a bird’s behavioral and physiological responses.