backResearcher Profile

Mark Abrahams

Job Title:Associate Professor
Employer:University of Manitoba
Place of Birth:London, United Kingdom
Public Schools attended: Polson Park Elementary, Calvin Park (both in Kingston, Ontario) and the City of London School for Boys (London, England)
High School attended:Loyalist Collegiate & Vocational Institute (Kingston, Ontario)
Further Education:University of Western Ontario (B.Sc.), Queen's University (M.Sc), Simon Fraser University (Ph.D.)
Geographic focus of research:Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Scotland.

Brief synopsis of current research:
I focus on predator-prey interactions involving fishes. Current research is examining several questions. How do fish integrate information from multiple senses when making decisions involving the risk of predation? For a fish as a predator to consume its prey, it must normally be much larger than its prey. What are the physiological and ecological costs associated with this variation in size, and how does it affect their ability to use different microhabitats? I am also working with genetically modified fish that have had their growth rates dramatically altered. These animals are very useful for gaining insight into the costs and benefits associated with different growth rates. This research area also allows me to begin studying the potential environmental risk posed by these animals.

Mailing Address:
Department of Zoology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3T 2N2

Email:
Mark_Abrahams@Umanitoba.ca

Recent Publications:
Hartman, E.J. & M.V. Abrahams (2000). Sensory compensation and the detection of predators: the interaction between chemical and visual information. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences.

Abrahams M.V. & T.C. Pratt (2000). Hormonal manipulations of growth rate and its influence on predator avoidance -- foraging tradeoffs. Canadian Journal of Zoology

Abrahams, M.V. & R.V. Cartar (2000). Within group variation in the willingness to risk exposure to a predator: the influence of species and size. Oikos

Abrahams, M.V. & A. Sutterlin (1999). The foraging and antipredator behaviour of growth enhanced transgenic Atlantic Salmon. Animal Behaviour 58: 933-942

Abrahams, M.V. & M.G. Kattenfeld (1997). The role of turbidity as a constraint on predator-prey interactions in aquatic environments. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology. 40: 169-174.