The Visser-lab: Seasonal timing of reproduction and growth

The research in the Visser-lab focusses on seasonal timing of growth and reproduction. We aim to understand the causes of variation in timing and the consequences of this for fitness and population processes.

Research

Seasonal timing is a key life-history trait with major fitness consequences. The Visser-lab works mainly on avian timing of reproduction (in great tits, blue tits and pied flycatchers) but also on timing of growth (in winter moths). The research is closely linked to the impact of global climate change on timing and its consequences. The research spans the entire range of genes to populations with research in the wild, in climate controlled aviaries, the molecular laboratory and modeling. For more information see the project page Seasonal Timing. An important part of this research is funded by a NWO-VICI grant. There is close collaboration with the Caro-lab on reproductive physiology, which forms the basis of the plasticity of birds in their seasonal timing, especially in relation to ambient temperature.

The PhD project of Lucia Salis on the genetic variation in the mechanisms underlying timing in great tits and winter moths is in collaboration with the Chronobiology group in Groningen where Marcel Visser is Professor on Seasonal Timing of Behaviour.

The research on Avian Genomics, including the quest for the genes underlying seasonal timing, is done in close collaboration with the van Oers lab and the Animal Breeding and Genomics group of Wageningen University.

Within seasonal timing, photoperiod plays a key role as it is the main ‘zeitgeber’ for seasonal timing. Potentially, artificial light disrupts the seasonal timing by disturbing the perception of birds of the natural photoperiod. This is one of the aspects of artificial light that is studied in the project ‘The impact of artificial light on flora and fauna’, part of the Spoelstra junior-lab.

People

The Visser-lab is headed by Marcel Visser and is formed by a number of post-docs (Tom Reed, Marjolein Lof, Phillip Gienapp and Nikkie van Bers) and a number of PhD students Sonja Schaper, Luc te Marvelde and Lucia Salis). There are two junior labs within the Visser-lab, the Caro-junior lab (Samuel Caro) and the Spoelstra-junior lab (Kamiel Spoelstra & Maaike de Jong).  

Former lab-members

Christiaan Both

Christel Mols

Margriet van Asch

Arild Husby

Ivan de la Hera