Professor Nia Whiteley
Head of School / Professor in Zoology (Aquatic)
Affiliations
Contact info
Room: Room 527, 4th floor Brambell Building
Email: n.m.whiteley@bangor.ac.uk
Phone: 01248 388080
Web: ResearchGate, Google Scholar
I graduated in Zoology from Hull University in 1982 and spent a year as a trainee in the Science Reference Section, British Library, London, before embarking on a PhD in comparative physiology at the University of Birmingham (1984-88). My PhD work on the physiological responses of lobsters to aerial exposure was followed by several postdoctoral posts investigating molecular control of muscle growth in shore crabs (1988-89), physiological/metabolic responses of freshwater crayfish to natural fluctuations in environmental variables (1989-92), and the molecular/ physiological responses of the giant Antarctic isopod to life at temperatures close to freezing (1992-95). A research visit to the University of British Columbia, Canada, enabled me to collaborate on a project studying ion exchange mechanisms in salmon during seawater acclimation (1995-96), and led to a short term project on stress responses in Antarctic fish (1997) in the Dept of Physiology, Birmingham. After completing a temporary lectureship at the School of Biological Sciences, Birmingham, I moved to Biological Sciences at Bangor in 1998, was appointed Senior Lecturer in 2010, and Reader in 2016.
My research focuses on the physiological and metabolic responses of aquatic organisms to environmental change, including underlying mechanisms and ecological implications. I use laboratory and field based studies to assess the physiological capacity of crustaceans to cope with environmental challenges, such fluctuations in temperature, salinity, O2 and CO2 levels. I specialise in studying acid-base balance, ion regulation, respiratory gas exchange, and protein turnover at different levels of biological organisation. I also examine the metabolic costs associated with such changes, and the repercussions on growth and life history traits. My work on the molecular regulation of muscle function in crustaceans, has led to an examination of changes in muscle genotype in amphipod gammarid crustaceans distributed along natural thermal gradients. Collaborative projects have examined physiological responses of marine invertebrates to elevated CO2 and warming, and the energetic costs of physiological adjustments to elevated CO2 and salinity (Saloa Project). We are currently using transgenerational studies to investigate the energetic costs associated with osmoregulation in marine amphipods.
- 2000
- Published
Adrenergic responses of Antarctic fishes to extreme trauma.
Whiteley, N. M. & Egginton, S., 1 Feb 2000, In: Journal of Physiology. 523, Supplement S, p. 279P-280PResearch output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Published
Estimating the energetic cost of fighting in shore crabs by noninvasive monitoring of heartbeat rate
Rovero, F., Hughes, R. N., Whiteley, N. & Chelazzi, G., 1 Apr 2000, In: Animal Behaviour. 59, 4, p. 705-713Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 2001
- Published
Effects of water salinity on acid-base balance in decapod crustaceans.
Whiteley, N. M., Scott, J. L., Breeze, S. J. & McCann, L., 1 Mar 2001, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 204, 5, p. 1003-1011Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Published
Protein synthesis and specific dynamic action in crustaceans: effects of temperature.
Whiteley, N. M., Robertson, R. F., Meagor, J., El Haj, A. J. & Taylor, E. W., 1 Mar 2001, In: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A - Molecular and Integrative Physiology. 128, 3, p. 593-604Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 2002
- Published
Ionoregulatory changes in the gill epithelia of coho salmon during seawater acclimation.
Wilson, J. M., Whiteley, N. M. & Randall, D. J., 1 Jan 2002, In: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 75, 3, p. 237-249Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Published
Comparison of the variable loop regions of myosin heavy chain genes from Antarctic and temperate isopods.
Holmes, J. M., Whiteley, N. M., Magnay, J. L. & El Haj, A. J., 1 Mar 2002, In: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology B - Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 131, 3, p. 349-359Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 2003
- Published
Does temperature acclimation affect muscle function in marine crustaceans via changes in molecular diversity?
Rock, J., Faulkner, L. & Whiteley, N. M., 1 Dec 2003, In: Integrative and Comparative Biology. 43, 6, p. 957Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 2005
- Published
Temperature influences whole-animal rates of metabolism but not protein synthesis in a temperate intertidal isopod.
Whiteley, N. M., Whiteley, N. & Faulkner, L. S., 1 Jan 2005, In: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 78, 2, p. 227-238Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 2006
- Published
Polar cod, Boreogadus saida (Gadidae), show an intermediate stress response between Antarctic and temperate fishes.
Whiteley, N. M., Christiansen, J. S. & Egginton, S., 1 Dec 2006, In: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A - Molecular and Integrative Physiology. 145, 4, p. 493-501Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- 2007
- Published
Swimming alters responses to hypoxia in the Adriatic sturgeon Acipenser naccarii.
McKenzie, D. J., Steffensen, J. F., Korsmeyer, K., Whiteley, N. M., Bronzi, P. & Taylor, E. W., 1 Feb 2007, In: Journal of Fish Biology. 70, 2, p. 651-658Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review