Dr. Pierre Deviche is an animal physiologist who studies how the environment controls the reproductive system and stress responses of vertebrates. Using seasonally breeding birds in both laboratory and field-based experiments, he investigates the relative importance of various environmental factors such as day length, rainfall, food availability, and social interactions to reproduction, stress sensitivity, and metabolic responses.
Professor Deviche and his collaborators also examine the mechanisms controlling the physiological responses to environmental factors. More specifically, they study the relationships that exist between different hormonal systems and the contrasting behavioral effects that reproductive and stress hormones can elicit. This work is providing a clearer understanding of the regulation of behaviors such as parental care and territorial behavior, and of how urbanization may be altering the timing of seasonal reproduction.
Dr. Pierre Deviche research interests include
