BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Vancouver X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Vancouver BEGIN:VEVENT UID:976@naturevancouver.ca DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260409T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260409T210000 DTSTAMP:20260407T182951Z URL:https://naturevancouver.ca/events/southern-resident-health-update-shei la-thorton/ SUMMARY:THE TAMING OF THE SPEW: DECODING WHALE PHYSIOLOGY FROM FECAL AND BL OW SAMPLES - DR. SHEILA THORNTON DESCRIPTION:Life in an aquatic environment involves anatomic and physiologi c adaptations that have long fascinated scientists. From the logbook entri es of early whalers to recent advances in biologgers and sampling techniqu es\, a foundation of understanding has emerged\, and the interest in cetac ean physiology continues to grow. However\, with lifespans of many species rivalling that of humans\, the ability to overcome rapid environmental ch ange has become a challenge for some populations\, and poses a provocative research question for science. With some successes\, and a few failures\, I will discuss the road to understanding the effect of environmental thre ats on the physiology and metabolism of cetaceans\, with a focus on the en dangered southern resident killer whale population. From biologging to blo w sampling\, through to genome\, metabolome\, and microbiome analyses\, we bring the laboratory to the field and back again.\n\nSheila Thornton is t he Program Head of the Marine Mammal Conservation Physiology program with the Dept of Fisheries and Oceans. Her program focuses on at-risk cetacean species and investigating impacts from anthropogenic threats (noise\, vess el traffic\, changes in prey abundance\, etc). She leads a team of highly talented and motivated biologists and technicians\, and works closely with universities to supervise and support graduate student projects at all le vels.\n\nThis presentation will take place at Vancouver Unitarians Hewett Hall\, Lindsey Priestly Room\, 949 w 49th ave\, and online via Zoom.  The re will be an opportunity for socializing\, with light refreshments\, from 7 PM to 7:30. On the Monday preceding the event\, Nature Vancouver member s will receive the Zoom link in the weekly e-News.  The talk will begin a t 7:30 pm.  Non-members are welcome and should Email zoom-request@NatureV ancouver.ca between the preceding Friday and Wednesday to register for th e link.\n\n \;\n\n \; CATEGORIES:Marine Biology,Monthly Meeting LOCATION:HEWETT CENTRE HALL\, UNITARIAN CHURCH\, 949 W 49th Avenue (49th an d Oak)\, Vancouver\, BC\, Canada GEO:49.226599;-123.1284 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=949 W 49th Avenue (49th and Oak)\, Vancouver\, BC\, Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=HEWETT CENTRE H ALL\, UNITARIAN CHURCH:geo:49.226599,-123.1284 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Vancouver X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Vancouver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR