Welch Lab

at the University of Toronto Scarborough

MENUMENU
  • Lab News
  • Publications
  • Lab Personnel
  • Join the lab
  • Privacy Policy
  • Lab Wiki
  • User
  • December 19, 2014
  • N/A

Hear friend of the lab Professor Will White on NPR’s Science Friday

Friend of the lab Dr. Will White, an assistant professor of marine biology at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, participated in a panel discussion on NPR’s Science Friday program aired on December 19th, 2014. Will and others were there to talk about a string of recent attacks on science coming from conservative politicians and […]

Uncategorized
Read More
  • A correction – science working the way it’s supposed to
  • Congratulations to DR. Phillip Oelbaum!
  • Fuel use in running vampire bats paper named one of Royal Society’s 10 most popular papers of 2024!
  • Dr. Natalia Sandoval Herrera wins prestigious FORMAS Early Career Grant
  • UWI collaborators deploy temp+humidity loggers to Jamaican caves

Ken Welch

@kcwelch.bsky.social

597 Followers 393 Following 159 Posts

Associate Professor-Zoologist at U Toronto Scarborough. Interested in things with high-sugar diets like hummingbirds, bats, bees, and my two daughters. Ecophysiology, ecotoxicology, science communication.

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 days

    Very proud of the work done by former PhD student Natalia Sandoval-Herrera!

    SICB journals

    ICB #BatWeek finishes up with
    #Systemic Effects of Pesticides on #Insectivorous #Bats: A #Proteomics Approach

    Sandoval-Herrera, Welch, et al

    doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

    see more on Sandoval-Herrera , Welch jr

    www.slu.se/profilsidor/...

    youtu.be/Mt6uLNkxnus?...

    www.welchbiology.com

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 days

    Happy Halloween! My treat is a conditionally accepted manuscript! Can't wait to share more!

    Fingers crossed for zero tricks.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 7 days

    It's true. 🦇 are sweet.

    www.cbc.ca/documentarie...

    Vampire bats are ‘little ninjas’ who are actually quite sweet | CBC The Nature of Things

    Documentary Empire of Bats nails the coffin shut on vampire bat myths

    www.cbc.ca

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 7 days

    "Sing up" is always free! So is "sign up".
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 7 days

    Excited to see the new CBC Nature of Things episode, "Empire of Bats" is now streaming on CBC Gem (singup is free): gem.cbc.ca/the-nature-o...

    Episode features Jerrica Jamison flying 🦇 as well as running vampire bats, of course!

    gem.cbc.ca/the-nature-o... gem.cbc.ca/the-nature-o...

    Empire of Bats | The Nature of Things | CBC Gem

    New hosts Sarika Cullis-Suzuki and Anthony Morgan take on The Nature of Things, the world's longest-running science documentary series.

    gem.cbc.ca

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 2 weeks

    I mean...first out Sept. 3rd...but this skeet just makes it feel more real.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 2 weeks

    It's officially out (in print, if you're feeling nostalgic)! Congrats to Dr. Oelbaum and the whole team!

    Canadian Journal of Zoology

    Now published:

    Dietary protein and reproductive condition influence wound healing in the Jamaican fruit bat, Artibeus jamaicensis 🦇

    ✒️ Oelbaum et al.
    🔗 doi.org/10.1139/cjz-...

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 weeks

    I love that in both English and Ojibwe, the word for chickadee is very onomatopoeic.

    The Institute for Bird Populations

    🪶 In the Ojibwe language, the word for chickadee is gijigijigaaneshiinh. To hear it pronounced (it sounds really cool) visit ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/m...

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 weeks

    Sorry I didn't have time to do that either!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 weeks

    Sorry there wasn't any time to swing south by your neck of the woods, !
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 weeks

    Had a wonderful time at the North American Society for Bat Research meeting. So proud of the work done by my students Jerrica Jamison and Dr. Phil Oelbaum (now at York U). Here's a pic of Jerrica. Didn't get one of Phil at his talk because I was busy chairing session!
    Presenter Jerrica Jamisons stands in front of her title slide, reading, "Sugar Metabolism Convergence Across Independent Evolutions of High-Sugar Diets in Bats," at the 2025 North American Society for Bat Research meeting in Edmonton, AB, Canada.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 1 month

    A gift from my grad student! I will wear it proudly.
    A button with a slogan reading, ”MALE FEMINIST MOTHERF***ER."
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 2 months

    Opinion piece by prof and PhD student Sisley Irwin!
    🧪🌎

    JPE - Journal of Pollination Ecology

    Extremely interesting opinion piece by MacIvor & Irwin on "Mail-order solitary bee cocoons as a gateway for biological invasion": doi.org/10.26786/192...

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 2 months

    A correction - science working the way it's supposed to

    https://www.welchbiology.com/2025/09/09/a-correction-science-working-the-way-its-supposed-to/
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 2 months

    Luna says, "good morning."
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    My personality lights up the room! 😜
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    As if I needed another reason to worship the ground this man walks upon...

    The A.V. Club

    Yankovic was all set to donate memoribilia—including his Hawaiian shirt from UHF—for a planned exhibit, but, "I’m putting that on hold."
    www.avclub.com/weird-al-smi...

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    Robin explains how she engages students using mobile phones in an experiential learning context.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    and I are about to give back to back talks to University of Melbourne!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    Always a pleasure publishing with ! Society journals should always be considered when you're looking to publish!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    101? Maybe without the person inside.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    Yes! Several recent invited reviewers did this. Hugely helpful!

    Danielle Levesque

    Seconded! And if you can't review please suggest alternates. Early career folks are always welcome and lots of journals make it easy to co-review with a trainee.

    If you're new and want reviewing opportunities make sure your Google Scholar, Scopus and ORCID etc are up to date so we can find you!

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    Photo taken here?
    youtu.be/hRPfY4mE4ME?...

    Zoolander Clip - Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good

    YouTube video by Matt Strelecki

    youtu.be

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    Totally stealing this!

    Upbeat Former Prof

    i once asked a mentor what skill she was proudest of. she replied, "assembling teams that outlive not only my time as their leader, but their time together as a team."

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    Many #ibrc225 participants including myself have signed the letter calling out Aussie gov. These kinds of racist policies are wrong and damaging.

    Eight bat researchers mostly from Asia and Africa refused entry into Australia to attend global scientific event www.theguardian.com/environment/...

    Eight bat researchers mostly from Asia and Africa refused entry into Australia to attend global scientific event

    Organisers say move will damage nation’s scientific standing as government refuses to comment on why group of scientists were refused entry

    www.theguardian.com

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    If we're going for the moon shot, how about a vaccine against stupid?

    Colin Carlson

    RFK has announced that he is developing a vaccine against all viruses. Yes, every single one. The whole, uh, "phylum"

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    Congratulations! What a great feeling that first lab pub brings!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    It was a great time! Learned a ton!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    Ecotoxicology & Endocrinology starts soon! Come join me if you're attending The 20th International Bat Research Conference 2025. #ibrc2025 - via #Whova event app
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    Kicking off #IBRC2025!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    You lost me. I was not talking economics. This is much bigger than that. Good luck to you.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    Let's aim for less time. I've only got so much time here.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 3 months

    Averaged over enough time the slope of the linear regression better be positive and significantly different from zero.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 4 months

    Guess what I will NOT be watching!

    The New York Times

    From @theathletic.com: Fox Sports has completed a major deal with Barstool Sports. The agreement calls for the company’s founder, Dave Portnoy, to become a regular on Fox’s premier Saturday college football pregame show, “Big Noon Kickoff.”

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 4 months

    New 🦇 paper alert! What do you do when COVID cancels all travel to work with wild neotropical #bats? You work with captive bats in far-away (next door) Quebec!

    Extra protein impacts frugivores' wound-healing!

    dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-...

    dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-... dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-...

    Dietary protein and reproductive condition influence wound healing in the Jamaican fruit bat, Artibeus jamaicensis

    Dietary protein is essential for successful wound healing. When animals that feed primarily on fruits that are poor in protein and micronutrients encounter periods—during migration, reproduction, and ...

    dx.doi.org

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 4 months

    Hey, let's not talk about THAT "BBB"! Let's talk about a new Big Beautiful 🦇 paper! Big Brown 🦇 given realistic daily dose of pesticide in food for just 3 or 7 days show big changes to plasma proteomes, including important immune system components! doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

    doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

    Systemic effects of pesticides on insectivorous bats: a proteomics approach

    Abstract. Bats play a critical role controlling agricultural pests, yet foraging in croplands exposes them to hazardous pesticides. These chemicals pose si

    doi.org

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 4 months

    my wife and I were very offended when you did the same for our wedding! 😂
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 months

    Nice, short documentary about the Jamaica Flower 🦇. Most shots of the bats are as they are being held in the hand/measured. Those two hands belong to my fabulous two grad students, Phil and Jerrica! #bats

    The Unique Flower Bat of Jamaica: One of Nature’s Rare and Fascinating Species

    YouTube video by pbcjamaica

    www.youtube.com

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 months

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 months

    this is much easier said than done
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 months

    I believe the term you are looking for is "hangry"
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 months

    They always tell it like it is!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 months

    and friend of the lab design clever chamber that keeps humidity constant while they change temperature to study how salamanders avoid drying out! Read more .

    Behavioural evidence of a humidistat: a temperature-compensating mechanism of hydroregulation in spotted salamanders

    Highlighted Article: Spotted salamanders maintain hydration state by behaviourally defending a constant evaporative drive between temperatures.

    doi.org

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 months

    Speak for yourself. I can wiggle mine just fine, thank you! 😜
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 months

    Agreed! my dog is more protected than my daughter!

    Dr. Robin Bond, biogeochemist at a PUI 🧪

    This honestly is really fascinating. My dog gets a vaccine that protects against Lyme, and I've often wondered why humans can't get a similar vaccine.

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 months

    I'm sorry. that was neither Canadian nor Minnesotan of me.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 months

    have you lost weight?!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 5 months

    This is on point.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

    Oops. Here's the article I'm referring to.

    Supplemental Feeding as a Driver of Population Expansion and Morphological Change in Anna's Hummingbirds

    Bird beaks are highly adaptable, with the potential to undergo rapid morphological shifts in response to environmental change such as climatic variation or food availability. Anna's Hummingbirds (Cal....

    onlinelibrary.wiley.com

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    Cool work by colleagues including Alejo Rico Guevara and former MSc student Simon English showing that backyard hummingbird feeders have led to remarkably rapid changes in Anna's hummingbird bill morphology!

    🌍🧪
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    how would we know anyway? I only ever see him sitting down.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    go easy! they're trying!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    every year here, but usually just passing through.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    what a weird hummingbird!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    Cool new work by Rogers, , Stager, and Gerson! Build your own bird behavioural phenotyping system for a couple hundred 💵!

    doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
    doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

    Arduino allows development of a low-cost, high-resolution metabolic and behavioral phenotyping system for birds

    Summary: DIY live-in chambers and Arduino electronics allow the use of standard respirometry equipment for high-resolution, multi-day metabolic phenotyping and bio-monitoring of birds.

    doi.org

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    Can confirm!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    The part that gets me so mad is that, even if the Dems were being dishonest, this alternative is and was so obviously worse.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    I think, I see, your point. Good, catch.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    Like every toilet in my house!

    George Takei

    Imagine losing a battle to a bathroom sign and thinking you won.

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    Thicc
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    peak bloom! 🍒🌸🌸
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    Not sure. But, "Lurking Weasel" is a cool band name.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    I want to thank the community for NOT flooding my feed with posts about #WorldNakedGardeningDay.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    well, hello there!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    A squirrel in my backyard is chowing down on some corn on the cob. no idea where that corn came from.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    A big congratulations to DR. Phillip Oelbaum! His thesis was officially submitted to the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto! It's official!🦇🎉


    Read more: www.welchbiology.com/2025/04/24/c...

    Congratulations to DR. Phillip Oelbaum! – Welch Lab

    www.welchbiology.com

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    Other option is a moat with a drop of soap to break surface tension. Definitely more deadly and will require maintenance and cleaning.

    P.S. NOTendorsing Amazon...just an example.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 6 months

    PerkyPet sells an ant guard containing permethrin. It's an insecticide, but I find the ants stay far enough away that they're avoiding toxic exposure. www.amazon.ca/Perky-Pet-24...

    Amazon.ca

    www.amazon.ca

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 7 months

    Happy International #Bat Appreciation Day!

    Here is a video of a Fish eating myotis (Myotis vivesi) eat some shrimp!
    A video closeup of a Fish-eating myotis bat (Myotis vivesi) eating a piece of shrimp.
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 7 months

    🤥

    Albrecht Schulte-Hostedde

    🙄

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 7 months

    Come on! Birds don't have teeth to chew it with! This will never work. 😜

    Chantzy

    Please let bubble gum be the way out of this mess

  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 7 months

    Two 🦇 papers accepted pending minor revisions this week! Nice!
  • Get to this post

    Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social 7 months

    Hilarious!

    Rare footage shows octopus hitchhiking on shark’s back | CNN

    Rare footage captured by scientists in New Zealand in 2023 shows an octopus riding on the back of a shark. In a recently released study, scientists say they still aren’t sure how the deep sea-dwelling...

    www.cnn.com