Dr Paul Cooper Senior Lecturer Phone: 61 2 6125 3069 Fax: 61 2 6125 5573 Paul.Cooper@anu.edu.au

Main Research Interest
Insect physiology, salt and water regulation

Background
I undertook my Ph.D. at UCLA studying water balance in desert beetles. I then went travelling, taking a postdoctoral position wherever I found one; so I was at the Univ. of Tennessee-Knoxville, Univ. of Arizona and Univ. of British Columbia. I obtained a postdoc at La Trobe Univ. before being appointed as a contract lecturer here at the ANU in 1987.

Research Interests
Control of visceral muscle and digestion in insects, including the transport processes associated with the maintenance of pH gradients within the digestive system in vivo . Recently, we have been studying the effect of endocrine disrupting compounds on the physiology and ecology of freshwater insects and crustacea.   Salt, water and temperature regulation in reptiles, and the water and energetics of marine mammals.

Publications (2004-08)
Woodman, J.D., Cooper, P.D., Haritos, V.S. 2008. Neural regulation of discontinuous gas exchange in Periplaneta americana. Journal of Insect Physiology 54: 472-480.

Woodman, J.D., Haritos, V.S., Cooper, P.D. 2008. Effects of phosphine on the neural regulation of gas exchange in Periplaneta americana . Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 147: 271-277.

Woodman, J.D., Cooper, P.D., Haritos, V.S. 2007. Effects of temperature and oxygen availability on water loss and carbon dioxide release in two sympatric saproxylic invertebrates. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 147: 514-520.

Woodman, J.D., Cooper, P.D., Haritos, V.S. 2007. Cyclic gas exchange in the giant burrowing cockroach, Macropanesthia rhinoceros : Effect of oxygen tension and temperature. Journal of Insect Physiology 53: 497-504.

Webster, K., Cooper, P., Mound, L., (2006) "Studies on Kelly's citrus thrips, Pezothrips kellyanus (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae): sex attractants, host associations and country of origin", Australian Journal of Entomology, Vol 45, pp 67-74.

Wharton, T., Cooper, P., Floyd, R., (2004) "Life Stage Development of Essigella californica (Aphidoidea: Lachnidae: Cinarinae)", Annals of the Entomological Society of America, Vol 97, Issue 4, pp 697-700.

Wong, B., Cowling, A., Cunningham, R., Donnelly, C., Cooper, P., (2004) "Do temperature and social environment interact to affect call rate in frogs ( Crinia signifera )?", Austral Ecology, Vol 29, pp 209-214.

Current Research Group

• Kim Kingston - The feeding biology of the grape vine phylloxerid, Dakutulosphaira vitifoliae . Submission date August 2006
• James Woodson - The respiratory physiology of tracheate arthropods, with an empahsis on stored grain pests. Began 2004.

Past Students
Honours since 1997

• 1997-Alison Mills - Thesis title: "Seasonal and ontogenetic effects on thermal behaviour and oxygen consumption in the Eastern earless dragon, Tympanocryptis pinguicolla ". Honours I. alison.mills@anu.edu.au
• 1999-Bob Bern Ming Wong - Thesis title: "Croaking in Canberra: Factors affecting acoustic signalling in the winter-calling frog, Crinia signifera ". Honours I. bob.wong@sci.monash.edu.au
• 1999-Carina Christiansen - Thesis title: "A mouse model for immunocontraceptive development". Honours I.
• 2000-Anthony Massaro - Thesis title: "The tole of sderoxylonal in the feeding and distribution of the Australian steelblue sawfly, Perga affinis affinis ". Honours IIA.
• 2001-Tim Jensma - Thesis title: "Visual cues and reaction to aerial predators by semi-terrestrial crab species Heloecius cordiformis (Decapoda: Ocypodidae). Honours IIA.
• 2003-Hannah Gisz - Thesis title: "Is hatchling "quality" affected by maternal reproductive experience in leatherback turtles? Honours IIA.
• 2003-Alex Hodgson - Thesis title: Foraging, tandem recruitment and navigation in the Australian sugar ant, Camponotus consobrinus. Honours IIA.
• 2004-Dennis Kemper - Thesis title: " Morphological and physiological analysis of Phylloxera, Daktulosphaira vitifoliae , midgut analysis using microscopic and histochemical techniques." Honours IIB.
• 2004-Kenneth Webster - Thesis title: "Diurnal activity and sexual behaviour in Pezothrips kellyanus (Kelly's citrus thrips) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae); A behavioural and morphological study" Honours IIA.
• 2004- Sam Reid - Thesis title: " Group foraging, navigation, and morphology of the sawfly larvae Pergagrapta (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Pergidae)" Honours IIA.
• 2005- Elizabeth Turner - Thesis title: "Effluent reuse and endocrine disruption: effects on an urban waterway" Honours IIA.   Elizabeth.turner@anu.edu.au

Medical Research Student (2 nd year medical student)

• 2005-06 -   Andrew Ross - Thesis topic - The effect of the nematode intestinal parasite, Heligosomoides polygyrus, on the morphology of the caecum and large intestine of mice.                                      

Masters Students (3)

• Leon Saleu.-. Thesis title: "The effect of the laelapid mite Tropilaelaps clareae on the ecology of honeybee colonies ( Apis mellifera ) in theWestern Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea.   Awarded degree 1995.   Co-supervised with Dr. D. Anderson, CSIRO Entomology
• Sarah Dent - Thesis title: "Isolation of the gene coding for juvenile hormone esterase in Drosophila .."   Co-supervised with Dr. J. Oakeshott and Dr. M. Healy, CSIRO Entomology. Awarded degree 1999.
• Penny Linnett - Thesis title: "Modification of connexin 43 expression in vascular smooth muscle"   Co-supervised with Prof.   C. Hill., JCSMR.   Awarded degree 2002. penny.linnett@apvma.gov.au

Ph.D. Students (11 finished, 3 continuing)

• Ian Rourke - Thesis title: "Control of juvenile hormone synthesis in the moth, Helicoverpa armigera .."   Co-supervised with Dr. P. East, CSIRO Entomlogy and Dr. P. Janssens, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology.   Awarded degree 1994.
• Jane Elek   - Thesis title: "Effect of insect growth regulator, diflubenzuron (dimilin), on two insect pests of stored products." Co-supervised with Dr. Barry Longstaff, CSIRO Entomology.   Awarded degree 1995.
• Richard Reina - Thesis title: "Blood characteristics and the control of the salt gland in the green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas ." Awarded degree 1998
• Robert Rice - Thesis title: "Molecular taxonomy of the bacterium, Nosema apis ."   Co-supervised with Dr. D. Anderson, CSIRO Entomology. Awarded degree 1999.
• Gillian Colebatch - Thesis title: "Mirid physiology and susceptibility to proteinaceous toxins".   Co-supervised with Dr. V. Baule and Dr. P. East, CSIRO Entomology. Awarded degree 2000. gill.colebatch@csiro.au
• Don Bromhead - "Thesis title: "Determining growth status in teleost larvae using flow cytometric cell cycle analysis. Co-supervised with J. Kalish and P. Waring.   Degree Awarded 2001.
• Bronwyn Campbell - Genetics of esterase resistance: the consequences for resistance management of pyrethroids. Co-supervised with Dr. J. Daly, CSIRO Entomology.   Awarded degree 2002. beca@unimelb.edu.au
• Sophia Dimitriadis - Ecology and paleoecology of the effects of changing salinity on chironomid populations. Degree awarded 2004. sophia.dimitriadis@aph.gov.au
• Lyn Nelson - Behaviour and ecology of the Eastern earless dragon, Tympanocryptis pinguicolla .   Degree Awarded 2005.
• Trudi Wharton - Biology of the pine aphid Essegiella in Australia. Degree Awarded 2005.
• Stuart Dennis - The role of xenoestrogens on physiology and ecology of aquatic insects. Thesis submitted 2006. stuart.dennis@anu.edu.au
• Kim Kingston - The feeding biology of the grape vine phylloxerid, Dakutulosphaira vitifoliae . Kim.Kingston@dpi.vic.gov.au
• James Woodman - The respiratory physiology of tracheate arthropods, with an empahsis on stored grain pests.   james.woodman@csiro.au
• Adam Thomas - The immunological responses of the giant burrowing cockroach, Macropanesthesia sp.

Possible Honours Projects
Water balance regulation and temperature relations of insects or lizards.   Peptide and amine regulation of the digestive systsem and enzyme release in crickets or cockroaches.   Morphological examination of digestive systems of insects.

Funding

• 1997 Small Australian Research Council Grant $57,000 - Studying control of insect digestion
• 1998 NSW National Parks $60,000 - Survey of reptiles in the Yass shire
• 2003 Ecowise Environmental $20,000 - Endocrine disruptors in the effluent of Lower Molonglo Water Treatment Facility

Courses Taught

• Vertebrate physiology which looks at a systems approach to understanding how animals function.
• Entomology which is a general introduction to the insects in Australia
• Advanced physiology which examines control systems in physiology, including salt and water balance, reproduction and digestion

Other Activities

• Head, National Recovery Team for the Eastern earless dragon
• Member, National Recovery Team for the striped legless lizard
• Member, Australian Entomological Society
• Member, Society for integrative and comparative biology
• Parent