Degrees:
     B.S.  (Zoology) Univ. of Wisconsin Madison, 1961
     M.A.  (Ichthyology) Univ. of California, Los Angeles, 1963
     Ph.D.  (Physiological Ecology) UCLA, 1966

Fellowships:
     NASA Predoctoral Fellow, 1964-1966 with Dr. Kenneth S. Norris
     NIH Research Associate at Center for Biology of Natural Systems, Washington U., St. Louis
     with Dr. David M. Gates, 1966-1968

Employment:
     Research Assistant to Dr. A.D. Hasler, U. of Wisconsin,  Hydrobiology Lab,
     Summers of 1960, 1961, 1962     
     Teaching Assistant in Zoology, UCLA, 1961-1964
     Research Assistant to Dr. K.S. Norris, Dept of Zoology, UCLA,  Summers of 1963, 1964
     Assistant Professor of Zoology, U. of Wisconsin, Madison, 1968-1971
     Associate Professor of Zoology, U. of Wisconsin, Madison, 1971-1974
     Professor of Zoology, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, 1974-present
     Professor of Environmental Toxicology, U. of Wisconsin, Madison, 1986 - present
     Chair, Dept. of Zoology. 1 July 1993 - 30 June, 1998

Honors:
  a) Research honors:

• Romnes Faculty Fellowship ($25,000 award for excellence in research and unusual research promise), 1977
• Guggenheim Fellow, 1979-1980
• Special Faculty Recognition Fund award (approximately $2000 salary increment given to 3% of UW faculty), 1983
• Elected AAAS Fellow, May, 1984
• Selected as one of the top five researchers supported by the Ecological Research Division of the Department of Energy, (includes National Laboratories and Universities) January,  1986.
• Selected as a faculty member of the Environmental Toxicology  Center. U. Wis, Madison. 1986.
• Winner of IBM competition for two IBM AT's plus peripherals  to develop research software.  1986.
• Visiting Distinguished Ecologist, Colorado State U. 1989
• Selection of paper, "Thermodynamic Equilibria of Animals with Environment", as on of the 40 classic papers in the  field of Ecology.  in 'Foundations of Ecology: Classic papers with commentaries.' Real, L.A. and J.H. Brown.1991. U. Chicago Press. 904 p.
• Invited Faculty Associate in the Center for Integrated Agriculture Systems, December, 1997
• Senior Fellow, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara, California. 1998-1999.
• Won a $5000 InTime award for a high end laptop computer and software to present Zoo. 101 lectures in PowerPoint format. Fall, 1999.
• Appointed Distinguished Research Fellow, U. of Adelaide, Australia from 20 June, 2000, to 31 December, 2000.
• Invited participant in Body Size Workshop at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. Fall 1999 Ð Fall 2001.
• Invited participant in Endocrine Review Ð State-of-the-Art status. Tulane, New Orleans, LA. 16 Ð 18 Oct.  Declined because of prior commitments.
• Summer research fellow, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara, California.  Summer, 2001.

• Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award (Zoology 101), 1969
• Winner of Apple Computer competition for MacIntosh II plus peripherals to develop new generation research software. 1988.
• Selected by WQED Public Television's premier biology series, "The Infinite Voyage", to be filmed for their program on dinosaur research.  1988.
• Selected as one of 85 in national software competition by IBM to all expenses paid national software symposium in Dallas, Texas, to demonstrate instructional and research software I developed. (June, 1988)
• Selected as one of 6 national Scholars to present research at the 45th Annual National NSTA (National Society of Teachers of America) New Orleans. April, 1997. ÔNeurological, Endocrine, Immune and Developmental Impact of Low-Level Pesticide Mixtures in Drinking WaterÕ

• One of four chairs at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, to be invited to present at the fall New Chairs meeting, ÔHow to be an effective chair.Õ September, 1996
• Led the Department of Zoology to a Certificate of Commendation from the State of Wisconsin as a State leader in the practice of Total Quality Management. 1997.  There were eleven organizations in the private and public sector throughout the State who received this recognition from the Governor.

•  C.R. Tracy: Guggenheim Fellow (1980); Faculty, Coloratdo State U; Faculty U. Nevada, Reno and Director: Biological Resources Research Center and Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology program, University of Nevada, Reno.
• T. Daniel: Bantrell Fellowship, Calif. Inst. Tech. (2 years), Winner of 600 person competition for faculty position at U. of Washington, Seattle. (1984); MacArthur Foundation Fellow (1995)
• J.G. Kingsolver: Miller Postdoctoral Fellow, Berkeley  (2 years), Winner in 200 person competition for faculty position at Brown University (1984);  Winner of 500 person competition for faculty position at U. of Washington, Seattle (1986).; Endowed chair, U.N.C, Chapel Hill (2000).
• K.E. Conley: Harvard Postdoctoral Fellowship (1983)  NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship, Bern, Switzerland (2 yrs), Faculty, U. Washington, Seattle
• K. Christian: Guyer postdoctoral fellow (1980-81); Winner in 500 person competition for faculty position at U. of  Puerto Rico (1983)
• S. Waldschmidt: 2 year NSF postdoctoral fellowship (in national competition) (1985)
• S. Jones: Guyer postdoctoral fellow (1983)
• J. C. Munger: Leopold Research Fellow (1985, 1986); Winner of 200 person competition for faculty position at Boise State, Idaho. 1988.
• J. Lovvorn: Dean's Fellowship (1986) 1 of 8 graduate students in the College of Letters and Science, U Wis., Madison;  NATO Post-doctoral fellowship (1988-1989);  Winner of 200 person competition for faculty position at U. of Wyoming, Laramie (1989)
• R. Shea: Guyer postdoctoral fellow (1985); winner of 200 person competition for faculty position at Randolph-Macon College, Virginia 1987.
• Karen Overall:  1988.  NSF predoctoral fellowship.
• Nancy Debbink:  1988.  Trewartha honors undergraduate fellowship.
• Sonja Green:    1989.  Trewartha honors undergraduate fellowship.
• Adria Cannon:   1989.  U. of Wis. Graduate school fellowship.1990.  3 year NSF predoctoral fellowship  (850 awarded out of more than 6000 applicants)
• Penny Reynolds: 1990.  Anna M. Jackson Award for best student paper Am. Soc. Mammalogists National meetings; 2 year NSF postdoctoral fellowship 1992-1994; winner of 200 person competition for Comparative Physiologist position, U. Virginia, Richmond 1966
• Bruce Grant:    1990.  Hollaender postdoctoral fellowship.1992.  Winner of 200 person competition for faculty position in Philadelphia.
• Steve Adolph:   1990.  Guyer postdoctoral fellowship. 1992.  Winner of 200 person competition for  faculty position at Harvey Mudd College, Claremont,CA.
• Scott Belden:   1991.  Halstrom Environmental Fellowship.
• J. B. French 1992.  Winner of  400 person competition for US Fish and Wildlife Service research appointment at Patuxent Wildlife Center in Maryland
• Teresa Bluler:  1993.  Olin Chemical Corp. $3000 summer fellowship.
• William Mitchell 1993 - 1996. Guyer postdoctoral fellow.
• Charles Curtin 1994-1996.    NSF postdoctoral fellow with Dr. James Brown
• Cheryl Dykstra 1994    US Fish & Wildlife Service research appointment
• Steve Beaupre 1995     Winner of 500 person competition for tenure track Asst. Prof. at U. of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
• Lisa LaPerriere 1996  Hilldale Environmental Fellowship
• Kent Hatch 1996. Ph.D., U. Wis., Madison; 2 year Fullbright Fellowship, Faculty Brigham Young U., Utah
• Suzanne Lombard 1997 Hilldale Environmental Fellowship
• Kiersten Purves 1997  Holstrom Environmental Fellowship
• Geoff Hosack 1998 Holstrom Environmental Fellowship

• Computer language programming: FORTRAN, BASIC, PASCAL, PERL, MySQL, PYTHON
• Graphics packages: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere, Corel Draw, ArcView GIS
• Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, Notebook
• Scientific Word 3.0 (LATEX printing, publishing)

• Heat and mass transfer engineering applied to animals
• Environmental toxicology, especially endocrine disrupters, immune and neurological effects of environmental contaminants.
• Statistical experimental design for multiple variable problems
• Application of stable isotopes for early detection of catabolic state and protein nutritional status
• Quality Management skills

• Editorial Board    Functional Ecology (1986-1996)
• Member: International Air Pollution Advisory Board for the Detroit-Windsor Port Huron-Sarnia Region (one of 3 U.S. people and 3 Canadians charged by the Canadian    premier and President Bush with exploring what be done to control and evaluate pollution in the U.S. - Canada border region.(1990 - 1992)

• Panel member:  NSF Population Biology & Physiological Ecology (1989 - 1992)
• Advisor to Los Alamos National Labs physiology program
•  Two EPA panels on policy development of multiple low-level toxicant testing and exposure policies
• One DOE panel (HERAC) advising the head of the agency of new directions for the DOE
• One DOE panel on development of new programs for  toxicant effects on immune function and other integrated effects
• DOE HERAC subcommittee advising on future directions for ecological research into the next century. Fall 1993.
• Two NSF panels on Multidisciplinarity in Biological Research (by invitation: Fall, 1995; April, 1996)
• EPA panel member, 2000, 2001

• Expert advice to Wisconsin Public Intervenor on biological effects of groundwater contamination by agricultural and urban chemicals (1988 - 1995)
• Expert advice to Wisconsin Dept. of Public Health on  biological effects of groundwater contamination by agricultural and urban chemicals (1988 - present
• Expert advice to Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources on  biological effects of groundwater contamination by agricultural and urban chemicals (1988 - present)

• Board of directors of 1) Madison Technology Incubator (Treasurer),  2) Madison Civic Band
• Madison Memorial High School and Middleton High School guest lectures to biology  program, advisor for science project competitions
• Wisconsin Association of High School Teachers guest  presentations for their state meetings
• Campus lab presentations to area biology teachers on current research
• Madison Civic Band volunteer performer for concerts at hospitals, nursing homes, civic functions, etc.
• Advice and scientific counsel to Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (SWAB) (Ordinance Plant near Baraboo, WI)
• Member, Parent Advisory Council and Parent Teacher Organization, Stoner Prairie Elementary School, Fitchburg, WI.

• Chair of Zoology  1993 - June 30, 1998
• Member of executive committee of Center for Biology Education, Biocore steering committee, UBEC committee, Sabbatical evaluation committee, Faculty development committee, L&S Handbook development committee, and various other planning and coordinating committees associated with being chair of Zoology at the Departmental and Campus level
• Campus review of Poultry Science Dept.
• Post tenure review on Dr. Cal DeWitt, IES
• UIR/L&S Advisory Board: advice an counsel on University Ð Industry interfacing; review of applicants for UIR positions, e.g. associate deans.
• University Ridge Research Committee: scientific advice on developing IMP and ultimately no pesticide usage in maintaining University golf course.
• Member of  Center for Integrated Agriculture Systems (CIAS) Advisory Board 1998 Ð 2003 or beyond.  Advice on developing stronger programs for CIAS and developing funding for the program, etc.

• Dr. Warren E. Stewart, Chem. Engineering (coupled heat and mass transfer in porous media, such as fur and feathers)
• Dr. Robert Auerbach; Dr. Ian Carlson, U.W. Hospitals Endocrine lab (multiple low level stress effects on reproductive, growth, immune, behavioral and endocrine processes and functions)
• Dr. Martin Feder, U. of Chicago. Selection mechanisms for optimal egg laying habitats for fruit flies in nature.
• Dr. Jon Foley, Atm.& Oceanic Sciences, U. of Wis., Madison and Dr. Joel Brown, U. of Illinois at Chicago Circle. Global climate and local constraints on community structures globally.
• Yishai Wise, Dr. Karen Steudel, Dr. John Kutzbach, U. of Wis., Madison. Evolution of hominid bipedalism: role of climate, habitat, and loss of fur.

Brief funding history
1) Mass and energy budgets of animals: behavioral and ecological implications.
DOE   Continuous funding at $100,000 or more from 1970 through 1990.
NSF, EPA grants totalling over $1,000,000. from 1970 through 1990.
DOE:  $200,000: 1 Ap '91 - 31 Mr '92
DOE:  $220,611: 1 Ap '92 - 31 Mr '93
DOE:  $237,830: 1 Ap '93 - 1 Ap '94
2) New models and experiments describing heat and mass transfer in fur. NSF: $160,000: 1 Aug. '89 - 31 July '93
3) Thermal and hydric effects of incubation in Sceloporus merriami eggs.  NSF:  $8533.  8/15/89 - 1/31/91
4) Incorporation of the nest environment into a biophysical model of the population dynamics of reptiles.  NSF: $12,000: 7/15/89 - 6/30/91
5) ÔGroundwater contaminantsÕ Wis. Groundwater Res. Council. $40,000  1 July Ô94 - 30 June Ô96.
6) ÔStable isotopes for monitoring human healthÕ.  UIR $20,000.  1 July Ô96 - 30 June Ô97
7) ÔStable isotopes for early detection of breast cancerÕ. WARF $22,000. 1 July Ô96 - 30 June Ô97
8) ÔStable isotopes for monitoring human healthÕ.  UIR $20,000.  1 July Ô97 - 30 June Ô98
9) ÔPesticide mixtures effects on animalsÕ $30,000 CIAS 1 January, 1998 - 1 July, 1999.
10) Ô New herbicides biological effects on amphibiansÕ $7500. Private foundation. 1 January, 1998 - 30 June, 1998.
11) ÔBiological impacts of lawn care productsÕ $60,000. 1 July, 1998 - 30 June, 2001. Private company.

Research accomplishments
     Our research program involves three parallel and complementary tracks: animal energetics as influenced by climate (and its implications for population dynamics and community structure at local, regional, and global scales), environmental contaminants that modulate cellular/molecular, organ system and individual level processes, and our patented stable isotope process that detects catabolic state and protein status without the need to dope with isotopes.
     Animal energetics: Our research group developed the first general mechanistic ectotherm and microclimate models.  The first general endotherm heat transfer models for any type of fur and any size animal were also developed in my research group in collaboration with Drs. John Mitchell and William Beckman in Mechanical Engineering.  Recently, in collaboration with Drs. Warren Stewart and Srinivas Budaraju in Chemical Engineering, we have been able to solve the problem of fluid (air) flow through fur.  We can now calculate heat and mass transfer through wet or dry fur, feathers, grass or other fibrous, porous media from basic principles.
     Our endotherm models are the only ones that have been demonstrated to be accurate to within experimental error in calculating maintenance costs and growth potential over the range of environmental conditions the animals experience.  The mammal species that the endotherm model has been verified for now include deer mice, white footed mice, cotton rats, wood rats, tundra voles, singing voles, prairie dogs, yellow bellied marmots, swine and Holstein calves.  The model has also been verified for quail and chukar partridge.  Lately, we have been able to show that we can predict the Ômouse - to - elephantÕ metabolic data that were empirically collected in 1938 by Benedict.  No one until now has been able to satisfactorily explain why the data have the slope and intercept that they do.  We can also now show how limited in application those experimental data are.  They were collected at 28 C air temperature, 36 C core temperature, low humidity and low windspeed for all sizes of animals.  We can now predict the mouse-to-elephant curve for any air temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and solar radiation level for any size of animal with any kind of fur.  This implies that we can ÔdesignÕ animals on the computer and test the calculations by manipulating genetic properties of the fur and the animals for maximum production in different climates. Lately I have created "Animal Landscapes" that illustrate how animals perceive the landscape in terms of their energetics, activity time, and interactions with other species.  These calculations use digital elevation maps that provide high-resolution information on elevation, slope, aspect, vegetation type, and soil type to reconstruct available local microclimates that the animals can then select depending upon various temperature and light dependent behaviors that each species utilizes.  The energetics for an animal for each month of the year is mapped onto the landscape using ArcView for presentation (Porter et al., 2000; 2001). An illustration of this process can be seen by viewing the QuickTime movie showing monthly energetics for a 250 g (nocturnal) dusky footed woodrat maintaining a core temperature of 37.5 C. on the  Los Olivos quadrangle in Southern California (hotlink to movie). Questions can be addressed quantitatively, such as " How do climate, topography, vegetation, soil type, and animal properties impact on behavior and physiology and the ability to survive, grow, and reproduce on real landscapes?", and "How might toxicants and pathogens in air and food modify animal physiology and behavior to alter their place on the landscape and their ability to function on the landscape?"
     The general microclimate, ectotherm and endotherm models can be used for a variety of pure and applied research purposes, such as to ask questions about the consequences of climate change or genetic changes in animals, whether natural or man-made. For example, the impact on maintenance costs and growth or reproduction potential due to changes in body size, fur coat color, hair length or density or body temperature regulation for any size of endotherm in any physical environment can now be explored quantitatively.  Questions about changes in voluntary food or water consumption of wild animals due to habitat changes affecting microenvironments or consumption of domestic animals due to environmental modification (shelters or trees) may be answered quantitatively.  Environmental changes or animal differences that affect time-space utilization can be calculated and verified in the field as we have shown for several species.  We have recently developed stochastic microclimate models that can compute the percent available habitat that is thermally available (Grant & Porter, 1992). We found that feeding rates are linearly related to the percent of thermally available microhabitats. Thus, we can predict upper bounds on feeding rates and activity time available in natural environments. Activity time is the key variable, because we use that to compute population Ôlife historyÕ variables of survivorship, reproduction potential (Adolph and Porter, 1993), growth, time to sexual maturity and size at sexual maturity (Adolph and Porter, 1996) for a lizard species over its entire distribution in North America.
    Environmental contaminants: Interactive effects of infections, available food and water, and survival in different environments can be addressed with our models.  Recently, the models calculated suppressed growth and reproduction due to synergistic effects of slight reductions in food and water with low level disease and chemicals.  The chemicals we used include currently registered and commercially used agricultural plant growth regulator chemicals that we discovered have immune suppression properties.  Using natural routes of entry and low levels of the disease and chemicals, we subsequently experimentally verified the models' predictions and found not only greater vulnerability to disease and to low levels of chemicals under conditions of light malnourishment, but also interference with gestation, resulting in frequent abortions and reabsorptions.  The possible ramifications of these findings for malnourished populations exposed to agricultural chemicals and infections is cause for concern.
        We also have been exploring the possible effects of mixtures of low levels of insecticides, herbicides and nitrate fertilizers in drinking water on the interacting nervous, endocrine and immune systems for the last several years.  We have recently found suppression of learning and exploratory behavior, changes in hormone levels (thyroxine, somatotropin), and changes in immune parameters in rats, white mice, and deer mice at levels of pesticides that occur in groundwaters throughout the United States.
         Stable isotope process: Our patented stable isotope process is showing that we can detect catabolic (wasting) state in animals and humans virtually from the instant of onset with breath or blood protein samples.  The process can also determine past energetic status at multiple times in the past from a single current blood sample of very small amount.  The process also detects protein deficiency in the organism and how long it has persisted.  Thus, events in animals or people, such as onset of infections, AIDS (even before wasting begins), cancers, liver and kidney diseases, impact of dietary programs and malnutrition are detectable early, cheaply and easily.  We are working to further develop these processes which have large health implications as well as potentially allowing us to assess energetic status at the population level for animals outdoors.  The stable isotope process allows us to test predictions of metabolic costs and food consumption rates of free ranging animals and people.

Statement of Research Interests
     A basic unanswered question in biology is what are the mechanisms of interaction of climate, diseases and low level toxicants with the morphological, physiological, and behavioral properties of animals that affect their population and community dynamics?  The basic premises of my work are that as environmental and physiological stresses accumulate, survival costs increase at the expense of potential for growth, reproduction, fat deposition and activity.  Sometimes stressors act additively, sometimes synergistically.  The interactions of combinations of variables on biological systems is largely unexplored theoretically and experimentally.  "Standard" theory fails because many of the appropriate variables are interdependent, and the boundary conditions (driving variables) are irregular in time, making analytical solutions impossible. "Standard" experimental techniques fail because the usual "one at a time" variable experiments a) assume independence of variables b) do not yield information about interactions c) are very inefficient experimental designs and are always more expensive to perform.
     My work involves a combination of computer modeling and experimentation in the lab and in the field.  The computer models of microenvironments and animals calculate food and water required for maintenance, growth and reproduction of any kind of animal in any kind of fluctuating environment, whether the animal is healthy or sick.  The modeling involves numerical solutions to non-linear fourth order coupled differential equations of heat and mass transfer of both animals and microenvironments.  We test those models in the laboratory and the field, often using iterative fractional factorial designs, a highly efficient way to experiment when many variables may affect the system of interest.  The computer models are used to identify particularly interesting phenomena or times of the year when critical events are occurring.  This allows us to focus our research efforts and to explore circumstances that may not at first seem "intuitively
obvious".  The equations in the models require easily measured physiological, morphological and behavioral attributes of animals as well as the environmental variables that affect the animals' heat and mass transfer.
     Lately, I have been concentrating on computing the potential for growth and reproduction of both ectotherms (cold-blooded) and endotherms (warm-blooded) animals at varying latitudes and altitudes, and as a function of climatic change.  The results of these calculations have allowed us to identify likely physiological and environmental variables limiting distributions of three species of ectotherms and two species of endotherms.
    Recently we have been able to show that our calculations of metabolic rate and water loss of the western fence lizards in the field, based on heat and mass transfer models of microclimates and the animals are within the experimental error bounds of doubly labeled water measurements.  We did the same thing for the tundra voles in the arctic.  We have shown that the models are accurate to within experimental error in defined laboratory environments for twelve species of mammals and two species of birds (Porter et al, 1994).  We have also been able to predict from first principles the empirically derived Ômouse-to-elephantÕ curve, which has never been done before.  We have also been able for the first time to evaluate quantitatively BergmannÕs rule, which says that animals within a species tend to be larger at more northerly latitudes and higher altitudes (Steudel et al, 1994).  We were able to show that small animals should optimally grow longer fur, rather than have larger body size, but other constraints on fur dictate that body size change is effectively the only remaining variable to minimize energetic cost.
      Our latest research explores the contributions energetics make to population dynamics and community structure.  We are integrating in our animal models the heat and mass balance models for energy intake and expenditures, body size effects on gut function and locomotion costs and optimal behavior for foraging using dynamic programming techniques.  We have discovered and   patented a process that allows us to measure anabolic or catabolic state of an animal over many time intervals simultaneously, from instantaneously to the last 3 days, the last 3 months, the last 6 months or longer.  The process also allows us to determine which substrates (carbohydrates, fats, proteins) are being utilized for energy.  This also allows us to determine whether animals are food limited or processing at maximum capacity and for how long.  Thus, we are in a postition to evaluate quantitatively what is 'optimal' body size in changing environments in time and space and how that affects the number of species in a community.