Dr Tom Pottinger

Dr Tom Pottinger

Fish Ecophysiology, Lake Ecosystem Group

Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Lancaster Environment Centre
Library Avenue
Bailrigg
Lancaster
LA1 4AP
T: +44 (0)1524 595800
F: +44 (0)1524 61536
E-mail: Dr Tom Pottinger
 

Current work

My current work focuses on understanding how fish cope with, and respond to, adverse alterations in their environment. Fish are key elements of the aquatic ecosystem, and an important economic resource, so it is important to appreciate how  susceptible they are to changes in the chemical, physical and hydrological characteristics of their environment. Understanding how fish respond to environmental stressors informs our ability to assess the broader impact of environmental change and also extends our fundamental understanding of vertebrate adaptive strategies. Recent projects include a multivariate evaluation of the health of a sentinel fish species exposed to STW effluent (EDCAT: Defra); a combined genetic and functional genomic investigation of stress and disease resistance marker assisted selection in fish and shellfish. (AQUAFIRST: EU STREP  513692) and an investigation of novel endpoints, exposure, low dose and mixture effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals in humans, aquatic wildlife and laboratory animals. (EDEN: EU QLK4-CT2002-00603).

Research interests

  • The stress response in fish
  • Coping strategies and the links between physiology, behaviour and fitness
  • Development of the three-spined stickleback as a tool for environmental monitoring
  • The effects of endocrine modulating substances in fish

Brief CV

  • Joint coordinator of EC-funded FP5 project EDEN (2002-2007)
  • Coordinator of EU programme “Selective breeding for stress tolerance in aquacultured fish” (1994-1998)
  • Head of Fish Biology Section, CEH at Windermere (2000-2004)
  • Member NERC Freshwater Sciences Peer Review Committee (1999-2002)
  • Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Aquaculture (2002 - )
  • Assistant Editor, Journal of Fish Biology (1992-1997)

 

Selected Publications

See also the NERC Open Research Archive.

Pottinger, T.G. (2009). A multivariate comparison of the stress response in three salmonid and three cyprinid fish species: evidence for between-family differences. Journal of Fish Biology (In press June 09).

Kittilsen, S., Schjolden, J., Beitnes-Johansen, I., Shaw, J. C., Pottinger, T.G.,  Sørensen, C., Braastad, B.O., Bakken, M. and Øverli, Ø. (2009). Melanin-based skin spots reflect stress responsiveness in salmonid fish. Hormones and Behavior (In press June 2009).

Talbot, A.T., Pottinger, T.G., Smith, T.J. and Cairns, M.T. (2009). Acute phase gene expression in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) after exposure to a confinement stressor: a comparison of pooled and individual data. Fish and Shellfish Immunology (In press, June 2009).

Jolly, C., Katsiadaki, I., Morris, S., Belle, N.L.E., Dufour, S., Mayer, I., Pottinger, T.G., Scott, A.P. (2009). Detection of the antiandrogenic effect of endocrine disrupting environmental contaminants using in vivo and in vitro assays in the three-spined stickleback. Aquatic Toxicology  92, 228-239.

Jürgens, M.D., Johnson, A.C., Pottinger, T.G., and Sumpter, J.P. (2009). Do suspended sediments  modulate the effects of octylphenol on rainbow trout? Water Research 43, 1381-1391.

Prunet, P., Cairns, M.T., Winberg, S., and Pottinger, T.G. (2008). Functional genomics of stress responses in fish. Reviews in Fisheries Science vol 16, Suppl 1 – Functional Genomics in Sustainable Aquaculture 157-166.

Ruiz-Gomez, M. de L., Kittilsen, S., Höglund, E., Huntingford, F.A., Sørensen, C., Pottinger, T.G.,   Bakken, M., Winberg, S., Korzan, W.J., Øverli, Ø. (2008). Behavioral plasticity in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with divergent coping styles: When doves become hawks. Hormones and Behaviour 54, 534-538.

Cairns, M.T., Johnson, M.C., Talbot, A.T., Pemmasani, J. K., McNeill, R.E., Houeix, B.,  Sangrador-Vegas, A. and Pottinger, T.G. (2008). A cDNA microarray assessment of gene expression in the liver of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in response to a handling and confinement stressor. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part D: Genomics and Proteomics 3, 51-66.

Allen, Y.T., Katsiadaki, I., Pottinger, T.G., Jolly, C., Matthiessen, P., Mayer, I., Scott, A.P., Eccles, P. and Feist, S. (2008). Intercalibration exercise using stickleback endocrine disrupter screening assay. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 27, 414-412.

Maunder, R.J., Matthiessen, P., Sumpter, J.P. and Pottinger, T.G. (2007). Impaired reproduction in three-spined sticklebacks exposed to ethinylestradiol as juveniles. Biology of Reproduction 77: 999 - 1006.

Back to Lake Ecosystem Group.