PAST RESEARCH
NICHOLAS WU
Ecological Physiologist at Western Sydney University, Australia
0000-0002-7130-1279
The role of the cloaca in salt and water balance in crocodiles
Research assistant - University of Queensland, Australia
Advisor:
Prof. Craig E. Franklin
About:
Crocodiles live across a range of salinities from freshwater to seawater. Seawater represents a dehydrating environment and crocodiles have to cope with an increased salt load. The kidney is not able to produce concentrated urine, and instead, the cloaca in concert with lingual salt glands are responsible for excreting excess salt. The overall aim is to characterize epithelial transport properties of the cloaca of crocodiles.
This project is in collaboration with Prof. Martin Grosell from the University of Miami, USA.
I also volunteered in crocodile maintenance, transferring crocodiles to experimental dive tanks, and measuring heart rate for a PhD student working on diving physiology of juvenile crocodiles in relation to climate change. Acknowledged in Rodgers et al. (2015), Rodgers & Franklin (2017), Rodgers & Franklin (2019), and Rodgers & Franklin (2020).
Skills:
Crocodile maintenance & handling, dissection, blood plasma biochemistry, and electrophysiology.
Species:
-
Estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
Juvenile estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) feeding. Image by N. Wu
Lingual salt glands of Crocodylus porosus regulates salt balance. N. Wu
Two Crocodylus porosus restraint to measure lingual salt secretion. E. Rodger & N. Wu
Ussing chamber set-up to measure electrophysiological properties of cloacal tissue samples. N. Wu
Craig Franklin and Martin Grosell obtaining blood and tissue samples of a Crocodylus porosus. R. Heuer