Biology Department
Scott Kirkton
Job Title
Professor of Biological Sciences
Research interests
Body size influences virtually all aspects of an organism’s biology. My research program at Union College asks fundamental questions about body size using insects, the most diverse and evolutionarily successful animals on the planet. Specifically, I study how an insect’s body size alters the biochemistry, morphology, physiology and biomechanics of oxygen delivery, muscle performance and locomotion.
Teaching interests
Cellular Foundations of Life (BIO 104), Topics in Human Physiology (BIO 206), Entomology (BIO 317), Comparative Animal Physiology (BIO 330) and Exercise Physiology (BIO 375)
Publications
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Kirkton, S. D. and A. A. Yazdani*. (2021). Chronic electrical stimulation reduces reliance on anaerobic metabolism in locust jumping muscle. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 257. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.110954.
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Kirkton, S. D. and S. K. Tyler*. (2021). American locust (Schistocerca americana) post-exercise lactate fate dataset. Data in Brief. Jul 11;37:107263. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2021.107263.
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Basile, A. J., S. D. Kirkton, M. S. Hedrick, H. V. Carey, and K. L. Sweazea. (2021). Defining comparative physiology: results from an online survey and systematic review. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 320(6): R938-R944. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00220.2020.
- Varoudis, T., A.G. Swenson*, S. D. Kirkton, and J. S. Waters. (2018). Exploring nest structures of acorn dwelling ants with X-ray microtomography and surface-based three-dimensional visibility graph analysis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 373(1753):20170237. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0237.
- Greenlee, K. J., J. J. Socha, H. B. Eubanks*, G. Thapa, P. Pedersen, W-K. Lee, and S. D. Kirkton. (2013). The scaling of hypoxia- induced compression in the tracheal system in the caterpillar, Manduca sexta. The Journal of Experimental Biology. 216(12): 2293-2301
- Kirkton, S. D., L. E. Hennessey*, B. Duffy*, M. M. Bennett, W-K. Lee, and K. J. Greenlee. (2012). Intermolt development reduces oxygen delivery capacity and jumping performance in the American locust (Schistocerca americana). Journal of Comparative Physiology-B. 182(2):217-30.
- Kirkton, S. D., E. T. Nyberg*, and K. M. Fox. (2011). Ontogenetic changes in citrate synthase and lactate dehydrogenase activity in the jumping muscle of the American locust (Schistocerca americana). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology – Part B: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. 160: 110-116.
- Greenlee, K. J., J. R. Henry, S. D. Kirkton, M. W. Westneat, K. Fezzaa, W-K. Lee, and J. F. Harrison. (2009). Synchrotron imaging of the grasshopper tracheal system: morphological components of tracheal hypermetry and the effect of age and stage on abdominal air sac volumes and convection. American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 297(5): R1343-R1350.* Union College Undergraduate Researcher
Additional media
Academic credentials
B.S., Denison University; Ph.D., Arizona State University; Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSD Medical School
Integrated Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC) 319
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