Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, 2002 Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Research Interests
My research interests focus on fish biology, more specifically, the comparative physiology of fishes. I am particularly interested in the comparison of the morphological, physiological, and biochemical specializations of high-performance fishes (i.e., tunas, billfishes, and lamnid sharks). I am interested in understanding the progression of character-state acquisition leading to the suite of specializations present in these derived high-performance marine fishes and addressing questions on the biological mechanisms that distinguish high-performance fishes from all other fishes.
I am also interested in how fishes respond to angling-induced stress. Specifically, the disruption to homeostasis in fishes (i.e., tunas, billfishes and lamnid sharks) that undergo intensive bouts of burst swimming. Of particular interest is the application of new molecular techniques to determine the presence of chaperone protein expression in the red blood cells, locomotor and myocardial tissues. In summary, I am interested in questions that involve the physiological specializations present in the most active species of fishes, and what the energetic costs and advantages may be for maintaining the adaptations supporting high-performance swimming and for dealing with angling-induced stress.
Recent Publications
Bernal, D., Sepulveda, C., Musyl, M. and Brill, R. (2009). The eco-physiology of swimming and movement patterns of tunas, billfishes, and large pelagic sharks. In Fish Locomotion - an etho-ecological perspective. (Eds. Domenici, P. Kapurr, D.) Scientific Publishers.
Skomal, G. and Bernal, D. (2009). Mechanisms and Adaptations Associated with Physiological Stress. In Volume 2. The Biology of sharks an their relatives. Physiological Adaptations, Behavior, Ecology, Conservation and Management of Sharks and Their Relatives. (Eds. J. C. Carrier J. A. Musick and M. R. Heithaus). CRC Press.
Sepulveda, C. A., Dickson, K.A., Bernal, D. and Graham, J. B. (2008). Elevated red myotomal muscle temperatures in the most basal tuna species, Allothunnus fallai. J. Fish Biol. 73: 241-249.
Sepulveda, C.A., Graham, J.B., and Bernal, D. (2007). Aerobic metabolic rates of swimming mako sharks, Isurus oxyrinchus. Mar. Bio. 152: 1087-1094.
Hight, B.V., Holts, D., Graham, J.B., Kennedy, B.P., Taylor, V., Sepulveda, C.A., Bernal, D., Ramon, D., Rasmussen, R, and Lai, Chin, L. (2007). Plasma catecholamine levels as indicators of the post-release survivorship of juvenile pelagic sharks caught on experimental drift longlines in the Southern California Bight. Mar. Fresh. Res. 58, 145-151.
Perry, C.N., Cartamil, D.P., Bernal, D., Sepulveda, C.A., Theilmann, R.J., Graham, J.B., and Frank, L.R. (2007) Quantification of red myotomal muscle volume and geometry in the shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) and the salmon shark (Lamna ditropis) using T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. J. Morph. 266: 284-292.
Bernal, D. Donley, J.M., Shadwick, R.E. and Syme, D.A. (2005). Mammal-like muscles power swimming in a cold-water shark, Nature 437, 1349-1352.
Sepulveda, C.A., Wegner, N.C., Bernal, D. and Graham, J.B. (2005). The red muscle morphology of the thresher sharks (family Alopiidae). J. Exp. Biol. 208, 4255-4261.
Bernal, D. and Sepulveda, C. (2005). Evidence for temperature elevation in the aerobic swimming musculature of the Common thresher shark, A. vulpinus. Copeia 2005, 146-151.
Bernal, D., Smith, D., Lopez, G., Weitz, D., Grimminger, T., A., Dickson. K.A. and Graham, J. B. (2003). Comparative studies of high performance swimming in sharks. II. Metabolic biochemistry of locomotor and myocardial muscle in endothermic and ectothermic sharks. J. Exp. Biol. 206, 2845-2857
Bernal, D., Sepulveda, C., Mathieu-Costello, O. and Graham, J. B. (2003). Comparative studies of high performance swimming in sharks: I. Red muscle morphometrics, vascularization, and ultrastructure. J. Exp. Biol. 206, 2831-2843.
Bernal, D., Dickson K. A., Shadwick R. E. & Graham J. B. (2001). Analysis of the evolutionary convergence for high-performance swimming in lamnid sharks and tunas. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 179:695-726.
Bernal, D. Sepulveda, C. & Graham, J. B. (2001). Water tunnel studies of heat balance in swimming mako sharks. J. Exp. Biol. 204:4043-4054.
Bernal D, Dickson, K.A. & Graham J.B (2001). Convergence for high-performance swimming in lamnid sharks and tunas. Thermoregulation and metabolic biochemistry. Amer. Zool. 40:942-943.
Courses Taught:
- BIO 103. Topics in Biology: Animal Biology (Lecture)
- BIO 131. Biology of Organisms I (Laboratory)
- BIO 370. Animal Physiology (Lecture and Laboratory)
- BIO 454/554. Biology of Sharks (Lecture)
- BIO 540. Environmental Physiology of Marine Organisms (Lecture and Laboratory)
- BIO 525. Graduate Student Seminar (Lecture)
- BIO 599. Graduate Thesis
Current Graduate Students:
- Heather Marshall. Metabolic biochemistry in shark hearts. Habitat utilization of the porbeagle shark (L. nasus) in the northwestern Atlantic.
- Lindsay Field. The biochemical and molecular responses to capture-related stress in sharks.
- James Patterson. Locomotor muscle biochemistry in the thresher sharks.
- Jeffrey Kneebone. Movement patterns of sand tiger sharks off the coast of New England.
- William Eddy and Tobey Curtis. New students.
Visit Diego Bernal's website: http://web.bio.umassd.edu/dbernal/
