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Department of Theoretical Ecology


  Christoffer Johansson Westheim, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
(Forskarassistent)
 

 
  Research Interests

How good are birds at manoeuvring in flight, and what aerodynamic mechanisms do they utilize achieve the manoeuvres? These are questions I try to answer by studying birds flying both in air and under water. The ability to manoeuvre in flight is essential to birds moving in a three-dimensional medium, not only to avoid obstacles when flying in a complex environment, but also because it determines the outcome of predator prey interactions.
The project concerns several different aspects of manoeuvring in flying birds. We work to quantify the manoeuvrability of several different species, and will also study what makes certain species better at manoeuvring than others. The latter will be accomplished by studying the aerodynamics of the birds, using a relatively new technique called Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV). For more information on the techniques, look at the lab page (Flight lab).

I have a general interest in propulsion through fluids and have previously been working with propulsive mechanisms in swimming birds and frogs.

 
  Selected Publications

Swimming

L.C. Johansson and G.V. Lauder (2004). Hydrodynamics of surface swimming in Leopard frogs (Rana pipiens). J. Exp. Biol. 207(22): 3945-3958.

L.C. Johansson and R.Å. Norberg (2003). Delta-wing function of webbed feet gives hydrodynamic lift for swimming propulsion in birds. Nature 423(6944): 65-68.

L.C. Johansson (2003). Indirect estimates of wing-propulsion forces in horizontally diving Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica L.). Can. J. Zool. 81(5): 816-822.

L.C. Johansson and B.S. Wetterholm Aldrin (2002). Kinematics of diving Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica, L.): Evidence for an active upstroke. J. Exp. Biol. 205(3): 371-378.

L.C. Johansson and U.M. Lindhe Norberg (2001). Lift-based paddling in diving grebe. J. Exp. Biol. 204(10): 1687-1696.

L.C. Johansson and U.M. Lindhe Norberg (2000). Asymmetric toes aid underwater swimming. Nature 407(6804): 582-583.

Morphology

A. Zeffer, L.C. Johansson and Å. Marmebro (2003). Functional correlation between habitat use and leg morphology in birds (Aves). Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 79(3): 461-484.

Other

T. Uller and L.C. Johansson (2003). Human mate choice and the wedding ring effect: Are married men more attractive? Human Nature 14(3): 267-276.

 

  History

Previous positions:

2003. Post doc fellow, Dept. of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, USA. Advisor: George V. Lauder

Education:

1997-2002. PhD-student, Dept. of Zoology, Göteborg University, Sweden. PhD in Zoomorphology. Thesis title: Swimming in birds. Propulsive mechanisms and functional morphology. Advisor: Ulla Lindhe Norberg

1991-1996. Science program, major in biology, Göteborg University, Sweden. MSc in Biology. Thesis title: Morphology of the legs of swimming birds in relation to swimming behaviour. Advisor: Ulla Lindhe Norberg

 


Address: Theoretical Ecology, Ecology Building,  223 62 Lund , Sweden
Phone: +46 (0)46 2224955, Fax: +46 (0)46 2224716
Publisher:  
E-mail: Christoffer.Johansson@teorekol.lu.se