Biography
I moved to Brisbane in 2002 to study a Bachelor of Science at the University of Queensland, majoring in Zoology. My initial focus was on animal behaviour and during my second year of study I spent some time in the Animal Behaviour Lab. But during the second half of my degree my interest began to shift towards vertebrate physiology, thanks in part to some wonderful lecturers. In third year, I did an undergraduate research project with Craig Franklin on juvenile turtle diving behaviour. It was mostly a behavioural study, but with an underlying physiological basis that sealed the deal in terms of my future study directions. In 2004 I graduated from my science degree and in 2005 did my honours in turtle diving behaviour, looking at the role of bradycardia during voluntary dives. This was a project I loved because I was able to combine my old passion for animal behaviour (though with lesser emphasis) and my new interest in physiology.

My research interests have shifted a lot since my first days as an undergraduate science student. I am particularly interested in how animals survive in what appear to be stressful or paradoxical situations. I also like to take a more holistic approach to my research, combining studies at the behavioural, physiological and molecular levels, as observations at one level tend to make little sense without putting them in a broader context.

Current Research
In 2006 I began my PhD investigating metabolic depression in the green striped burrowing frog, Cyclorana alboguttata. These frogs are found in arid to semi-arid areas and can survive months, and perhaps even years, in the absence of food and water. During the dry season they burrow underground and enter a dormant state known as aestivation. My research focuses on the potential role of opioids (pain killing substances produced by the body) in initiating a metabolic depression during aestivation.

Contact Sara Kayes

Publications

Storey, E. M., Kayes, S. M., de Vries, I. and Franklin, C. E. Effect of water depth, velocity and temperature on the surfacing frequency of the bimodally respiring turtle Elseya albagula. Functional Ecology, In Press.