Mark Gunderson
Ph.D. student

Contact Information:
Department of Zoology
223 Bartram Hall
PO Box 118525
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-8525
Voice: 352-392-1098
Fax: 352-392-3704
Email: mgunderson@zoology.ufl.edu

Degrees: B.S. - Biology -St. Olaf College , Northfield MN

Research Interests:
Studying the impacts of environmental contaminants on living organisms using principles based in physiology, reproductive biology, pharmacology, ecology, wildlife biology, biochemistry and other related fields is the general area of my interests. I am presently involved in several projects investigating the roles and modes of action that trace environmental contaminants, such as heavy metals and pesticides, play in altering normal cellular and physiological functions related to reproduction and development in wildlife species. My current project is examining the sexually dimorphic patterns of hepatic testosterone degradation in American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) collected from contaminated and reference lakes in Florida.

Recent Publications

1. Evans, D.H., Gunderson, M., and Cagelis, C. 1996. ETB-Type receptors mediate endothelin-stimulated contraction in the aortic vascular smooth muscle of the spiny dog fish shark, Squalus acanthias. J. Comp. Physiol. 165:8 659-664.
2. Evans, D.H., Gunderson, M. 1998. A prostaglandin, not nitric oxide, mediates endothelium dependendent dilation in the ventral aorta of the shark, Squalus acanthias. Am. J. Physiol. 274: R1050-1057.
3. Evans, D.H. and Gunderson, M.P. 1998. Functional characterization of a muscarinic receptor in the smooth muscle of the shark (Squalus acanthias) ventral aorta. Experimental Biology On Line 3: 3.
4. Evans, D.H. and Gunderson, M.P. 1999. Characterization of an endothelin ETB receptor in the gill of the dogfish shark, Squalus acanthias. The Journal of Experimental Biology. 202 (24)
5. Guillette, L.J., Jr., D.A. Crain, M.P. Gunderson, S. Kools, M.R. Milnes, E.F. Orlando, A.A. Rooney, A.R. Woodward. 2000. Alligators and endocrine disrupting contaminants: A current perspective. American Zoologist, 40:438-452.
6. Guillette, L.J. and Gunderson, M.P. 2001. Alterations in the development of the reproductive and endocrine systems of wildlife exposed to endocrine disrupting contaminants. Reproduction, 202: 857-864.
7. Gunderson, M.P., LeBlanc, G.A., Guillette, L.J.,Jr. 2001. Alterations in sexually dimorphic biotransformation of testosterone in juvenile american alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from contaminated lakes. Environ. Health Perspec., 109 (12): 1257-1264.
8. Gunderson, MP, DS Bermudez, TA Bryan, DA Crain, S Degala, TM Edwards, S Kools, MR Milnes, AR Woodward, LJ Guillette, Jr. (2002) Temporal and spatial variation in plasma thyroxin (T4) concentrations in juvenile alligators collected from Lake Okeechobee and the northern Everglades. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 21:914-921.
9. Hewitt, E.A., Crain, D.A., Gunderson, M.P., Guillette, L.J., Jr., 2002. Thyroid status in juvenile alligators (Alligator mississipiensis) from contaminated and reference sites on Lake Okeechobee, Florida, USA. Chemosphere 47: 1129-1135.
10. Gunderson, M.P., T.S. Breza, Jr. and L.J. Guillette Jr. 2003. Lack of xenoestrogen-induced vitellogenin in wild juvenile American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. Environmental Sciences, 10: 193-204.
11. Guillette. L.J., Jr. S. Kools, M.P. Gunderson and D. S. Bermudez. 2002. DDT and its analogues: New insights into their endocrine disruptive effects on wildlife. In Endocrine Disrupters: Biological basis for health effects in wildlife. D.O. Norris and J.A. Carr, Eds.. Oxford University Press, NY. in press.
12. Gunderson, M.P., Kools, S. A. E., Milnes, M. R. and Guillette, L. J. Jr., 2003. Effect of acute stress on plasma b-corticosterone, estradiol-17b, and testosterone concentrations in juvenile American alligators collected from 3 sites within the Kissimmee-Everglades Drainage. Comp Biochem Phys, 135 (3):365-374.
13. Edwards T.M., M.P. Gunderson, and L. J. Guillette Jr. 2003. Gonadotropin-induced testosterone response in peripubertal male alligators. General and Comparative Endocrinology (accepted minor revision September 2003).
14. Gunderson, M.P., D.S. Bermudez, T.A. Bryan, S. Degala, T.M. Edwards, S.A.E. Kools, M.R. Milnes, A.R.Woodward, L.J. Guillette Jr., 2003. Variation in sex steroids and phallus size in juvenile American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) collected from 3 sites within the Kissimmee-Everglades drainage in Florida (USA). Chemosphere (accepted minor with revision September 30, 2003).
15. Katsu, Y. , D.S. Bermudez, E. Braun, C. Helbing, S. Miyagawa, M.P. Gunderson, S. Kohno, T.A. Bryan, L.J. Guillette Jr. and T. Iguchi, 2003. Molecular cloning of the estrogen and progesterone receptors of the American alligator. General and Comparative Endocrinology (accepted with minor revision September 2003)
16. Milnes, M.R, D. Bermudez, T.M. Edwards, M.P. Gunderson, I. Larkin, B. Moore, and L. J. Guillette Jr., 2003. Contaminant-induced feminization and demasculinization of non-mammalian vertebrate males in aquatic environments. Environmental Sciences (Submitted spring 2003)
17. Gunderson, M.P., Oberdörster, E., Guillette, L.J. Jr., 2003. EROD, MROD, and GST activities in juvenile alligators collected from 3 sites in the Kissimmee-Everglades drainage, Florida (USA). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part C (submit fall 2003)

Hobbies
I enjoy Rock Climbing, Hiking, Mt. Biking, and Surfing.