Publications

* denotes a mentored undergraduate co-author

30) Culbert BM, McCormick SD & Bernier NJ (Accepted). Effects of environmental salinity on global and endocrine-specific transcriptomic profiles in the caudal neurosecretory system of salmonid fishes. The FASEB Journal.

29) Culbert BM, Mossington E*, McCormick SD & Bernier NJ (2025). Regulation and function of the gill corticotropin-releasing factor system during osmoregulatory disturbances in Atlantic salmon. Journal of Experimental Biology, 228: jeb248168.

Check out the JEB Early Career Researcher Spotlight published alongside this paper

28) Montgomery DW, Negrete B, Hong Gam LT, Izutsu A, Culbert BM, Bernier NJ, Shimizu M, Brauner CJ & Richards JG (2025). Producing a better smolt: can ‘winter’ treatments combining low temperature and short photoperiods enhance smolt quality of Atlantic salmon? Aquaculture, 596: 741699.

27) Morin A*, Culbert BM, Mehdi H, Balshine S & Turko A (2024). Status-dependent metabolic effects of social interactions in a group-living fish. Biology Letters, 20: 20240056.

26) Best C, Culbert BM & Bernier NJ (2024). The hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis and corticosteroids. Encyclopedia of Fish Physiology, 2nd Edition, 1: 217-232.

25) Culbert BM, Ligocki IY, Salena MG, Wong MYL, Hamilton IM, Bernier NJ & Balshine S (2024). Social regulation of arginine vasopressin and oxytocin systems in a wild group-living fish. Hormones and Behavior, 105521.

24) Culbert BM, Border SE, Fialkowski RJ, Bolitho I & Dijkstra PD (2023). Social status influences relationships between hormones and oxidative stress in a cichlid fish. Hormones and Behavior, 152: 105365.

23) Culbert BM, Barnett JB, Ligocki IY, Salena MG, Wong MYL, Hamilton IM & Balshine S (2023). Colourful facial markings are associated with foraging rates and affiliative relationships in a wild group-living cichlid fish. Current Zoology, zoac100.

22) Best C, Jennings K*, Culbert BM, Flear K, Volkoff H & Gilmour KM (2023). Too stressed to eat: Investigating factors associated with appetite loss in subordinate rainbow trout. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 559C: 111798.

21) Culbert BM, Ligocki IY, Salena MG, Wong MYL, Hamilton IM, Bernier NJ & Balshine S (2022). Galanin expression varies with parental care and social status in a wild cooperatively breeding fish. Hormones and Behavior, 146: 105275.

20) Mennigen JA, Magnan J, Touma K, Best C, Culbert BM, Bernier NJ & Gilmour KM (2022). Social status-dependent regulation and function of the somatotropic axis in juvenile rainbow trout. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 554: 111709.

19) Culbert BM, Regish AM, Hall DJ, McCormick SD & Bernier NJ (2022). Neuroendocrine regulation of plasma cortisol levels during smoltification and seawater exposure of Atlantic salmon. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 13: 859817.

18) Culbert BM, Dijkstra PD, Gilmour KM & Balshine S (2022). Antioxidant capacity differs across social ranks and with ascension in males of a group-living fish. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A, 265: 111126.

17) Culbert BM, Ligocki IY, Salena MG, Wong MYL, Hamilton IM, Aubin-Horth N, Bernier NJ & Balshine S (2021). Rank- and sex-specific differences in the neuroendocrine regulation of glucocorticoids in a wild group-living fish. Hormones and Behavior, 136: 105079.

16) Culbert BM, Tsui N* & Balshine S (2021). Learning performance is associated with social preferences in a group-living fish. Behavioural Processes, 191: 104464.

15) Culbert BM, Ligocki IY, Salena MG, Wong MYL, Bernier NJ, Hamilton IM & Balshine S (2021). Glucocorticoids do not promote prosociality in a wild group-living fish. Hormones and Behavior, 127: 104879.

14) Reuland C, Culbert BM, Fernlund Isaksson E, Kahrl AF, Devigili A & Fitzpatrick JL (2021). Male-male behavioural interactions drive social-dominance-mediated differences in ejaculate traits. Behavioral Ecology, 32 (1): 168-177.

Media coverage by ETHOlogisch (German Online Magazine)

13) Culbert BM, Talagala S*, Barnett JB, Stanbrook E, Smale P* & Balshine S (2020). Context-dependent consequences of colour biases in a social fish. Behavioral Ecology, 31 (6): 1410-1419.

12) Stanbrook E, Jodoin J*, Culbert BM, Schultz S & Balshine S (2020). Learning performance is influenced by the social environment in cichlid fishes. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 74 (3): 215-227.

11) Anderson HM, Little AG, Fisher DN, McEwen BL, Culbert BM, Balshine S & Pruitt JN (2020). Behavioral and physiological evidence that increasing group size ameliorates the impacts of social disturbance. Journal of Experimental Biology, 223: jeb217075

10) Reuland C, Culbert BM, Devigili A, Kahrl AF & Fitzpatrick JL (2020). Contrasting female mate preferences for red coloration in a fish. Current Zoology, 66: 425-433.

9) McLean AR, Du SNN, Choi JA, Culbert BM, McCallum ES, Scott GR & Balshine S (2019). Proximity to wastewater effluent alters behaviour in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). Behaviour, 156: 1495–1517.

8) Culbert BM, Gilmour KM & Balshine S (2019). Social buffering of stress in a group-living fish. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 286: 20191626.

Press Releases from McMaster University & University of Ottawa; Media coverage by CityNews Ottawa

7) Culbert BM & Balshine S (2019). Visual threat signals influence social interactions in a cooperatively breeding fish. Animal Behaviour, 151: 177-184.

Media coverage by The Cichlid Stage (Blog for Cichlid Enthusiasts)

6) Culbert BM, Balshine S & Gilmour KM (2019). Physiological regulation of growth during social ascension in a group-living fish. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 92: 211-222.

5) Culbert BM, Gilmour KM & Balshine S (2018). Stress axis regulation during social ascension in a group-living cichlid fish. Hormones and Behavior, 103: 121–128.

Discussed in Article for Society of Experimental Biology Magazine

4) Kostyniuk DJ, Culbert BM, Mennigen JA & Gilmour KM (2018). Social status affects lipid metabolism in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 315: R241–R255.

3) Santos-Santos JH, Culbert BM & Standen EM (2018). Kinematic performance and muscle activation patterns during post-freeze locomotion in the Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 96: 728–738.

2) Culbert BM & Gilmour KM (2016). Rapid recovery of the cortisol response following social subordination in rainbow trout. Physiology & Behavior, 164: 306–313.

1) Culbert BM & Forrest JRK (2016). Floral symmetry affects bumblebee approach consistency in artificial flowers. Journal of Pollination Ecology, 18: 1-6.

Theses

Culbert BM (2025). Osmoregulatory contributions of the corticotropin-releasing factor system in salmonid fishes. University of Guelph (PhD)

Culbert BM (2018). Physiology of social ascension in a group-living fish. McMaster University (MSc)