During her PhD studies, Katja Bungaard Last investigated why animals experience a large increase in metabolism after feeding, a phenomenon known as the specific dynamic action (SDA) response. The project uses Burmese pythons as a model organism because they consume very large meals relative to their body size and display an extreme metabolic response to feeding. By combining measurements of metabolism, protein synthesis, and organ growth, the PhD dissertation explores what drives this increase in metabolism. The results show that feeding stimulates protein synthesis across several tissues and much of the increase in metabolism after feeding is linked to growth rather than digestion alone. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the SDA response and challenge the notion that it primarily reflects the cost of digestion.

The PhD study was completed at Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.

This résumé is prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, 22^nd May 2026 at 12.00
Place: TBA
Title of PhD thesis: Physiological mechanisms underlying the specific dynamic action (SDA) response in Burmese pythons
Contact information: Katja Bundgaard Last, e-mail: kbl@bio.au.dk, tel.: +45 60176382
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Neil Metcalfe, Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland
Senior researcher Tommy Norin, DTU Aqua, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark 
Professor Kai Finster (chair), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor: Professor Tobias Wang, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English
The defense is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C