Multi-modal signals: an experimental analysis. This project is built upon innovations that permit the first exploration of an important, but previously-inaccessible, problem. We will continue to develop techniques with wide applicability for the analysis of movement, and will make them available to other research groups. The proposed work addresses a hot topic that is generating international attention; it will hence make a distinctive Australian contribution to a rapidly expanding research area ....Multi-modal signals: an experimental analysis. This project is built upon innovations that permit the first exploration of an important, but previously-inaccessible, problem. We will continue to develop techniques with wide applicability for the analysis of movement, and will make them available to other research groups. The proposed work addresses a hot topic that is generating international attention; it will hence make a distinctive Australian contribution to a rapidly expanding research area. Results will be communicated through the WWW and science documentaries. Animal Behaviour is of great interest to the general public. This can be engaged to attract more young people to careers in science. We will continue to train postgraduates in a well-resourced and stimulating environment.Read moreRead less
Vocal mimicry in songbirds. Many of the world’s largest clade of birds - the songbirds - incorporate vocal mimicry in their songs, but while scientific interest in vocal mimicry dates from Aristotle, limited progress has been made. With our unique research program we aim to provide an empirically based, theoretically informed understanding of avian vocal mimicry. In an important advance, we will examine both sexes to test long-held male-centric assumptions about evolutionary origins and maintena ....Vocal mimicry in songbirds. Many of the world’s largest clade of birds - the songbirds - incorporate vocal mimicry in their songs, but while scientific interest in vocal mimicry dates from Aristotle, limited progress has been made. With our unique research program we aim to provide an empirically based, theoretically informed understanding of avian vocal mimicry. In an important advance, we will examine both sexes to test long-held male-centric assumptions about evolutionary origins and maintenance of this trait. Crucially, we focus on lineages found only in Australia and PNG, where songbirds originated, to develop a robust scientific understanding of vocal mimicry across the entire songbird clade, and so provide an important new perspective on why and how song began.Read moreRead less
Evolution and development of a lateralised brain: A behavioural ecology perspective. Little research on fish behavioural ecology is conducted in Australia despite our imperilled, unique aquatic ecosystems. Studies examining cerebral lateralisation using our native species as model organisms will help determine how animals classify and process information, providing a novel method of examining how native fishes respond to invasive predators and competitors. Increased understanding of lateralised ....Evolution and development of a lateralised brain: A behavioural ecology perspective. Little research on fish behavioural ecology is conducted in Australia despite our imperilled, unique aquatic ecosystems. Studies examining cerebral lateralisation using our native species as model organisms will help determine how animals classify and process information, providing a novel method of examining how native fishes respond to invasive predators and competitors. Increased understanding of lateralised cognitive function will shed light on its selective advantage as a fundamental aspect of brain function in all animals including humans. This multidisciplinary proposal will facilitate international collaborations, see the return of a home-grown scientist and ensure that Australia remains a world leader in scientific research.Read moreRead less
Tracking moving targets: dynamic foraging in ants and slime moulds. This project will investigate how two self-organised systems, ants and slime moulds, deal with dynamic problems. Understanding how both organisms adapt to changes in their foraging environment will increase our knowledge of how self-organised systems function in both biological contexts and in human designed systems.
Deceptive signals in spiders. Animal communication involves a diversity of signals including visual displays, sounds and odours. Understanding the function of signals is difficult because humans cannot detect some signals such as UV light. This project investigates the functions of visual signals in two spider systems: the decorations in orb-webs and the colouration of crab spiders. We analyse whether these signals are cryptic or conspicuous. Do they attract prey or hide the spiders from predato ....Deceptive signals in spiders. Animal communication involves a diversity of signals including visual displays, sounds and odours. Understanding the function of signals is difficult because humans cannot detect some signals such as UV light. This project investigates the functions of visual signals in two spider systems: the decorations in orb-webs and the colouration of crab spiders. We analyse whether these signals are cryptic or conspicuous. Do they attract prey or hide the spiders from predators? Our project will make a significant contribution to understanding the evolution of these signals, and will, at least in part, help resolve century old debates surrounding their function.Read moreRead less
Understanding animals through their movement. This project aims to develop a suite of analytical methods to understand animals' behaviour through their movement patterns. Animal movement patterns encode detailed information about their behavioural state. Collecting and analysing animal movement trajectories can provide us with completely new insights to behaviour. Recent developments in bio-logging technologies have provided an incredible amount of rich data on free-ranging animals. This project ....Understanding animals through their movement. This project aims to develop a suite of analytical methods to understand animals' behaviour through their movement patterns. Animal movement patterns encode detailed information about their behavioural state. Collecting and analysing animal movement trajectories can provide us with completely new insights to behaviour. Recent developments in bio-logging technologies have provided an incredible amount of rich data on free-ranging animals. This project will develop a suite of analytical techniques to interrogate this data through a combination of approaches, from fine scale experiments in the laboratory to tracking animal trajectories from the International Space Station. The findings will deliver major benefits to the broader community by transforming our ability to manage and conserve animal stocks.Read moreRead less
Sexual conflict and the evolution of nuptial gifts. This project aims to understand how sexual conflict drives the evolution of “manipulative” nuptial gifts in male arthropods and how females respond to ingesting these gifts. Nuptial food gifts comprise materials (other than sperm) that are offered by males to females to consume at mating, and are an integral feature of the mating systems of a wide variety of arthropods. The project will study the decorated cricket, a species where males produce ....Sexual conflict and the evolution of nuptial gifts. This project aims to understand how sexual conflict drives the evolution of “manipulative” nuptial gifts in male arthropods and how females respond to ingesting these gifts. Nuptial food gifts comprise materials (other than sperm) that are offered by males to females to consume at mating, and are an integral feature of the mating systems of a wide variety of arthropods. The project will study the decorated cricket, a species where males produce a nuptial food gift that contains a cocktail of chemicals known to influence female reproduction when eaten. The project is expected to strengthen Australia’s international standing in evolutionary research and help train the next generation of evolutionary biologists.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100096
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$436,032.00
Summary
Understanding the relationship between the social environment and cognition. The predominant theory for the evolution of intelligence, the social intelligence hypothesis (SIH), posits that within-group social interactions drive cognitive evolution. But the SIH overlooks a major component of social life: interactions with outsiders of the same species. Using a unique combination of meta-analytical and experimental approaches, the DECRA project will test the predictions of an expanded SIH, incorpo ....Understanding the relationship between the social environment and cognition. The predominant theory for the evolution of intelligence, the social intelligence hypothesis (SIH), posits that within-group social interactions drive cognitive evolution. But the SIH overlooks a major component of social life: interactions with outsiders of the same species. Using a unique combination of meta-analytical and experimental approaches, the DECRA project will test the predictions of an expanded SIH, incorporating the “Napoleonic” cognitive challenges posed by outsiders. The expected outcome is to gain a new understanding of which factors govern cognitive evolution – one of the longest-running debates in evolutionary biology.Read moreRead less
Evolution, learning, and the use of multiple cues in desert ant navigation. This research on desert ants benefits Australia by fostering an international collaboration with one of the best European scientists, training students, and increasing knowledge about Australia's unique fauna, helping us to appreciate and better manage our fragile desert environments. With this international link, students working on this and related projects benefit intellectually from mingling with an international com ....Evolution, learning, and the use of multiple cues in desert ant navigation. This research on desert ants benefits Australia by fostering an international collaboration with one of the best European scientists, training students, and increasing knowledge about Australia's unique fauna, helping us to appreciate and better manage our fragile desert environments. With this international link, students working on this and related projects benefit intellectually from mingling with an international community of scientists.Understanding insect behaviour also has benefits for robotics. Work on desert ants has already resulted in robotic applications, and our outcomes concerning the optimal integration of multiple spatial cues are especially relevant.Read moreRead less
Towards a behavioural ecology of navigational memories in desert ants. Navigational memories (path integration, systematic search, and landmark use) in a Central Australian desert ant (Melophorus bagoti) and a North African desert ant (Cataglyphis fortis) are studied at the ants? natural habitats. The project tests predictions about behavioural properties of memory (how quickly it can be acquired, how long it lasts, and how a conflicting event affects it), based on a cost-benefit analysis of the ....Towards a behavioural ecology of navigational memories in desert ants. Navigational memories (path integration, systematic search, and landmark use) in a Central Australian desert ant (Melophorus bagoti) and a North African desert ant (Cataglyphis fortis) are studied at the ants? natural habitats. The project tests predictions about behavioural properties of memory (how quickly it can be acquired, how long it lasts, and how a conflicting event affects it), based on a cost-benefit analysis of the functions of each memory system. The project launches the first systematic cost-benefit analysis of memory, to establish a behavioural ecology of memory. We hope that it inspires cost-benefit analyses of other functions of the brain.Read moreRead less