Research in my lab focuses on the sensory biology of songbird acoustic communication. I am interested in understanding the relationship between the production and perception of communication signals in the context of their mechanism, development, function, and evolution. We take an integrative approach that draws on methods from behavioral ecology, comparative psychology, neurophysiology, and evolutionary biology to investigate fundamental questions in animal communication. How do animals encode information in the signals they produce? How do they extract information from such signals perceptually? How do these processes function in “noisy” natural habitats? And, ultimately, what factors shape the evolution of such processes? Understanding the interdependencies of signalers, channels, and receivers is essential for knowing how a biological signal functions in its natural context.
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget
Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board
Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight