Early-life social environments: mechanisms and consequences
The period when young animals leaves their parents represents a uniquely important, and yet understudied, life stage. My main research interests centre around understanding what structures early-life social environments, and the consequences of these associations. Currently, my main study species is the hihi (Notiomystis cincta, a threatened New Zealand passerine) where sociability may be important for the survival of young birds and have further consequences for population dynamics and conservation translocations. I collaborate with Dr. Rose Thorogood (University of Helsinki, Finland), Dr. John Ewen (Institute of Zoology, Zoological of London) and Dr. Patricia Brekke (Institute of Zoology, ZSL). |
Communication in honey bees
Honeybees have evolved complex communication signals to coordinate their collective colony behaviour. While the infamous waggle dance has received much attention, other signals honeybees use (such as the tremble dance and stop signal) remain less well understood. As a postdoc with Professor Elli Leadbeater (Royal Holloway, University of London), I have been investigating how different cues affect tremble dance and stop-signalling to better understand the meaning and importance of these signals. |