Parental Strategies

We look into mechanisms that shape parental behaviors in birds. For example we study the effect of brood size and birds’ age on parental strategies. We also ask how parental behaviors affect offspring survival and offspring sex ratio at the time of leaving the nest. We determine how environmental conditions, including availability of food, temperature, and rainfall, affect parental food provisioning, as well as growth and mortality of young birds.

Molecular methods and phylogenetic methods in animal ecology

We use new genetic and metagenomic methods to enhance the study of animal behavior, for example to study how incubation affects bacterial assemblages on eggshells in birds’ nests, etc. We also use modern phylogenetic methods to trace the evolution of behavioral and morphological traits and to determine the evolutionary history of animals.

Cognitive ecology of birds

We are interested in cognitive abilities used in natural situations by birds of the family Corvidae and Paridae. Corvidae, due to their intelligence, has been labeled “avian primates”.

Predator-Prey

Escape behavior, camouflage, aposematism, and mimicry are common antipredatory adaptations in animals. We study how predators (birds) affect the evolution of these adaptations in prey, and also how prey affects the evolution of predatory behaviors, cognition, sensory properties, and morphology. We also look at how prey informs each other about predators using alarm calls. Some research also addresses a similar system of parasite-host ecology and evolution.

Morphological adaptations, kinematics, and biomechanics for behavioral performance

We collaborate with engineers in order to use photonics, kinematics, aerodynamics, biomechanics, and fluid dynamics for better understanding of adaptations of animals to specific functions and to understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of simple physical rules and constraints.

Social interactions in groups

We are interested in group structure, communication, and behavioral strategies of individuals in social groups of conspecifics and heterospecifics, using magpies (Pica pica), Mexican jays (Aphelocoma ultramarina)  and tits (Paridae) as study subjects. For example, we study dominance interactions and interactions associated with hoarding food items and searching for food in the Mexican jay groups.

Sensory ecology and signaling

We study the ecological and evolutionary consequences of sensory and neural properties of organisms. We are interested in the ecological and evolutionary effects of identified properties of simple sensory and neural pathways (e.g. escape pathways in insects)  and behaviors that these pathways control. We have studied how prey sensory and neural systems affect their predators, insectivorous birds. We also study sensory exploitation between sexes, in the context of sexual selection and mating.

Classical Ecology and Long Term Ecological Monitoring

Our field studies always result in outcomes related to the “classical” ecological questions. For examples, we have looked at foraging behavior relevant for the conservation of the endangered species of cranes in DMZ,  mechanisms of ecological niche division among species, environmental effects on population dynamics, habitat choice, the effect of humans on birds, long-term ecological processes, evaluations of biodiversity, etc.