Behavioural, evolutionary and physiological ecology
About
Ecologists often begin by asking how interactions between individual and the environment result in differential survival & reproductive output of organisms depending on their size, age, sex & which traits they possess. These can result in predictable changes in population size and composition that, at broader scales, generates variation in gene flow among populations and differences in species ranges. Natural selection operates whenever there is variation in reproductive output because organisms differ in their ‘fit’ with the environment. Evolutionary change feeds back to affect future ecological interactions. Research at the Research School of Biology covers all aspects of the ecology-evolution cycle. Our key research strengths include: ecophysiology of plants and mammals; behavioural ecology of crabs, birds, insects, reptiles & fish; sensory ecology of crabs & insects; functional ecology of fish & plants; evolutionary genetics of microbes, fungi and reptiles; and the epigenetics of bees. We also have a strong international reputation for developing theory in evolution & ecology that transcends specific study taxa.
Projects
News
What’s that in my nest? How the evolutionary arms race between cuckoos and hosts creates new species
In new research published in Science, biologists show how coevolution drives the creation of new species of cuckoos.
Working on the Clever Cockie Project, Dr Julia Penndorf is tracking all the odd but fascinating behaviours that Sydney and Canberra cockatoos get up to in urban environments.
Superb fairy-wrens are more likely to take risks to help members of their close social circle, according to a new study.
Dolphins and net-casting fishers in Brazil catch more fish by working together, a new study by an international team of researchers has shown.
Our new research unites genomic sequencing and museum collections to reconstruct the evolutionary tale of native rodents, including many extinct and elusive species – and they have a fascinating origin story.
If swooping season strikes fear into your heart, you're not alone. Fortunately, Dr Chaminda Ratnayake from the ANU Research School of Biology has the intel you need to navigate the great outdoors this spring.