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
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
The Evolution of the Social Brain: How Emotions and Moral Judgement Interact in the Generation of Cooperative Behaviour. Understanding the psychological forces that underpin human interactions is a necessary step to knowing how to improve those interactions. Comprehending the complex interplay of emotions and moral judgements lying behind decision-making in the social sphere will help explain such things as corruption, risk-taking, domestic violence, and political affiliation. Such knowledge can ....The Evolution of the Social Brain: How Emotions and Moral Judgement Interact in the Generation of Cooperative Behaviour. Understanding the psychological forces that underpin human interactions is a necessary step to knowing how to improve those interactions. Comprehending the complex interplay of emotions and moral judgements lying behind decision-making in the social sphere will help explain such things as corruption, risk-taking, domestic violence, and political affiliation. Such knowledge can guide the design of effective social policy, and is vital for a realistic educational strategy. This project will strengthen Australia's excellent reputation in philosophy, bring here leading scholars from diverse fields, build international research networks, and in particular forge an ongoing partnership between the ANU and the California Institute of Technology.Read moreRead less
How Stenolemus Assassin Bugs Crack Spider Codes. This unique study of sophisticated behavioural flexibility and dynamic sensory exploitation in an insect will provide novel insights into how simple cognitive architecture can be used to solve complex problems. These insights are important for the development of artificial intelligence systems. This will be the first study of flexible aggressive mimicry in an insect and will attract considerable international attention, raise the profile of Austra ....How Stenolemus Assassin Bugs Crack Spider Codes. This unique study of sophisticated behavioural flexibility and dynamic sensory exploitation in an insect will provide novel insights into how simple cognitive architecture can be used to solve complex problems. These insights are important for the development of artificial intelligence systems. This will be the first study of flexible aggressive mimicry in an insect and will attract considerable international attention, raise the profile of Australian science and support numerous students. We will make the first use in Australia of state-of-the-art vibration recording and interactive playback techniques. Making these powerful experimental tools available in Australia will enable other many additional innovative lines of research.Read moreRead less
Male risk-taking and female mate choice in birds: A synthesis of mechanism and function. Some avian alarm calls are produced only by males, and call rate corresponds closely with recent mating success. This relationship might reflect protection of descendant kin. Such ostentatious risk-taking might also be sexy. We will manipulate male reproductive success in natural social groups to measure the effect on production of costly calls. Parallel lab experiments will selectively change alarm call ....Male risk-taking and female mate choice in birds: A synthesis of mechanism and function. Some avian alarm calls are produced only by males, and call rate corresponds closely with recent mating success. This relationship might reflect protection of descendant kin. Such ostentatious risk-taking might also be sexy. We will manipulate male reproductive success in natural social groups to measure the effect on production of costly calls. Parallel lab experiments will selectively change alarm call rate to test whether this influences attractiveness to females. Results will test a controversial hypothesis, extend current models of parental investment and female mate choice, and permit a synthesis of work on sexual selection and animal cognition.Read moreRead less
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
Visual processing in a unique modular system - how can a simple cognitive architecture be used to solve complex visual tasks? The proposed interdisciplinary study of the visual system of jumping spiders will provide novel insights into how a simple cognitive architecture can be used to solve complex visual tasks. This will be the first comprehensive study of motion sensitivity in a spider. The insights obtained will be important for the development of artificial intelligence systems. We will pro ....Visual processing in a unique modular system - how can a simple cognitive architecture be used to solve complex visual tasks? The proposed interdisciplinary study of the visual system of jumping spiders will provide novel insights into how a simple cognitive architecture can be used to solve complex visual tasks. This will be the first comprehensive study of motion sensitivity in a spider. The insights obtained will be important for the development of artificial intelligence systems. We will provide a stimulating environment to train a postdoctoral fellow with state-of-art skills ranging from single-cell neurophysiology through to using 3D animation for sophisticated behavioural assays. The proposed work is a hot topic and will attract considerable attention, raise the profile of Australian science, and support postgraduate students. Read moreRead less
To be cooperative or selfish: individual decisions in a model society. Understanding the basis of cooperative behaviour is a major challenge to biological and social science. Our ability to deal with problems such as global warming and the rapid loss of biodiversity, will depend upon an unprecedented level of cooperation between individuals and countries. Our work will use an animal model that shares a number of key characteristics with the societies of our early human ancestors to explore, thro ....To be cooperative or selfish: individual decisions in a model society. Understanding the basis of cooperative behaviour is a major challenge to biological and social science. Our ability to deal with problems such as global warming and the rapid loss of biodiversity, will depend upon an unprecedented level of cooperation between individuals and countries. Our work will use an animal model that shares a number of key characteristics with the societies of our early human ancestors to explore, through experiments and detailed molecular analysis, the basis of cooperative interactions between individuals. This work will uncover the key principles that drive the evolution of cooperation in society and will help us to understand the basis of one the most important components of human nature.Read moreRead less
Social insect behaviour: the importance of individual-decision making and information transfer. Insect societies are complex systems. Understanding complex systems is often hampered by our inability to study the individual units that comprise the system without also disturbing the system. Insect societies are unique in that the individual insects can be studied within their natural setting. This project will study foraging behaviour of honey bees with respect to individual decision-making and in ....Social insect behaviour: the importance of individual-decision making and information transfer. Insect societies are complex systems. Understanding complex systems is often hampered by our inability to study the individual units that comprise the system without also disturbing the system. Insect societies are unique in that the individual insects can be studied within their natural setting. This project will study foraging behaviour of honey bees with respect to individual decision-making and information transfer. In doing so we will obtain insights in the working of other, less accessible, complex systems such as the mammalian brain or the Australian economy.Read moreRead less