The key research themes are, as follows:

Sexual selection

Sexual selection arises from competition for the opportunity to mate (or, more precisely, to gain access to opposite sex gametes) and is a powerful evolutionary force responsible for many of the most spectacular and complex traits and behaviours found in nature – from the tail of the peacock to the claw-waving display of fiddler crabs. Research in our lab focuses on both the costs and benefits of sexual traits, the reproductive strategies employed by males and females to maximise their reproductive payoffs, and how the behaviour of one sex can influence the other – and shape the course of evolution.

Parental care

Many animals invest considerable time and effort into raising their young. Looking after offspring confers obvious fitness benefits – but can also be extremely costly for parents. Research in our group focuses on several aspects of parental care, from nest-building behaviour and the reliability of nest structures as extended phenotypic signals to mate dissertion and filial cannibalism.

Behavioural responses to environmental change

Human activities have caused unprecedented changes to environments worldwide. We are interested in the behavioural consequences of these changes from both an ecological and evolutionary perspective to understand why some species adapt well (and even thrive under human-altered conditions) while others flounder. Our research attempts to uncover the effects of changes in the signalling environment on animal communication and sexual selection, the impact of pollutants and urbanisation on animal behaviour, and the role of behavioural syndromes in the success of biological invasions.

Behavioural ecotoxicology

Contamination of the environment with pollution capable of interfering with hormone signalling is of increasing concern. We are interested in investigating the potential of endocrine disrupting chemicals—particularly those that modify sex steroid signalling, and pharmaceuticals—to alter animal behaviour and, in doing so, impair survival and reproductive fitness in exposed organisms. We test the impacts of environmentally realistic exposures to widespread endocrine disrupting pollutants on traits with direct ecological and evolutionary significance, including processes of sexual selection (e.g. mate choice), antipredator behaviour, sociability, foraging, boldness and activity. We favour a multidisciplinary approach and so also collaboratively investigate the impacts of endocrine disruptors on various additional endpoints, including morphology and physiology, sperm performance, gene expression and histopathology.