Research

Multi-Species Foraging Networks in Pelagic Seabirds

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Seabirds might not just rely on their own senses when hunting—they may “eavesdrop” on other species that use different cues, like smell or sight, to find food. This study shows that mixed-species groups can actually help everyone find prey more efficiently than hunting alone or in single-species flocks. But as seabird populations decline, these helpful social sensing networks may break down, making it harder for them to survive. 

Learn more about this work: Scientific American • Duke Biology

Magnetoreception and Whale Strandings

Current Biology

Here we learn about how whales may use the geomagnetic field to navigate, by looking at correlations between when they fail to navigate (i.e. get stranded), and when the earth's magnetic field is disturbed by solar storms.

Learn more about this work: Science Friday • The Atlantic • National Geographic • New York Times • Feat. in An Immense World

Collective Movement as a Solution to Noisy Navigation

Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Many animals travel in groups, and it's been theorized that this group-movement could allow animals to navigate better. Here we explore whether collective navigation alone could allow an extremely noisy navigator, like for example, an animal relying on the geomagnetic field, to still perform incredibly accurate migrations, just through the power of friendship alone.

Learn more about this work: EurekaAlert!

Natural Sources of Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Noise

Journal of Comparative Physiology A

Radio-frequency electromagentic noise (RF) has been shown to disrupt magnetic orientation in labratory settings. In this synthetic review, we examine natural environmental sources of RF and how they may impact magnetic navigators. We identify a potential un-studied source of natural RF: atmospherics. In addition, we provide a reference guide for measuring and comparing RF fields.

Collective Movement in Sandhoppers

Biology Letters

Here we show that sandhoppers navigate differently when alone versus in groups: individuals move more slowly to start, take less direct paths, and are less consistent in direction. However, both solo and group-released animals ultimately end up oriented in similar ways, suggesting that being in a group mainly affects the journey, and not the final destination. 

Inclination Compass

Journal of The Royal Society Interface

Here we use computational modeling techniques to better understand how animals might use an inclination compass to migrate.