Social behavior and communication

Research on Sensory Biology and Neuroscience in NBB focuses on understanding how social behaviors evolved and how they are encoded in the animal nervous systems. Why do some species live in social groups while others are more solitary? How do animals coordinate and mediate interactions with others? Changes in the structure of societies and the nature of social interactions are important factors shaping animal traits and behaviors. Research in the area of social behavior and communication in NBB takes an integrative approach, seeking to combine insights from ecological, evolutionary, and physiological studies to understand the causes, regulation, and consequences of social interactions. Our approaches span field studies and experiments with wild or semi-natural populations, as well as controlled studies in the lab, which uses cutting-edge methods in neuroscience to understand the biological mechanisms underlying social communication and interactions.