Jeffrey Lucas
Professor of Biological Sciences (dynamic optimality models in behavioral ecology; avian communication)
Our lab primarily studies animal communication, both from the
perspective of the receiver and from the perspective of the sender of signals. We have been running auditory tests on a broad range of species to test whether habitat constraints on the propagation of vocal signals is reflected in the hearing capabilities of birds found in a variety of habitats. Birds at the Ross Reserve, for example, appear to specialize on frequency resolution at the cost of poor resolution of rapid spectral changes in songs. Birds in open habitats show the opposite patterns. We have also been interested in seasonal plasticity
of the auditory system, primarily as it relates to season-specific use of vocal signals.
We have also been studying the chick-a-dee 'language' of Carolina chickadees. This is one of a very few syntactically complex call systems in birds. We are trying to understand what these syntax properties actually are and the range of information that is encoded in the calls.
Visit Jeffrey Lucas' homepage for more detailed information about his research.