We use a synthetic movement ecology framework to understand how wild, long-lived vertebrates integrate physiological and behavioral strategies in unpredictable environments -- from regulation of heart beats, to social foraging and migration. We target 4 main questions to understand the fundamental relationships of animals with their environments:
- What physiological and behavioral trade-offs do individuals make in fluctuating environments?
- How do energy landscapes affect behavioral decisions, and what are the costs?
- How does the physiology and immune state of an individual influence their social group?
- How do animals integrate social information with their own experience in unpredictable environments?
The group focuses on animal movement that is powered by natural history to understand how animals manage their incredible lifestyles. We work mostly on mammals (especially bats), but we aren't afraid to dive into new systems and species when cool new problems poke their head out.
Photo: Teague examining a common noctule (Nyctalus noctula) as part of a long-term, collaborative study with Dina Dechmann at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. Photo courtesy Kamran Safi.
