Past Courses / Events

Animals’ responses to climate change are shaped by mechanistic links between climate, performance and fitness. Extreme temperatures and unpredictable resource availability mean that birds in arid zones live near the edge of physiological tolerance limits, making them ideal models for studying these ... [more]

Early-life experiences are crucial for developing complex behaviors across species, with many having evolved social learning strategies to acquire complex skills. However, little is known about how species with limited social learning opportunities develop and master these skills in the wild. In my ... [more]

Coordinated motion in animals often results in mesmerizing patterns and plays a key role in predator avoidance or disease transmission. To study collective movement, we can now use advanced image-based analysis software and algorithms and quantify behavior in greater detail than ever before. In my ... [more]

A suite of thermoregulatory adaptations that address the challenges posed by high temperatures were key in human evolution. These include the ability to maintain high activity levels under heat, facilitated by a unique capacity of sweating. High death tolls during heat waves, however, indicate the ... [more]

With two thirds of fish species on the red list, and up to 90% of the potential distribution of fishes being impacted by anthropogenic threats, Switzerland is facing an important challenge in terms of conservation. One of the main factors impacting fish populations is the lack of connectivity. With ... [more]

The African landscapes are rapidly changing with deforestation progressing everywhere. The African straw-coloured fruit bat, which aggregates in huge colonies is arguably the most numerous mammal of Africa and with it's unparalleled seed dispersal distances a key ecosystem provider. However, it also ... [more]

In animal groups, individual differences in morphology, physiology, and behavior can significantly influence how collective decisions are made during tasks such as foraging, predator avoidance, and roost searching. This talk will focus on the disc-winged bat (Thyroptera tricolor), a species that ... [more]

I will describe observational and experimental studies focusing on social network dynamics in the rock hyrax and spotted hyena, as well as simple models of the dynamics of social networks. These studies highlight sociality at different scales, from seconds to years, and demonstrate the flexibility ... [more]

Through my PhD, I investigated a remarkable phenomenon of brain plasticity in the common shrew, focusing on how its brain adapts structurally and functionally to seasonal changes. The common shrew undergoes what is known as Dehnel’s phenomenon, a seasonal adaptation where brain and body sizes ... [more]

Geographic differences in vocalisations provide strong evidence for animal culture, with patterns likely arising from generations of social learning and transmission. The current knowledge on the evolution of vocal variation has predominantly focused on fixed repertoire, territorial song in ... [more]