Ongoing projects

Substrate-borne signaling

Acoustic communication is a primary focus in the Elias Lab. Ongoing projects seek to understand the function and evolution of vibratory signals in a variety of taxa. Vibrational signaling is one of the most ubiquitious modes of communication and virtually little is known about the form, function, and diversity of vibrational signaling. While our lab focuses on jumping spiders, we are also currently involved in several collaborative projects on wolf spiders (Hebets lab) and other invertebrate and vertebrate taxa.

Mechanistic studies of behavior

The Elias lab focuses on the mechanisms of behavior as a way to address fundamental ecological, behavioral, and evolutionary questions. In particular we study the biomechanics of animal signaling and movement, vibration detection, and the physics of signal propagation. We are also currently involved in several collaborative projects on including work on birds (Bostwick Lab-Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University) as well as other invertebrate and vertebrate taxa.

Behavioral ecology

The Elias lab approaches behavioral ecology from a mechanistic prospective. Ongoing projects include research on mating system evolution, sexual selection, assessment strategies, phylogenetics, species diversification, and ecological adaptation.