E02: Esteban Fernandez-Juricic on Vertebrate Vision, Conservation Behavior, and Research Reproducibility

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Amy speaks with Esteban Fernandez-Juricic (@EstebanFerJur), a Professor of Biological Sciences at Purdue University and the current President of the Animal Behavior Society.

They start out discussing how sensory physiology can help answer questions about animal behavior, and why there is so much variation in visual systems across taxa. Then they talk about how Esteban's basic research into vision and behavior has enabled fruitful collaborations with conservation practitioners working on wildlife management applications.

After the break, they talk about research reproducibility in animal behavior, as well as Esteban's leadership as Animal Behavior Society President.

This week's Two-Minute Takeaway comes from Magdalena Wlodarz, a graduate student in Ecology, Evolution, and Nature Conservation. Magdalena is part of the Animal Ecology Working Group at the University of Potsdam in Germany.

Select papers relevant to today's show:

1. Esteban and collaborators characterize multiple traits of the visual system of the Red-winged Blackbird:

Fernandez-Juricic, E. Baumhardt, P.E., Tyrrell, L.P., Elmore, A., DeLiberto, S.T., and Werner, S.J. 2019. Vision in an abundant North American bird: The Red-winged Blackbird. Ornithology (The Auk) 136: ukz039.

2. Esteban and collaborators assess bird responses to different light stimuli using perceptual modeling and behavioral preference tests:

Goller, B., Blackwell, B.F., DeVault, T.L., Baumhardt, P.E., and Fernandez-Juricic, E. 2018. Assessing bird avoidance of high-contrast lights using a choice test approach: implications for reducing human-induced avian mortality. PeerJ 6: e5404.

3. Editorial by Esteban addressing why sharing data and code during peer review would help with research reproducibility:

Fernandez-Juricic, E. 2021. Why sharing data and code during peer review can enhance behavioral ecology research. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 75: 103.

Credits:

The Animal Behavior Podcast is created by Matthew Zipple (@MatthewZipple) and Amy Strauss (@avstrauss). If you like what you heard, please subscribe wherever you’re listening now, leave us a rating or review, and share us with your friends and colleagues.

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