Bioacoustics and
Behavioural Ecology

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Professor Andrew Radford

Professor of Behavioural Ecology

Tel: +44 117 394 1197
Email: andy.radford at bristol.ac.uk

Welcome | Research Overview | Funding Sources| Recent News| Opportunities | Selected Recent Publications

WELCOME

Hello! I am a behavioural biologist based at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol.

I hope you enjoy browsing the website, finding out about the exciting questions we ask and study systems we work on.

If you would like to know more or would like the opportunity to work with us, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

One main theme of our research concerns the behaviour and vocalisations of social animals. Using a combination of observational data, sound recordings and a variety of experimental manipulations, we work on several different bird, mammal, fish and invertebrate study systems in captivity and around the world (South Africa, Australia, Panama, Trinidad), including the Dwarf Mongoose Research Project which we established in 2011. We are also now starting to work with robots!

The second major theme of our research concerns the potential impact of anthropogenic noise. Using a combination of laboratory and field experiments (in Scotland, France, French Polynesia and Australia), we are considering how this global pollutant affects the behaviour, physiology and development of a variety of fish and invertebrate species.

FUNDING SOURCES

We are extremely grateful to the following for funding:

RECENT NEWS

New paper accepted in Current Biology: Potvin, D.A., Ratnayake, C.P., Radford, A.N. & Magrath, R.D. Birds learn socially to recognize heterospecific alarm calls by acoustic association.

New paper published: Kern, J.M. & Radford, A.N. Experimental evidence for delayed contingent cooperation among wild dwarf mongooses. PNAS Online early.

Congratulations to Emma Eastcott who has successfully defended her Masters by Research thesis – Intrapopulation variation in vigilance responses to anthropogenic noise in dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula). Thanks to Dr Graeme Shannon (Bangor University) and Prof. Innes Cuthill for acting as examiners.

Andy gave a Pint of Science talk on ‘How animals use and respond to sounds’.

New paper published: Dawson Pell, F.S.E., Potvin, D.A., Ratnayake, C.P., Fernández-Juricic, E., Magrath, R.D. & Radford, A.N. (2018) Birds orient their heads appropriately in response to functionally referential alarm calls of heterospecifics. Animal Behavour 140: 109–118.

Welcome to Katy Chapman who has started a Masters by Research, based in Bristol with Andy and Steve, to work on how anthropogenic noise affects fish.

New paper published (with lots of media interest): Gordon, T.A.C., Harding, H., Wong, K., Merchant, N., Meekan, M.G., McCormick, M., Radford, A.N. & Simpson, S.D. (2018) Habitat degradation negatively affects auditory settlement behaviour of coral reef fishes. PNAS 115:5193–5198.

Steve Simpson has made a beautiful BBC Earth Unplugged film about our underwater sound work, including information on both natural sounds and impacts of anthropogenic noise work.

Congratulations to Isla Davidson on being awarded a National Geographic grant to investigate ‘Manta musicians: acoustic communication in manta rays’ in the Maldives.

Tim Gordon has given an exceptional speech at the Economist World Ocean Summit in Cancun.

Welcome to Laura Richardson who is working as a PDRA on the Ecocean-sponsored project ‘Scientific dissemination of ecosystem restoration projects’ with Steve and Andy.

New paper published: Kennedy, P., Higginson, A.D., Radford, A.N. & Sumner, S. (2018) Altruism in a volatile world. Nature 555: 359–362.

Congratulations to Isla Davidson on being awarded a NERC GW4+ DTP PhD Studentship to study ‘Multimodal communication in a changing world’ at the University of Bristol.

Steve and Andy have been awarded £80k to work with a French eco-restoration company (Ecocean) on a project entitled 'Scientific dissemination of ecosystem restoration projects’.

Congratulations to Josh Arbon on being awarded a BBSRC DTP PhD Studentship to work with Dr Alex Thornton at the University of Exeter.

Congratulations to Matthew Lavelle who has successfully defended his Masters by Reseach thesis – The effects of light and noise pollution on tree leaf fall and cricket behaviour. Thanks to Dr Mark Steer (University of the West of England) and Prof. Nick Roberts for acting as examiners.

Tim Gordon has provided an eloquent contribution to a Science Café by BBC Radio Wales on underwater sound; he can be heard from 22:00 onwards in the recording.

Andy has presented a week’s worth of Radio 4’s Tweet of the Day. Listen to the podcast.

New paper published online early in Behavioral Ecology: Christensen, C. & Radford, A.N. Dear enemies or nasty neighbours? Causes and consequences of variation in the responses of group-living species to territorial intrusions.

Andy has given a keynote talk on 'Consequences of out-group conflict' at the excellent CBEN Conference 2017 on Evolution and Cooperation held in Leiden. Thanks to the organisers for the invite and for the stimulating interdisciplinary programme.

Congratulations to Robin Southon who has successfully defended his PhD thesis – The adaptive value of males in simple eusocial insect societies. Thanks to Dr Elli Leadbeater (Royal Holloway, University of London) and Prof. Innes Cuthill for acting as examiners.

New paper published with lots of media attention: Kern, J.M. & Radford, A.N. (2017) Reduced social-information provision by immigrants and use by residents following dispersal. Current Biology 27: R1266–R1267.

OPPORTUNITIES

If you are interested in potential PhD, Masters or intern opportunities, then please feel free to email through a cover letter and cv. Specific projects will be advertised here when available; self-funded applicants welcome to apply any time.

We are always keen to host fellows (those funded by Marie Curie, NERC and the Swiss National Science Foundation have recently finished their fellowships with us) or to discuss new collaborative ideas, so don’t hesitate to get in touch.

We often take on research assistants to help with our work, including at various fieldsites and in the Bristol-based aquarium facility; specific positions will be advertised here.

SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS

• Kern, J.M. & Radford, A.N. (2018) Experimental evidence for delayed contingent cooperation among wild dwarf mongooses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA Accepted.
• Kennedy, P., Higginson, A.D., Radford, A.N. & Sumner, S. (2018) Altruism in a volatile world. Nature 555: 359–362.
• Gordon, T.A.C., Harding, H., Wong, K., Merchant, N., Meekan, M.G., McCormick, M., Radford, A.N. & Simpson, S.D. (2018) Habitat degradation negatively affects auditory settlement behaviour of coral reef fishes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA Online early.
• Kern, J.M. & Radford, A.N. (2017) Reduced social-information provision by immigrants and use by residents following dispersal. Current Biology 27: R1266–R1267.
• Nedelec S.L., Radford A.N., Pearl L., Nedelec B., McCormick M.I., Meekan M.G. & Simpson S.D. (2017) Motorboat noise impacts parental behaviour and offspring survival in a reef fish. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B 284: 20170143.
• Herbert-Read, J.E., Kremer, L., Bruintjes, R., Radford, A.N. & Ioannou, C.C. (2017) Anthropogenic noise pollution from pile-driving disrupts the structure and dynamics of fish shoals. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B 284: 20170660.
• Morris-Drake, A., Kern, J.M & Radford, A.N. (2016) Cross-modal impacts of anthropogenic noise on information use. Current Biology 26: R911–R912.
• Simpson, S.D., Radford, A.N., Nedelec, S.L., Ferrari, M.C.O., Chivers, D.P., McCormick, M.I. & Meekan, M.G. (2016) Anthropogenic noise increases fish mortality by predation. Nature Communications 7: 10544.
• Radford, A.N., Majolo, B. & Aureli, F. Within-group behavioural consequences of between-group conflict: a prospective review. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B 283: 20161567.
• Radford, A.N., Lèbre, L., Lecaillon, G., Nedelec, S.L. & Simpson, S.D. (2016) Repeated exposure reduces the response to impulsive noise in European sea bass. Global Change Biology 22: 3349–3360.
• Nedelec, S.L., Simpson, S.D., Morley, E.L., Nedelec, B. & Radford, A.N. (2015) Impacts of regular and random noise on the behaviour, growth and development of larval Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 282: 20151943.

• Magrath, R.D., Haff, T.M., Fallow, P.M. & Radford, A.N. (2015) Eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm calls: from mechanisms to consequences. Biological Reviews 90: 560–586.
• Simpson, S.D., Purser, J. & Radford, A.N. (2015) Anthropogenic noise compromises anti-predator behaviour in European eels. Global Change Biology 21: 586–593.
• Nedelec, S.L., Simpson, S.D., Morley, E.L., Nedelec, B. & Radford, A.N. (2015) Impacts of regular and random noise on the behaviour, growth and development of larval Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 282: 20151943.
• Radford, A.N. & Fawcett, T.W. (2014) Conflict between groups promotes later defence of a critical resource in a cooperatively breeding bird. Current Biology 24: 2935–2939.
• Morley, E.L., Jones, G. & Radford, A.N. (2014) The importance of invertebrates when considering the impacts of anthropogenic noise. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B 281: 20132683.
• Radford, A.N., Bell, M.B.V., Hollén, L.I. & Ridley, A.R. (2011) Singing for your supper: sentinel calling by kleptoparasites can mitigate the cost to victims. Evolution 65: 900–906.

Full list of publications with links to pdf files.