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. We use a combination of detailed observations, sound recordings and analysis, and a variety of experimental manipulations. We work on several different bird, mammal, fish and invertebrate study systems in captivity and around the world (e.g., South Africa, Australia, French Polynesia, Panama, Trinidad), including the Dwarf Mongoose Research Project which we established in 2011.

The second major theme of our research concerns the impact and mitigation of human activities on wildlife. Using a combination of laboratory and field experiments (in, for example, Scotland, France, French Polynesia, Curacao and Australia), we are investigating how anthropogenic noise affects the behaviour, physiology, development and fitness of a variety of fish and invertebrate species, as well as interspecific interactions and community structure. We are also exploring how human disturbances, including coral bleaching, can change natural soundscapes and the resulting consequences. Increasingly, we are working with conservation organisations, governments and local communities to test mitigation strategies and minimse the impact of human activities.

FUNDING SOURCES

We are extremely grateful to the following for funding:

RECENT NEWS

New paper accepted in eLife: Braga Goncalves, I. & Radford, A.N. Experimental evidence that chronic outgroup conflict reduces reproductive success in a cooperatively breeding fish.

Andy Radford, Julie Kern and Andy Higginson have been awarded a NERC Research Grant for the project, ‘Mongoose Markets: The Provision and Value of Public Goods’.

Andy Radford has received the University of Bristol’s Outstanding Research Supervision Award and the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Education, given in recognition of exceptional contribution to education and enhancement of the student experience at the University.

New paper published: Braga Goncalves, I., Morris-Drake, A., Kennedy, A. & Radford, A.N. (2022) Fitness consequences of outgroup conflict. eLife 11: e74550.

New paper accepted in Animal Behaviour: Cobb, B., Morris-Drake, A., Kennedy, P., Layton, M., Kern, J.M. & Radford, A.N. Factors affecting follower responses to movement calls in cooperatively breeding dwarf mongooses. Particular celebration as it is Ben’s first paper.

Congratulations to Patrick Kennedy who has been awarded the inaugural West-Eberhard Prize for a Promising Junior Scientist from the International Union for the Study of Social Insects.

Welcome to Millie Clarke who has started her ASAB Undergraduate Project Scholarship, investigating the impact of anthropogenic noise on cognitive performance in Neolamprologus pulcher.

New paper published: Williams, B., Lamont, T.A.C., Chapuis, L., Harding, H.R., May, E.B., Prasetya, M.E., Seraphim, M.J., Jompa, J., Smith, D.J., Janetski, N., Radford, A.N. & Simpson, S.D. (2022) Enhancing automated analysis of marine soundscapes using ecoacoustic indices and marine learning. Ecological Indicators 140: 108986.

Congratulations to Kieran McCloskey who has defended his PhD thesis entitled, 'Impacts of underwater anthropogenic noise on individuals and populations', with minor corrections. Thanks to Karen Diele (Edinburgh Napier University) and Jamie Stevens (University of Exeter) for acting as examiners.

Good luck to Cathy Hobbs and Clemency White who have headed off for a field season at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami.

New paper published: Nedelec, S.L., Radford, A.N., Gatenby, P., Davidson, I.K., Jimenez, L.V., Travis, M., Chapman, K.E., McCloskey, K.P., Lamont, T.A.C., Illing, B., McCormick, M.I. & Simpson, S.D. Limiting motorboat noise on coral reefs boosts fish reproductive success. Nature Communications 13: 2822.

Congratulations to Tim Lamont who has won the Linnean Society’s John C. Marden Medal, which is awarded annually for the best doctoral thesis in biology at a UK institution.

New paper published: Morris-Drake, A., Kennedy, P., Braga Goncalves, I. & Radford, A.N. (2022) Variation between species, populations, groups and individuals in the fitness consequences of outgroup conflict. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Series B 377: 20210148.

New paper published: Braga Goncalves, I. & Radford, A.N. (2022) Intraspecific variation in audience effects during outgroup conflict in a cooperatively breeding fish. Animal Behaviour 190: 81–92.

Congratulations to Sophie Nedelec who has won the A. B. Wood Medal from the Institute of Acoustics, which is awarded every other year to a European researcher under 40 whose work is associated with the sea.

Farewell to Ines Braga Goncalves who has completed her ERC-funded PDRA role and is heading off for new adventures in Australia; good luck, Ines.

Good luck to Isla Davidson and Ellie Stockwell who have headed off for a field season at CARMABI in Curacao.

Andy Radford, Amy Morris-Drake and Luca Giuggioli have been awarded a NERC Research Grant for the project, ‘Preparing for War: Pre-emptive Behaviour in a Landscape of Intergroup Conflict’.

New paper published: Arasco, A.G., Manser, M., Watson, S.K., Kyabulima, S., Radford, A.N., Cant, M.A. & Garcia, M. (2022) Testing the acoustic adaptation hypothesis with vocalisations from three mongoose species. Animal Behaviour 187: 71–95.

Good luck to Patrick Kennedy who has headed off to Columbia University, New York for the overseas stage of his Marie Sklodowska-Curie and Simons Foundation fellowships

New paper published: Duarte, C.M., Chapuis, L., Collin, S.P., Costa, D.P., Devassy, R.P., Eguiluz, V.M., Erbe, C., Halpern, B.S., Harding, H.R., Havlik, M.N., Gordon, T.A.C., Merchant, N.D., Meekan, M., Miksis-Olds, J.L., Parsons, M., Predragovic, M., Radford, A.N., Radford, C.A., Simpson, S.D., Slabbekoorn, H., Staaterman, E., Van Opzeeland, I.C., Winderen, J., Zhang, X. & Juanes, F. (2021) The soundscape of the Anthropocene ocean. Science 371: eaba4658.

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

• Nedelec, S.L., Radford, A.N., Gatenby, P., Davidson, I.K., Jimenez, L.V., Travis, M., Chapman, K.E., McCloskey, K.P., Lamont, T.A.C., Illing, B., McCormick, M.I. & Simpson, S.D. (2002) Limiting motorboat noise on coral reefs boosts fish reproductive success. Nature Communications 13: 2822.
• Duarte, C.M., Chapuis, L., Collin, S.P., Costa, D.P., Devassy, R.P., Eguiluz, V.M., Erbe, C., Halpern, B.S., Harding, H.R., Havlik, M.N., Gordon, T.A.C., Merchant, N.D., Meekan, M., Miksis-Olds, J.L., Parsons, M., Predragovic, M., Radford, A.N., Radford, C.A., Simpson, S.D., Slabbekoorn, H., Staaterman, E., Van Opzeeland, I.C., Winderen, J., Zhang, X. & Juanes, F. (2021) The soundscape of the Anthropocene ocean. Science 371: eaba4658.
• Kennedy, P., Sumner, S., Botha, P., Welton, N.J., Higginson, A.D. & Radford, A.N. (2021) Diminishing returns drive altruists to help extended family. Nature Ecology and Evolution 5: 468–479.
• Morris-Drake, A., Linden, J.F., Kern, J.M. & Radford, A.N. (2021) Extended and cumulative effects of experimentally induced intergroup conflict in a cooperatively breeding mammal. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B 28: 820211743.
• Ashton, B.J., Kennedy, P. & Radford, A.N. (2020) Interactions with conspecific outsiders as drivers of cognitive evolution. Nature Communications 11: 4937.
• Gordon, T.A.C., Radford, A.N., Davidson, I.K., Barnes, K., McCloskey, K., Nedelec, S.L., Meekan, M.G., McCormick, M.I. & Simpson, S.D. (2019) Acoustic enrichment can enhance fish community development on degraded coral reef habitat. Nature Communications 10: 5414.
• 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 15: 6255–6260.

• 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 115: 5193–5198.
• Kern, J.M. & Radford, A.N. (2017) Reduced social-information provision by immigrants and use by residents following dispersal. Current Biology 27: R1266–R1267.
• 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.

Full list of publications with links to pdf files.