Understanding Animal Responses to Change on a Neural and Endocrine Level

Animals are naturally equipped to respond to change from a finer scale, such as contextual behavioural shifts, to predictable seasonal change, all the way to larger environmental events. The nervous system (including sensory tissues) is thus at the forefront of animal responses to the biotic and abiotic socio-environment. However, changing climates are likely to demand a greater level of response and adaptation from animals’ neural and endocrine system, which may lead to rapid and drastic shifts but also to evolutionary changes in nervous system function.

We propose to first focus on animal behavioural neurobiology and neural evolution and then discuss how climate change may interact with animal stress response, how is it influencing key life events such as migration, reproduction, and parental care and how it is impacting animals from land to sea.

Main objectives and skills:

• Provide an insight on basic behavioural neurobiology
• Discuss main problems concerning behavioural adaptation to a changing world

More details available here