Pronouns she/her
Type of expert Ecologists
Website https://bernal-lab.weebly.com/
Expertise Animal Communication, predation
Email address
Primary phone number
Secondary phone number
Twitter @XEBernal
Language English and Spanish
Time zone -5 GMT
City West Lafayette
State IN
Country United States
Notes We study the ecology and evolution of animal communication focusing on the advertisement calls of anurans. Production of mating signals usually involves attraction of unintended receivers (aka eavesdroppers) that exploit this communication system. Predators and parasites that eavesdrop on mating signals to find their prey or host are common but we know surprisingly little about the evolutionary ecology of this strategy. We use a variety of methods and approaches to investigate the behavior and evolutionary ecology of interspecific eavesdroppers of mating signals. More recently we have begun to study the role of behavior in anuran invasive ability. Although most anuran populations are currently declining worldwide, a few species are still expanding their geographic range. We are interested in the role of behavior and communication at promoting their ability to be successful in new environments.