Jayne Yack

Biography

Jayne Yack Professor

Research Interest

Neuroethology is an exciting field that lies at the crossroads of Animal Behaviour and Neuroscience. The objectives of the neuroethologist are: (1) to understand how animal nervous systems are organized to generate behaviour, and (2) to understand how the process of evolution has shaped the nervous system of different species living in unique habitats. The field is multidisciplinary, integrating concepts and methods from a broad range of fields, including animal behaviour, neuroscience, comparative and physiological psychology, and genetics. In my laboratory we are interested in how insects use their sensory systems to detect and process information from their natural environments to promote adaptive behaviours. We employ a variety of methodologies in bioacoustics, comparative neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, laser vibrometry and behavioural experimentation to form an integrated view of an animal’s sensory experience. Four primary areas of study include: (1) vibroacoustic communication in caterpillars and other larval insects, (2) the function and evolution of insect hearing organs, (3) acoustic communication in bark beetles, and (4) hearing in butterflies. Outside of these areas, students in my laboratory have worked on a range of projects, from developing molecular based phylogenies, to studying vision in nocturnal butterflies and vibration sensitivity in earthworms.