Jeff Dawson

Biography

Jeff Dawson Associate Professor, Undergraduate Program Advisor Degrees: B.Sc. (Toronto), M.Sc. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Queen's)

Research Interest

I am a neuroethologist interested in how animals produce adaptive behaviours. Any insect that flies at night is at risk of predation from insectivorous bats and many possess relatively simple ears for detecting the echolocation calls of bats. Upon detecting the calls of an approaching bat, volant insects such as moths and locusts typically activate defence mechanisms that will remove them from the path of the approaching bat. These defences include changes in body posture and wing kinematics that shift the balance of aerodynamic forces at play effecting a change in flight path. Insects, owing to their relatively simple nervous systems and simple ears, provide an excellent model to study auditory sensorimotor integration mechanisms and the aerodynamic mechanisms necessary for stability and control during rapid escape manoeuvres.