Behavioural Acoustic Research Facility

Our state-of-the-art Behavioural Acoustic Research Facility provides the tools necessary to enable an integrative approach to elucidate the mechanisms underlying variation in insect acoustic signaling behaviour, by employing bioacoustic, genetic, behavioural, physiological, and ecological methodologies. The research this infrastructure supports contributes to our understanding of a fundamental question in evolutionary biology: how heritable variation is maintained in traits that enhance fitness. This infrastructure could benefit Canada by developing applications for pest control and conservation. Dr. Bertram’s research on insect reproduction provides the necessary foundation for innovative control methods for orthopteran crop pests. Further, because enhancing genetic diversity is essential for managing species decline, Dr. Bertram’s genetic variance research could provide the foundation for innovative conservation methods. Ours is the only facility in Canada with the power to simultaneously analyze the numerous individuals required to quantify the genetic components underlying variation in these fitness-enhancing behaviours.