Dr. J. Andrew Roberts
Faculty Oversight Committee Member of the Newark Earthworks Center
Alford Center for Science and Technology
1193 University Drive, Newark Ohio 43055
Research Interests
- Behavioral Ecology
Education
- MS. University of Cincinnati (2001)
- PhD. University of Cincinnati (2003)
I am a behavioral ecologist whose main research interests are in the evolution of animal communication and social behavior in predators. I apply an integrative approach to my research program, incorporating techniques from several disciplines (e.g. environmental measurements, field and laboratory observation and experimentation, digital imaging and video/audio playback, habitat modification, camera trapping) to address interesting questions about the evolution of animal signals, sexual selection, social behavior, competition, and recently, wildlife ecology and diversity. I have collaborated on a variety of projects and have worked with invertebrate (mainly spiders) and vertebrate (bobcats/coyotes) predators in habitats including coastal riparian, flood plain, old growth forest, mixed use agriculture, restored mine lands, and cave and karst ecosystems. At present, much of my research concerns regional wildlife diversity and the recovery of bobcats to central Ohio, but I continue to explore environmental constraints on signals and signaling behavior in wolf spiders.