Who we are?
We are a research group at the Faculty of Biology of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland established by Tomasz Osiejuk and Piotr Tryjanowski (now in the Institute of Zoology, University of Life Sciences, Poznań) on 1st December 2004.
Research in our lab focuses on behavioural ecology and animal communication in particular. The most significant topics of our previous studies involved individual recognition, territorial defence, mechanisms maintaining the honesty of acoustic signals, links between signals' structure and functional significance, and geographic variation in signals.
We focus heavily on birds' vocalizations but we do not hesitate to expand to other taxa and communication channels. For example, some of the current projects concern also the evolution of behavioural syndromes in guppies and signal perception in humans. We are also interested in using acoustic animal signals while studying ecology and biology conservation.
Current projects in brief: what, where and why
Most of our projects have strong fieldwork components. We think observing naturally behaving animals in their environments is often a key to understanding functions and the evolution of behaviour. We work on several species models around the World. In Europe, we work - among other species - on the Corncrake and Emberiza buntings. These studies address such issues as territory defence (individual recognition, conflict resolution, costs maintaining signal honesty) as well as spatial signal variation at different scales or the use of individual recognition for conservation purposes.
In recent years, more and more attention has been devoted to avian research in the tropics. We conduct research on duetting species inhabiting the mountain rain forest of Cameroon (Chubb's cisticola, Yellow-breasted boubou and Bangwa warbler). Cameroon and Mozambique are also our testing grounds for research on bioacoustics assessment of avian diversity. Recently, we started a project on Turtur doves species which is conducted in several Subsaharan countries in Africa (Nigeria, Mozambique, Ghana, Uganda).
Multimodal communication (acoustic and visual) is studied with the use of two model bird species: magpie lark in Australia and starling in Europe. The only animal model we currently study in the lab is a guppy. This fish is a very useful model for studying the effects of induced mutations and inbreeding on behavioural traits and the role of associative learning in originating mating preferences.
New (2024) papers from our lab:
(10) Tryjanowski P, Golawski A, Jankowiak Ł, Osiejuk TS, Kwieciński Z, Møller AP, Grzywaczewski G, Jerzak L () Do cuckoo calls affects red-backed shrike settlement pattern? An experimental approach. The European Zoological Journal, accepted.
(9) Rusiecki S, Ręk P (2024) Concordance of movements and songs enhances receiver responses to multimodal display in the starling. Scientific Reports 14: 3603. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54024-w
(8) Kwiatkowska K, Ręk P (2024) Can an acoustic communication network be used for spatial orientation? Animal Behaviour 210:23-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2024.01.018
(7) Niśkiewicz M, Szymański P, Zampa L, Budka M, Osiejuk TS (2024) Neighbour-stranger discrimination in an African wood dove inhabiting equatorial rainforest. Scientific Reports 14:4252. DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-53867-7
(6) Staniewicz A, Sokołowska E, Budka M (2024) Contrasting acoustic-space competition avoidance strategies in Afrotropical forest birds. Animal Behaviour 209: 191-202. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2024.01.006
(5) Hua F, Wang W, Nakagawa S, Liu S, Miao X, Yu L, Du Z, Abrahamczyk S, Arias-Sosa LA, Buda K, Budka M, Carrière SM, Chandler RB, Chiatante G, Chiawo DO, Cresswell W, Echeverri A, Goodale E, Huang G, Hulme MF, Hutto RL, Imboma TS, Jarrett C, Jiang Z, Kati VI, King DI, Kmecl P, LiN, Lövei GL, Macchi L, MacGregor-Fors I, Martin EA, Mira A, Morelli F, Ortega-Álvarez R, Quan R, Salgueiro PA, Santos SM, Shahabuddin G, Socolar JB, Soh MCK, Sreekar R, Srinivasan U, Wilcove DS, Yamaura Y, Zhou L, Elsen PR (2024) Ecological filtering shapes the impacts of agricultural deforestation on biodiversity. Nature Ecology & Evolution https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02280-w
(4) Mahamoud-Issa, M., Sikora, B., Rusiecki, S., Łosak, K., Osiejuk, T.S. (in press) The communal roosting behaviour and nesting of a group living bird species, the Yellow-breasted Barbet Trachyphonus margaritatus in Djibouti. Scopus: Journal of East African Ornithology accepted.
(3) Winiarska D, Szymański P, Osiejuk TS (2024) Detection ranges of forest bird vocalisations: guidelines for passive acoustic monitoring. Scientific Reports 14: 894. DOI 10.1038/s41598-024-51297-z
(2) Mahamoud-Issa M, Sikora B, Łosak K, Osiejuk TS (2024) The vocal repertoire and the daily activity of the Yellow-breasted Barbet (Trachyphonus margaritatus). Journal of Ornithology 165:281-285. DOI 10.1007/s10336-023-02112-5
(1) Budka M, Kokociński P, Osiejuk TS (2024) Seasonally variable and sex-specific motivation to cooperative resource defence in a duetting songbird – the Chubb’s cisticola. Ethology 130: E13409. DOI 10.1111/eth.13409
