Directory of Experts
Details for Dr Arthur Goldsmith
| Personal details | |
| Name | Dr Arthur Goldsmith |
| Job title | Honorary Reader in Biological Sciences |
| Department | School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol |
| Contact details | This expert can be contacted via the University of Bristol Public Relations
Office. To help us deal with your request, please mention the Directory of Experts when contacting the Public Relations Office. work+44 (0)117 928 7777 email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk |
| Qualifications | BSc(Wales), PhD(Leic) |
| Professional details | |
| Keywords | social learning in animals reproduction in birds sexual selection and signalling stress and welfare in birds |
| Areas of expertise | I am a member of the Behaviour, Sensory and Neurobiology research group which is interested in understanding the adaptive significance of behaviour, from underlying neural mechanisms (‘how’, or proximate, questions) through to evolutionary explanations of function (‘why’, or ultimate, questions). The approach is strongly interdisciplinary, using diverse physiological and biomechanical techniques, behavioural experiments, computer modelling, and molecular biology to link from the genetic foundations through to the evolution of behaviour and sensory systems. Mechanistic studies include understanding the functions of nanoscale structures in mechanosensation and the generation and neural control of locomotion. We have major strengths in sensory biology, especially in animal vision (and how it differs from human vision) and acoustics (particularly insect hearing and bat echolocation). Functional questions include integrating theory and experiments to understand how animals make decisions, and what the adaptive value of their decision rules is. |