Abstract:

In this talk, Harish Prakash will introduce the framework of animal-decision making (ADM) and how it is relevant to studying human impact and develop conservation strategies for species. He will elaborate on how the field of urban ecology could benefit from the framework and give examples of three different animal taxa his lab is currently examining. He will present on interspecific competition in crows at pre-roost gathering sites, burrowing behavior of crabs in intertidal zones, and bat communities in fast changing urban landscape. The talk will conclude with a discussion on the significance of watching and wondering as a way to formulate research questions in ecology.

About the speaker:

Dr. Harish Prakash hails from the hills of Coonoor. Having completed training in engineering, he earned a master’s in wildlife science and a PhD from the Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc. He is currently an assistant professor at GITAM University, Vizag.