Emma Hart

Habitats Research Centre

Caring for newborn offspring hampers resource acquisition of mammalian females, curbing their ability to meet the high energy expenditure of early lactation. Newborns are particularly vulnerable, and, among the large herbivores, ungulates have evolved a continuum of neonatal antipredator tactics, ranging from immobile hider (such as roe deer fawns...

Animal populations are under mounting stress from the dual threats of climate change and rapid global human population growth, raising significant concerns about declining wildlife and the rising risk of zoonotic diseases. In many species, social interactions can be a highly plastic suite of behaviours that are responsive to these disturbances and...

Restoring functional ecosystems is crucial to reversing the global biodiversity and climate crises. The concept of rewilding has gained increasing attention as a proactive tool for achieving ecosystem restoration quickly and at scale. However, the science of rewilding has been criticised for being largely theory-led rather than evidence based, a fa...

Patterns of association in animal societies vary through space and time. Understanding such variation is key to predicting inter- and intra-population variation across factors as diverse as gene flow, disease transmission, and resilience to climate change. Here, we use 3.5 years of observational data, coupled with static and dynamic methods in soci...

Reproductive phenology (timing) is a heritable trait that confers a range of fitness or survival advantages. Giraffe (Giraffa spp.) breed year-round; however, some studies have suggested adaptive birth pulses, where demanding stages of reproduction coincide with seasonal increases in resource availability (phenological match). Here we use 3.5 years...

Advances in the technology of biotelemetry are transforming the ways in which we remotely acquire environmental, physiological and behavioural data. Large and heavy batteries, however, continue to reduce the availability of GPS tracking devices for small taxa and for species with morphologies that limit attachment options. Device miniaturisation is...

Natural cycles of light and darkness shift the balance of risks and gains for animals across space and time. Entrainment to photic cycles allows animals to spatiotemporally adapt their behavioural and physiological processes in line with interplaying ecological factors, such as temperature, foraging efficiency and predation risk. Until recently, ou...

Behavioral plasticity, or the mechanism by which an organism can adjust its behavior in response to exogenous change, has been highlighted as a potential buffer against extinction risk. Giraffes (Giraffa spp.) are gregarious, long-lived, highly mobile megaherbivores with a large brain size, characteristics that have been associated with high levels...

Despite extensive research into the phenomenon of flow, there has been a comparative deficit in literature relating to the experience of shared or combined flow. This pilot study explored the subjective experience of combined flow in musical jam sessions, with particular emphasis on delineating the characteristics, outcomes, and practical applicati...