Monika Eberhard
© Monika Eberhard

Universität Hamburg

Monika Eberhard

  • Berlin Science Week
  • 2024

Monika's focusses on biotremology, especially on communication signals that are transmitted via the substrate. Arthropods have been shown to use vibratory signals for various reasons such as mate localization, species and sex recognition, predator and prey detection, and social interactions. The long evolutionary history of this communication modality, the remarkable diversity of species in which it occurs, and its role in biotic interactions provide unparalleled opportunities to ask and answer various general questions concerning species recognition, signal evolution, sexual selection, and the role of communication signals in population differentiation and speciation. Despite the extensive use of vibrational signals by animals, research on this topic is still underrepresented and many aspects of this communication mode remain unexplored.