Hawai‛i, with its spectacular adaptive (and non-adaptive) radiations is an accessible, tractable, and scalable microcosm for addressing questions of nervous system evolution and function. Behavioral studies integrate molecular, physiological, computational, analytical chemistry, and imaging tools to understand the functional basis of adaptation and its role in evolution.
Research areas of focus include: larva-environment interactions, physiological ecology of marine zooplankton, neuroendocrine roles in control of biological rhythmicity and pattern generators, circadian rhythms of bacterial colonization, cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and metabolism, computational modeling of neuronal properties and behavioral dynamics, predator-prey interactions, learning and evolution of intelligence, neurobiology of defensive and territorial behaviors, genetic control of social behavior, and the sensory processing of pheromones and chemosensory cues.
PBRC Faculty with interests in Physiology, Neurobiology & Adaptive Behavior:
Daisuke Takagi (PBRC Affiliated Faculty)