Weird Communication

Today, we sat down with Dr. Ignacio Escalante Meza to learn about opiliones and treehoppers. Opiliones, known as “daddy long legs” in the US, are understudied arachnids known for their tenacious locomotor behavior, sociality, and chemical communication. Treehoppers communicate through the stems of plants using vibrations. They can signal danger, attract mates, and communicate with their offspring. Join us to learn how researchers turn their vibrations into sound waves and study what they have to say.

Guest

Dr. Ignacio Escalante Meza: Ignacio is a tropical biologist and organismal biologist who studies the mechanisms of animal behavior. By integrating tools in biomechanics, communication, and physiology, he explores animal behavior through the lenses of ecology and evolutionary biology. These tools include field and lab observations and experiments, high-speed video recordings, laser vibrometry, chemical analyses, and statistical modeling. He studies arachnids (Opiliones, spiders, and mites) and insects (treehoppers and antlions) in the context of changing environmental and evolutionary pressures. This research takes place in the tropical forests of Costa Rica, as well as the urban setting of Chicago and surrounding areas. In the newly opened Behavioral Ecology and Biomechanics Lab at the University of Illinois – Chicago, Dr. Escalante’s research program currently focuses on (1) decision-making in navigation, defense, and reproduction, (2) the evolution of communication mechanisms, and (3) how biomechanical and physiological mechanisms shape outstanding behaviors in arachnids and insects. Ignacio joined the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois – Chicago (UIC) as a Bridge to Faculty Postdoc Fellow in 2022. In the Fall of 2024, he will transition to an Assistant Professor position. Before UIC, Dr. Escalante was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, obtained his Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California – Berkeley, as well as a master’s and a B.S. in Biology from the Universidad de Costa Rica.