Skip to main content
Taina Conrad, PhD

Humboldt Fellow (host Simona Kralj Fišer)

taina.conrad@uni-bayreuth.de


Povezave


My research lies at the interface of behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology, with a focus on animal communication and its ecological and evolutionary consequences. In particular, I study vibrational and chemical signals—two of the oldest and most widespread communication channels—and how they shape interactions within and among species.

Communication plays a fundamental role in both inter- and intraspecific interactions, influencing nearly every aspect of an animal’s life, from foraging and mate choice to parental care. Among the oldest and most widespread communication channels are vibrational and chemical signals, which are central to my research. I am especially interested in the design and evolution of these signals, their interactions across multiple modalities, and how they expand an animal’s communicative repertoire.

My work explores key questions regarding signal honesty and reliability, the impact of eavesdroppers, and the role of communication in population divergence and speciation. Beyond communication, I am particularly drawn to behavioral processes such as mating behavior, family dynamics, and competition, as these often involve complex signaling and decision-making.

While my research has been primarily focused on bees, beetles and crickets, I am eager to explore communication principles across a broader range of species, as they likely exhibit fascinating convergences and divergences in their signaling strategies.

 

Current Projects:

Multimodal communication during courtship in the house cricket Acheta domesticus

The aim of this project with Simona Kralj Fišer and Nataša Stritih-Peljhan is to investigate vibrational and acoustic signals during mating in the house cricket A. domesticus in order to advance our general understanding of multimodal communication during courtship with an emphasis on the complex interplay of vibrational and airborne signaling.

The role of vibrational and airborne communication in the evolution of parental care in burying beetles (University of Bayreuth)

The aim of this project is to investigate airborne and vibrational signals in burying beetles in order to contribute to our general understanding of communication during complex social behaviors and their role in the evolution of parental care. 

Multimodal signaling in the courtship of male parasitoid wasps: testing the multiple messages hypothesis (University of Bayreuth)

In this project with Dr. Johannes Stökl, we propose to use parasitoid wasps of the genus Leptopilina as a model system to study multimodal courtship signals and to test whether the different signaling components contain different pieces of information.

The effect of insecticides and pesticides on the mating signals of solitary bees (Universidad de São Paulo)

In this project with Dr. Samuel Boff we are looking at the effects of common pesticides on the mating behavior of solitary bee species with a focus on the disruption of their mating signals

The effect of pesticides on acoustic communication and offspring performance in burying beetles (University of Bayreuth)

Together with Dr. Magdalena Mair we are looking into the effects of pesticides on the communication and offspring performance of burying beetles 

Publications:

  1. Mangold S, Steiger S, Conrad T (2025) Cross-fostering reveals that acoustic communication during parental care alleviates prenatal disadvantages in beetle offspring (BioRxive)
  2. Conrad T, Roberts L, Steiger S, Ringlein, M (2024) Vibrations from the crypt: investigating the possibility of vibrational communication in burying beetles Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata,  https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.13519
  3. Conrad T, Mair MM, Müller J, Richter P, Schödel S, Wezstein AK, Steiger S (2024) The impact of acoustic signalling on offspring performance varies among three biparentally caring species. Animal Behaviour, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2024.08.014
  4. Lang SR, Conrad T, Steiger S, Stökl J (2024) Analysing the information content of the multimodal courtship display of a parasitoid wasp. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blae069
  5. Sahm J, Brobeil B, Grubmüller E, Schott M, Stökl, J, Conrad, T, Steiger, S (2024) The scent of offspring: larval chemical profiles change during development and affect care behavior. Behavioral Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae061
  6. Sahm J, Conrad T, Scheu L, Steiger S (2023) Brood size, food availability, and body size affects male care decisions and offspring performance Ecology and Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10183
  7. Keppner EM, Laubenthal M, Prang MA, Conrad T, Steiger S (2022) Harsh nutritional environment has positive and negative consequences for family living in a burying beetle. Ecology and Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9699
  8. Boff S, Conrad T, Raizer J, Wehrhahn M, Bayer M, Friedel A, Theodorou P, Schmitt T, Lupi D (2022) Low toxicity crop fungicide (fenbuconazole) impacts reproductive male quality signals leading to a reduction of mating success in a wild solitary bee. Journal of Applied Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14169
  9. Conrad T (2022) Sexual Selection in the Red Mason Bee: Vibrations, Population Divergence, and the Impact of Temperature. In Biotremology: Physiology, Ecology and Evolution p 221-236 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97419-0_9
  10. Conrad T, Ayasse, M (2019). The differences in the vibrational signals between male O. bicornis from three countries in Europe. Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control, 38(2), 871-878. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461348418816263
  11. Conrad T, Paxton RJ, Assum G, Ayasse M (2018) Divergence in male sexual odor signal and genetics across populations of the red mason bee, Osmia bicornis, in Europe. PLoS ONE 13(2): e0193153. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193153
  12. Conrad T, Stöcker C, Ayasse M (2017) The effect of temperature on male mating signals and female choice in the red mason bee, Osmia bicornis (L.). Ecology and Evolution 7(21):8966-8975 https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3331
  13. Conrad T, Vidkjær, Nanna Hjort, Ayasse M (2017) The origin of the compounds found on males’ antennae of the red mason bee, Osmia bicornis (L.). Chemoecology 27: 207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00049-017-0245-1
  14. Conrad T, Ayasse M (2015) The Role of Vibrations in Population Divergence in the Red Mason Bee, Osmia bicornis: Current Biology 25(21):2819–2822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.08.059
  15. Conrad T (2014) The role of male mating signals in female choice and its importance in speciation of the red mason bee, Osmia bicornis (L.) (Megachilidae) Universität Ulm, Ulm
  16. Conrad T, Paxton RJ, Barth FG, Francke W, Ayasse M (2010) Female choice in the red mason bee, Osmia rufa (L.) (Megachilidae). Journal of Experimental Biology 213: 4065-4073  https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.038174

Invited non-peer-reviewed:

  1. 2016 Vibrationen machen sexy: Laservibrometer in der Insektenforschung, Sensormagazin Hightech Publications KG
  2. 2016 Ladies’ choice: The role of vibrations in finding a mating partner in bees, InFocus Polytec

You can find the CV HERE.