Dr. Meta Virant-Doberlet, Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title:
Biotremologist dreaming to be an insect
A brief introduction to a hidden world of vibrational communication
 

Abstract:
The growing recognition that substrate vibrations are an ancient and widespread form of animal communication and that vibration receptors are ubiquitous in organisms led to the establishment of biotremology as discipline of study of vibrational behaviour. Following official recognition, the scope of biotremological studies increased enormously.
The evolution of vibrational communication did not involve only an emitter-receiver dyad and did not take place on the vibration-damped table in a sound-proof room in the laboratory. It took place in a complex natural vibrational environment that is hidden from unaided human senses. Looking vibrational communication in a more ecological context opens up many important research questions that will change our perception and understanding of the world around us.