Dr. Alan McElligott
Organisation
School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Queen Mary, University of LondonField of expertise
Ecology and behavioural biology, Biological and experimental psychology and Ungulate conservationSpecies
Countries
About
My research is focused on vocal communication, sexual selection and animal welfare, using both descriptive and experimental approaches. Most of my work is carried out in the field under natural or semi-natural conditions, but I have also successfully completed research at farms and zoos. I have focused mainly on ungulates, including Red deer, Feral goats, Alpine ibex, Chamois and especially fallow deer. These studies were carried out in Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, France and the UK.
One of my main research themes investigates how the vocal display of male fallow deer affects their reproductive success. This is achieved by males broadcasting information on their identity, body size and dominance status to both females and other males, through their investment in vocal display. See publications list. My research on sexual selection on fallow deer is ongoing.
I also study mother-offspring vocal communication in ungulates. The results suggest that mother-offspring vocal recognition in ungulates differs depending on whether species are hiders or followers. In fallow deer (a hider species), adult female contact calls are individually distinctive and the calls of fawns are not distinctive. We showed experimentally that mothers do not recognise the calls of their own fawns, whereas fawns recognise their mothers. In sheep (a follower species), both adult ewes and lambs have individually distinctive calls and vocal recognition is mutual. I am continuing this research using goats and cattle. An important aspect of the work will be to consider the welfare implications of cognition in these species.