Con Slobodchikoff
Encyclopedia
Constantine 'Con' Slobodchikoff is an animal behaviorist
and conservation biologist
. He is a professor at Northern Arizona University
where he studies referential communication, using prairie dog
s (Cynomys gunnisoni) as a model species. Much of his recent research has shown a complex communicative ability of the Gunnison prairie dog alarm calls. In early 2008 he formed the Animal language
Institute to create a place where people can find and share research in animal communication.
was fostered by his membership in his teenage years in the Student Section of the California Academy of Sciences
, where he went on numerous field trips to different habitats in California
. He received an A. A. degree from City College of San Francisco
in 1964, and a B. S. in 1966 and Ph. D. degree in 1971 both from the University of California, Berkeley
. After receiving his Ph. D., Slobodchikoff joined the biology faculty of Northern Arizona University, where he remains today as a tenured professor. He also was a Fulbright Fellow and a Visiting Professor at Kenyatta University
in Kenya in 1983.
of tenebrionid beetles
and their response to vertebrate predators. However, in the mid-1980s he switched his research efforts to studying the social behavior and communication of prairie dogs. He has been decoding the communication system of alarm calls, and he and his students have found that prairie dogs have a sophisticated communication system that can identify the species of predator and provides descriptive information about the size, shape, and color of the individual predator animal.
. One of his better known papers on evolution was published with Thomas G. Whitham in 1981 in the journal Oecologia
: Evolution of individuals, plant-herbivore
interactions, and mosaics of genetic variability: the adaptive significance of somatic mutations in plants.
A seminal paper on prairie dog communication was published in 1991 in the journal Animal Behaviour
: Semantic information distinguishing individual predators in the alarm calls of Gunnison's prairie dogs.
He has been editor or co-editor of several books including: Concepts of Species;
A New Ecology: Novel Approaches to Interactive Systems;
and The Ecology of Social Behavior. He is lead author, along with Bianca S. Perla and Jennifer L. Verdolin, of the book: Prairie Dogs: Communication and Community in an Animal Society, published by Harvard University Press.
Ethology
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....
and conservation biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
. He is a professor at Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of...
where he studies referential communication, using prairie dog
Prairie dog
Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico...
s (Cynomys gunnisoni) as a model species. Much of his recent research has shown a complex communicative ability of the Gunnison prairie dog alarm calls. In early 2008 he formed the Animal language
Animal language
Animal language is the modeling of human language in non human animal systems. While the term is widely used, researchers agree that animal languages are not as complex or expressive as human language....
Institute to create a place where people can find and share research in animal communication.
Background
He was born in China to Russian émigré parents, and moved to the United States as a young child with his parents, who settled in San Francisco. Slobodchikoff’s early love of biologyBiology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
was fostered by his membership in his teenage years in the Student Section of the California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
, where he went on numerous field trips to different habitats in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He received an A. A. degree from City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco, or CCSF, is a two-year community college in San Francisco, California. The Ocean Avenue campus, in the Ingleside neighborhood, is the college's primary location...
in 1964, and a B. S. in 1966 and Ph. D. degree in 1971 both from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. After receiving his Ph. D., Slobodchikoff joined the biology faculty of Northern Arizona University, where he remains today as a tenured professor. He also was a Fulbright Fellow and a Visiting Professor at Kenyatta University
Kenyatta University
Kenyatta University, located in Nairobi, Kenya is the second largest public university in the country . The University is located in Kahawa, about from Nairobi's city centre, along the Nairobi-Thika road.- History :...
in Kenya in 1983.
Research
His initial research involved the behavior and ecologyEcology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
of tenebrionid beetles
Darkling beetle
Darkling beetles are a family of beetles found worldwide, estimated at more than 20,000 species. Many of the beetles have black elytra, leading to their common name...
and their response to vertebrate predators. However, in the mid-1980s he switched his research efforts to studying the social behavior and communication of prairie dogs. He has been decoding the communication system of alarm calls, and he and his students have found that prairie dogs have a sophisticated communication system that can identify the species of predator and provides descriptive information about the size, shape, and color of the individual predator animal.
Published Writings
Slobodchikoff has published numerous papers in animal behavior, ecology, and evolutionEvolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
. One of his better known papers on evolution was published with Thomas G. Whitham in 1981 in the journal Oecologia
Oecologia
Oecologia is an international peer-reviewed English-language journal published by Springer. The journal publishes original research in a range of topics related to plant and animal ecology....
: Evolution of individuals, plant-herbivore
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
interactions, and mosaics of genetic variability: the adaptive significance of somatic mutations in plants.
A seminal paper on prairie dog communication was published in 1991 in the journal Animal Behaviour
Animal Behaviour (journal)
Animal Behaviour is a double-blind peer-reviewed scientific journal established in 1953 as The British Journal of Animal Behaviour, before obtaining its current title in 1958...
: Semantic information distinguishing individual predators in the alarm calls of Gunnison's prairie dogs.
He has been editor or co-editor of several books including: Concepts of Species;
A New Ecology: Novel Approaches to Interactive Systems;
and The Ecology of Social Behavior. He is lead author, along with Bianca S. Perla and Jennifer L. Verdolin, of the book: Prairie Dogs: Communication and Community in an Animal Society, published by Harvard University Press.
Media
Slobodchikoff’s work with the prairie dog communication system has been featured in a number of video productions, magazines, radio interviews, and newspaper accounts. His video appearances included: NBC Dateline, ABC World News with Peter Jennings, CNN, Country Canada, Quantum (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Teirzeit (Belgian-German TV), BBC, Turner Broadcasting, Brixen Productions (Discovery Channel), Evolve (History Channel). Radio interviews have been with: NPR All Things Considered, BBC radio, PBS Flagstaff, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Idaho, and Colorado. Magazine stories about his work have appeared in: Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, People Magazine, Discover Magazine, the Phoenician, Best Friends Magazine, Boy’s Life, Reader’s Digest. Newspaper stories about his work have appeared in: LA Times, Boston Globe, Denver Post, Arizona Republic, Arizona Daily Sun, Arizona Daily Star, Washington Post, NY Times, among others.External links
- Northern Arizona University home page http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~cns3/
- Animal Language Institute http://www.animallanguageinstitute.org/AboutUs/tabid/64/Default.aspx
- Reconnect with Nature Blog http://www.reconnectwithnatureblog.com/