iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I'm pretty over this new type of October....

Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Visiting Michigan State for a seminar today and PEOPLE, I GOT TO HOLD A GAR! @solomonrdavid.bsky.social - I'm told these were once your babies! (Yes this looks very awkward but this is how they told me to do it 😆)

Me wearing a multiple colored shirt, grinning maniacally, holding a roughly foot-long gar, as directed, with one hand over the eyes and one on the tail resulting in a very awkward, but apparently safe and secure, hold on the animal.

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

If you know me, you know that Am Nat 🐌 is one of my fav journals. So I am delighted (and a little terrified) to say I've recently accepted a role as one of its Senior Editors! Be sure to keep us in mind as home for your favorite work (including behavior) 😉! @asn-amnat.bsky.social

Screenshot of masthead for the journal The American Naturalist - lists Volker Rudolk as EiC and my name has been added as one of the Senior Editors (along with Jill Anderson and Sebastien Lion).

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Spent the past five days off grid backpacking in the mountains. As an East coast girl used the old green magic of the Appalachians, the ruggedness of the Sierra continue to amaze me. Their altitude nearly kills me 😆 but still, amazing!

Gray rocky mountains with just a few trees are lit with a golden sunset. A tent is pitched in the foreground.

Shockingly blue alpine lake surrounded by rugged, craggy, rocky mountains. Just a few trees dot the shoreline

Me looking happy (and cold) wearing a gray and red wool hat in front of sunlit mountains

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

And that concludes #ISBE2026 in Torino! Always love seeing all my old and new friends and helping my team integrate into this community. But by far the best moments are seeing all my labbies absolutely freaking *crush* their presentations. What a team! And what a great week!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

For anyone that missed my talk at @isbe2026.bsky.social - never you fear! You can watch my talk and read more about the new Replication Studies section at @behavecol.bsky.social right here! laskowskilab.faculty.ucdavis.edu/2026/07/22/r...

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

How are dominant and submissive behaviors regulated in the brain? Adam Reddon uses RNAscope methods un cooperatively breeding cichlids and finds a bit unexpectedly that it's dominant, not submissive, individuals that show increased oxytocin expression in the POA!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

How do you find your social spot? Chloe Vilete shows that velvet build their social strategies with strong positive feedback loops

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

What are fish cueing in on when they school? Is it their partner's size, speed or age? Kajal Kumari uses The (Fish) Matrix to pair fish in virtual reality to carefully dissect these factors. Fish like to follow bigger fish... but not *too* much bigger

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

How do collective behaviors scale across and between species? @marinapapa.bsky.social analyzes the 'swarm-verse' and shows that greater individual heterogeneity can actually lead to more cohesive groups. As in many aspects of life, diversity is a good thing :)

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

What are sea snakes even doing down there? Kanta Fujishima was able to tag some of these elusive danger noodles to follow their diving patterns. They can dive for up to 5 hours (!!) and really avoid the surface where their predators presumably are.

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Friends or frenemies? @lucahahn.bsky.social shows that info about novel resources disseminates through jackdaw groups according to network ties - friendships help you find food faster. But individuals that know about higher quality food will displace naive individuals to get a tasty treat - rude!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Bigger groups typically make more accurate decisions but are they more efficient? Daisy Cooper shows that bigger groups of sandeels make quicker decisions to forage and this advantage is especially evident under control but (maybe surprisingly?) not risky situations

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

If your own nest fails should you try again yourself or help your kin around you? Jennifer Morinary shows long-tailed tits are more likely to help if they have more kin around and there's not *too* high predation pressure.

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

In all animal contests, do all wins count the same? Fellow Amazon warrior @alltheperkes.bsky.social shows maybe not! Wins against bigger opponents appear to result in stronger winner effects in the future. Surprising wins lead to bigger shifts in self-assessment?

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Ants keep a tidy house. Bhoomika Ashok Bhat shows that ant colonies kick out non-nestmates, and are especially grumpy if the intruder is infected with a brain nematode. I, too, would like to avoid the brain nematodes

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Day 3 of #ISBE2026 is off and running! Felicity Muth tells us about bees and bee cognition. In bumblebees, queens are the quicker learners compared to workers because they just can't afford to get it wrong. Yas queen 👸

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Male atlantics can make with their own species or a sperm parasite. Sanaa Khan shows that males have no preference for either species when just chemical or visual cues are available, but when allowed to freely interact, the males go after the parasite - probably because she's more permissive!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

It's never just one pollutant. Our worlds are filled with cocktails of chemicals so is the sum of these effects on animals more (or less) than their parts? Giovanni Polverino shows that exposure to either of 2 pollutants reduces activity but exposure to both helps rescue the activity levels a bit

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Fish need water so what do they do when their rivers dry up? @jollejolles.bsky.social uses detailed mapping and behavioral tracking to show fish carefully select deeper habitats but are also constantly searching for new, better spots - even jumping onto land sometimes!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Tracking animals in the wild is hard! @fritzfrancisco.bsky.social builds a cool go-pro rig and identification pipeline to follow clowfish in the wild! He can figure out who's who, and what, when and where they are doing their fishy things completely non-invasively!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

How can individuals avoid getting infected with parasites? Using experimental epidemics, Mina Ogino shows that groups of guppies with previous infections (but have since cleared the infection) more quickly spread new infections. Lingering detrimental effects of previous illness??

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Clara Garcia-Co shows that canaries show a cycle of aggression. Chicks with biological moms that were aggressive show greater aggression themselves and refuse to back down in fights - even if they were cross-fostered by non-aggressive moms!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Parents have to deal with a lot. How do they balance the need to care for young with the need to avoid predation? @eric-arredondo.bsky.social shows that stickleback parenting behavior does not shift when invasive predators are around but their brains do!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

It's hot y'all! Sticklebacks decrease parental care after experiencing a heatwave but Laura Stein shows that this isn't associated with any long-lasting shifts in physiological measurements. Actually encouraging results showing this little fish may be extra resilient to changing climates! 🐟🔥

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Day 3 of #ISBE2026 is begun! I snuck out today to experience the local environment and find novel foraging opportunities

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Why do reef fishes congregate in mixed species groups? These groups have anti-predator benefits, but Bharat Ahuja shows there is also major foraging benefits. Mixed species groups raid damselfish farms for the tasty algae!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

What generates social instability? @annemariemarel.bsky.social shows that larger groups with more females are typically more stable, but groups tend to become more unstable at higher temps. I get grumpy and anti-social during heatwaves too tbf.

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Does fear last forever?? Amazon Warrior Siobhan Calhoun shows that risk cues appear to additives accumulate and atenuate in clonal fish. Getting scared 5 times appears to be 5 times as scary as getting scared once!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Male baboons need to climb the social ladder to achieve their top ranks. Susan Alberts shows that males slowly achieve rank over lower ranked females but can take years to out-rank the top ranked female, especially if it's their mother (who wants to fight their mom!)

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Social interactions matter for fitness. Taylor Bastian shows that when marmots deviate from their average sociability, it increases fitness - regardless of they become more *or* less social! Evidence of behavioral plasticity improving fitness?

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Not all social interactions are dyadic. Noa Pinter-Wollman shows that one ant can feed many ants at once. Colonies do this when they're hungrier showing efficient dissemination of resources. Get your sisters fed!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Mantis shrimps fight for burrows. Intruders fight harder to gain access to a single burrow but the residents can beat up an even bigger intruder. @jon-aguinaga.bsky.social shows how much shrimp want to keep their burrows!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Sparrows swap between producing and scrounging behavior and Corne de Groot shows that a single latent variables underlies thsse behaviors. Individuals can plasticity adjust their behavior to help minimize reductions in fitness

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Saw flies do collective defense but males are more likely to be free-loaders and benefit from their hard working sisters. @caritalindstedt.bsky.social shows that females contribute more to collective defense and these groups often end up being female biased. Long live the patriarchy, I say!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

In cooperatively breeders, non-breeders get benefits from sticking around but why exactly do the breeders tolerate this individuals? Pete Buston builds a model to show that the non-breeders reduce variance in the time taken to restart breeding if their partner dies. Good life insurance policy!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Fair-weather friends? Amazon Warrior @ksheehy.bsky.social shows that top ranked individuals actually prefer unfamiliar groups of predator cues are around - suggesting that top ranked fish know that they should avoid the fish they've been harassing if they want a cohesive shoal

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

How do animals decide where to go? It's not just food - Felipe Bufalo shows that tamarins also prioritize the ability to phone a friend! Groups choose trees that enable better between-group communication especially in the rainy season when it's hard to see each other and they want to avoid fights

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Fish traffic jam! Adding more exits to a tank does not increase a school's speed to leave the tank. Palestina Guevara Fiore shows that similar to what is seen in human highway traffic, fish schools get clogged up.

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Baboons have lots of variety in social systems. Using a model, Brian Lerch shows that when social ties decrease mortality, groups evolve more male-male tolerance and stronger female-male bonds with knock-on effects for larger groups and lower infanticide

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

All parts of the wing matter! Benito Wainwright shows that clipping even non-sound producing parts of male katydid wings will alter their song and females are not so keen on the result either. Keep your wings intact, boys!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Tadpole backpacks? Not onlu this season's *hottest* fashion accessory, but Eva Ringler shows this is also a great system for studying the behavioral decisions involved in parental care! Day 2 of ISBE begins!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Do frogs bond more strongly if they have more babies together? Izzy Kier uses frog speed dating to build frog pairs and then takes some pairs' eggs away. While affliation between pairs didn't appear to shift, the frogs did get really good at hiding their eggs! Sneaky frogs!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

While more highly ranked individuals in many species show lower inhibitory control, this is not the case in cockatoos. Shefali Dorepali shows that aggression more important predictor of rank

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Select guppies for brain size and you get changes in overall cognitive styles. Marion Dellinger shows that large-brain selected guppies are decisive, efficient learners and are quick to form useful habits. They know what they want and they go out and get it!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

What can behavioral ecology offer to cognition research? Redouan Bshary emphasizes how we can offer insight into ecological relevance. Don't just ask can a fish do a task, but ask why it would need to in the first place

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

There are Drosophila with crazy forelegs they use for fighting. Using genetically identical lines, @tomratz.bsky.social finds studied what factors contribute to aggression. Opponent behavior matters but focal individuals are still show individuality. Variation is the rule, not the exception!

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Anyone who's grown up in a big family know there's a lot of social interactions thay happen among siblings. Bruno Camargo dos Santos shows cichlids with more siblings show higher social competence later in life. Your siblings can actually be useful for you apparently :)

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Using the cutest voles you've ever seen, @mdammhahn.bsky.social shows that risk-taking behavior differs between summer and autumn animals - autumn animals follow asset protection but summer animals seem to follow state-dependent safety

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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Nicolas Mouret shows that in warmer climates, more active lizards are selected against. Suggests this might then have knock-on effects for ecological interactions if the most active individuals get removed from the population

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