Does the emotional state of male Melomys cervinipes affect their spatial learning and navigational abilities? (Old ID 22610)

Supervisor

The loss of environmental complexity in tropical rainforests due to anthropogenic deforestation is a major threat to mammals. How an animal copes with these changes may be dependant on integrated physiological, behavioural and cognitive responses to environmental stimuli. The aim of this study is to investigate whether environmental complexity influences these responses of Melomys cervinipes. I predict that animals from complex habitats will demonstrate lowered anxiety and stress and will show enhanced learning and performance in a cognitive behavioural task. This study is the first to investigate the links between environmental complexity, physiology, behaviour and cognition in an Australian mammal.

01 Feb 2016 - 31 Dec 2016

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