Graeme Ruxton

Graeme Ruxton is a Professor of theoretical ecology whose studies focus on the evolutionary pressures on aggregation by animals, and predator-prey aspects of sensory ecology. He received his PhD in Statistics and Modelling Science in 1992 from University of Strathclyde.

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He has published three books:

Experimental Design for the Life Sciences with Nick Colegrave of the University of Edinburgh.

Living in Groups published in 2002, and co-authored with Jens Krause of the University of Leeds.

Avoiding Attack: The evolutionary ecology of crypsis, warning signals and mimicry, published in 2004, and co-authored with Tom Sherratt of Carleton University in Canada and Mike Speed of the University of Liverpool

Publications

Ruxton GD, Jackson AL, Tosh CR 2007 Confusion of predators does not rely on specialist coordinated behavior BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY 18 (3): 590-596 MAY-JUN

Speed MP, Ruxton GD How bright and how nasty 2007 Explaining diversity in warning signal strength EVOLUTION 61 (3): 623-635

Merilaita S, Ruxton GD 2007 Aposematic signals and the relationship between conspicuousness and distinctiveness JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL BIOLOGY 245 (2): 268-277

Skelhorn J, Ruxton GD 2006 Avian predators attack aposematic prey more forcefully when they are part of an aggregation BIOLOGY LETTERS 2 (4): 488-490 DEC 22

Jackson, A. L., Beuchamp, G., Broom, M., and Ruxton, G. D. 2006 Evolution of anti-predator traits in response to a flexible targeting strategy by predators Proceedings Of The Royal Society Of London Series B-Biological Sciences 273, 1590, 1055-1062

Ruxton, G. 2006 Behavioural ecology - Grasshoppers don't play possum Nature 440, 7086, 880-880

Jackson, A. L. and Ruxton, G. D. 2006 Toward an individual-level understanding of vigilance: the role of social information Behavioral Ecology 17, 4, 532-538

Ruxton, G. D. and Speed, M. P. 2006 How can automimicry persist when predators can preferentially consume undefended mimics? Proceedings Of The Royal Society Of London Series B-Biological Sciences 273, 1584, 373-378

Proctor, C. J., Broom, M., and Ruxton, G. D. 2006 Antipredator vigilance in birds: Modelling the 'edge' effect Mathematical Biosciences 199, 1, 79-96

Tosh, C. R., Jackson, A. L., and Ruxton, G. D. 2006 The confusion effect in predatory neural networks American Naturalist 167, 2, E52-E65

Speed, M. P., Ruxton, G. D., and Broom, M. 2006 Automimicry and the evolution of discrete prey defences Biological Journal Of The Linnean Society 87, 3, 393-402

Broom, M., Speed, M. P., and Ruxton, G. D. 2006 Evolutionarily stable defence and signalling of that defence Journal of Theoretical Biology 242, 1, 32-43

Skelhorn, J. and Ruxton, G. D. 2006 Avian predators attack aposematic prey more forcefully when they are part of an aggregation Biology Letters 2, 4, 488-490

Inger, R., Bearhop, S., Robinson, J. A., and Ruxton, G. D. 2006 Prey choice affects the trade-off balance between predation and starvation in an avian herbivore Animal Behaviour 71, 6, 1335-1341

Ruxton, G. D. and Kennedy, M. W. 2006 Peppers and poisons: the evolutionary ecology of bad taste Journal Of Animal Ecology 75, 5, 1224-1226

Ruxton, G. D. and Sherrat, T. N. 2006 Aggregation, defence and warning signals: the evolutionary relationship Proceedings Of The Royal Society Of London Series B-Biological Sciences 273, 1600, 2417-2424

Morrell, L. J., Lindstrom, J., and Ruxton, G. D. 2005 Why are small males aggressive? Proceedings Of The Royal Society Of London Series B-Biological Sciences 272, 1569, 1235-1241

Ruxton, G. D. 2005 Intimidating butterflies Trends In Ecology & Evolution 20, 6 Special, 276-278

Ruxton, G. D. and Speed, M. P. 2005 Evolution: A taste for mimicry Nature 433, 7023, 205-207

Speed, M. P. and Ruxton, G. D. 2005 Aposematism: what should our starting point be? Proceedings Of The Royal Society Of London Series B-Biological Sciences 272, 1561, 431-438

Speed, M. P., Kelly, D. J., Davidson, A. M., and Ruxton, G. D. 2005 Countershading enhances crypsis with some bird species but not others Behavioral Ecology 16, 2, 327-334

Broom, M., Speed, M. P., and Ruxton, G. D. 2005 Evolutionarily stable investment in secondary defences Functional Ecology 19, 5, 836-843

Speed, M. P. and Ruxton, G. D. 2005 Warning displays in spiny animals: One (more) evolutionary route to aposematism Evolution 59, 12, 2499-2508

Jackson, A. L., Ruxton, G. D., Brown, S., and Sherratt, T. N. 2005 The effects of group size, shape and composition on ease of detection of cryptic prey Behaviour 142, 6, 811-826

Ruxton, G. D., Fraser, C., and Broom, M. 2005 An evolutionarily stable joining policy for group foragers Behavioral Ecology 16, 5, 856-864

Sherratt, T. N., Speed, M. P., and Ruxton, G. D. 2004 Natural selection on unpalatable species imposed by state-dependent foraging behaviour Journal of Theoretical Biology 228, 2, 217-226

Broom, M., Luther, R. M., and Ruxton, G. D. 2004 Resistance is useless? - Extensions to the game theory of kleptoparasitism Bulletin of Mathematical Biology 66, 6, 1645-1658

Ruxton, G. D., Speed, M. P., and Kelly, D. J. 2004 What, if anything, is the adaptive function of countershading? Animal Behaviour 68, 3, 445-451

Beauchamp, G. and Ruxton, G. D. 2003 Changes in vigilance with group size under scramble competition American Naturalist 161, 4, 672-675

Ruxton, G. D. 1998 Mimicry - Sheep in wolves' clothing Nature 394, 6696, 833-834 online version