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Dr Roger D. Santer

Lecturer in Zoology
Photograph of Dr Roger D. Santer.

Contact

Email: rds5@aber.ac.uk
Office: T23A Cledwyn Building, Penglais Campus
Phone: +44(0)1970628776

Teaching Areas

BS13210 Principles of Physiology
BS20910 Invertebrate Zoology
BS30710 Freshwater Biology Fieldcourse

Research

I am interested in the neural mechanisms that underlie ecologically-relevant invertebrate behaviours (currently escape from predators and communication). I'm especially interested in the evolution of these mechanisms, and in how and why they vary between individuals, across species, and through time. I use a range of electrophysiological, behavioural, and computational techniques, and conduct my research on insect and arachnid models.

Biography

I graduated with a first class BSc (hons) zoology degree from Newcastle University (1999), and went on to complete my PhD in invertebrate neuroethology at the same institution (2003). I continued my research into invertebrate neuroethology during postdoctoral positions at Newcastle University (2003-2006), and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2006-2008), and a lectureship in biology at the University of Limerick (2008-2010). I joined IBERS as a lecturer in zoology in September 2010.

Staff Links

Aquatic, Behavioural & Evolutionary Biology Research Group (ABEB)

ASAB Easter Conference 2012

Staff Publications

  • Willemart RH, Santer RD, Spence AJ and Hebets EA (2011) A sticky situation: Solifugids (Arachnida, Solifugae) use adhesive organs on their pedipalps for prey capture. Journal of Ethology 29: 177-180.
  • Santer RD and Hebets EA (in press) Sensory and behavioural biology of whip spiders. Advances in Insect Physiology.
  • Santer RD and Hebets EA (2011) Evidence for air movement signalling in the agonistic behaviour of a nocturnal arachnid (order Amblypygi). PLoS one 6(8): e22473.
  • Simmons PJ, Rind FC and Santer RD (2010) Escapes with and without preparation: the neuroethology of visual startle in locusts. Journal of Insect Physiology 56(8): 876-883.
  • Rundus AS, Santer RD and Hebets EA (2010) Multimodal courtship efficacy of Schizocosa retrorsa wolf spiders: implications of an additional signal modality. Behavioral Ecology 21(4): 701-707.
  • Yue S, Santer RD, Yamawaki Y and Rind FC (2010) Reactive direction control for a mobile robot: A locust-like control of escape direction emerges when a bilateral pair of model locust visual neurons are integrated. Autonomous Robots 28(2): 151-167.
  • Santer RD and Hebets EA (2009) Tactile learning by a whip spider, Phrynus marginemaculatus C.L. Koch (Arachnida, Amblypygi). Journal of Comparative Physiology A 195(4): 393-399.
  • Santer RD and Hebets EA (2009) Prey capture by the whip spider Phrynus marginemaculatus C.L. Koch (Arachnida, Amblypygi). Journal of Arachnology 37(1): 109-112.
  • Rind FC, Santer RD and Wright, GA (2008) Arousal facilitates collision avoidance mediated by a looming sensitive visual neuron in a flying locust. Journal of Neurophysiology 100(2): 670-680.
  • Santer RD, Yamawaki Y, Simmons PJ and Rind FC (2008) Preparing for escape: an examination of the role of the DCMD neuron in locust escape jumps. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 194(1): 69-77.
  • Santer RD and Hebets EA (2008) Agonistic signals received by an arthropod filiform hair allude to the prevalence of near-field sound communication. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 275: 363-368 [highlighted article].
  • Stafford R, Santer RD and Rind FC (2007) The role of behavioural ecology in the design of bio-inspired technology. Animal Behaviour 74(6): 1813-1819.
  • Stafford R, Santer RD and Rind FC (2007) A bio-inspired visual collision detection mechanism for cars: combining insect inspired neurons to create a robust system. Biosystems 87: 164-171. 
  • Yamawaki Y, Santer RD, Simmons PJ and Rind FC (2006) The timing of hindleg movements in preparation for an escape jump in the locust. Zoological Science 23(12): 1192.
  • Santer RD, Rind FC, Stafford R and Simmons PJ (2006) Role of an identified looming-sensitive neuron in triggering a flying locust's escape. Journal of Neurophysiology 95: 3391-3400.
  • Santer RD, Yamawaki Y, Rind FC and Simmons PJ (2005) Motor activity and trajectory control during escape jumping in the locust Locusta migratoria. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 191 (10): 965-975.
  • Santer RD, Simmons PJ and Rind FC (2005) Gliding behaviour elicited by lateral looming stimuli in flying locusts. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 191(1): 61-73.
  • Santer RD, Stafford R and Rind FC (2004) Retinally-generated saccadic suppression of a locust looming detector neuron: investigations using a robot locust. Journal of the Royal Society: Interface 1 (1): 61-77.
  • Rind FC and Santer RD (2004) Collision avoidance and a looming sensitive neuron: size matters but biggest is not necessarily best. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 271: S27-S29.
  • Rind FC, Santer RD, Blanchard JM and Verschure PFMJ (2003) Locust looming detectors for robot sensors in ‘Sensors and Sensing in Biology and Engineering’, eds Barth FG, Humphrey JAC and Secomb TW. New York, Springer Books.
  • Santer R (2001) Letting the cat out of the bag, Biologist 48(2): 72-74.