The Elias Lab

Photo by Jacob Saffarian

In the Elias Lab, we strive to understand the mechanisms that guide behavior and how these mechanisms relate to behavioral adaptation. We use a variety of systems and tools to investigate how animals produce and process complex stimuli and the interplay between physics, behavior, and evolution.

Our Research

Research Philosophies

In our pursuit to understand organisms and their organization, we aim to use ideas and tools from various disciplines across the physical, natural, and social sciences. We pursue our research with the knowledge that a variety of perspectives are essential to understand complex biological problems and that biological diversity holds key insights. We believe that equitable and inclusive approaches increase our capacity to understand animal behavior and evolution, connect with the natural world, and communicate our research to our local and global communities. Finally, we believe that a deep knowledge of an animal's sensory world and natural history in its proper evolutionary context are essential to the study of animal behavior and evolution.

Photo by Marshal Hedin

What We Study

  • Animal Behavior

    Animal Behavior

    The behavioral ecology across a range of taxa, particularly arachnids.

    See Literature

  • Mechanistic Studies of Behavior

    Our lab studies mechanisms of animal behavior including biomechanics, neurobiology, and physiology.

    See Literature

  • Comparative Trait Evolution and Natural History

    The evolution of traits within and among species across space and time. 

    See Literature

  • Bioacoustics

    Our lab studies bioacoustics, with a particular focus on animals that signal using substrate-borne vibrations.

    See Literature
Art by Sylvia Turke and Ella Weisman

Our Recent Papers

  • Latent preference for red ornamentation drives interspecific mating in nascent jumping spider species (Habronattus americanus group, F. Salticidae)

    Authors: Yan L., Huh NJ‡., Ibañez IV D‡., Rosenthal MF, Hedin M., and Elias DO (2025)

    See Paper

  • Cultivating anti-racism in the classroom and beyond through collaborative learning in the environmental sciences

    Authors: Whitney Mgbara, Rosalie Zdzienicka Fanshel, Kenzo Esquivel, Natasha Shannon, Phoebe Parker-Shames, Damian O Elias, Lorenzo Washington, Aidee Guzman (2025)

    See Paper

  • The Influence of Temperature on Courtship and Mate Choice in a Wolf Spider: Implications for Mating Success in Variable Environments

    Authors: Malcolm F Rosenthal, Damian O Elias (2025)

    See Paper

Featured Papers

  • Robustness in action: Leg loss does not affect mating success in male harvestmen

    Authors: Escalante I and Elias DO. (2022)

    See Paper

  • Phylogenomics of peacock spiders and their kin (Salticidae, Maratus), with implications for the evolution of male courtship displays

    Authors: Girard MB, Elias DO, Azevedo G, Bi K, Kasumovic MM, Waldock JM, Rosenblum EB, and Hedin M (2021)

    See Paper

  • Anthropogenic noise and the bioacoustics of terrestrial invertebrates

    Authors: Raboin M and Elias DO (2019)

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  • Nonlinear changes in selection on a mating display across a continuous thermal gradient

    Authors: Rosenthal MM and Elias DO (2019)

    See Paper

  • Assessment during aggressive contests between male jumping spiders

    Authors: Elias D. O., Kasumovic M. M., Punzalan D., Andrade M. C. B, and Mason, A. C. (2008)

    See Paper

  • Orchestrating the score: Complex multimodal courtship in the Coecatus-group of Habronattus (Araneae: Salticidae)

    Authors: Elias DO, Maddison WP, Peckmezian C‡, Girard MB, and Mason AC. (2012)

    See Paper

  • Temperature alters multimodal signaling and mating success in an ectotherm.

    Authors: Brandt EE, Kelley JP, and Elias DO (2018)

    See Paper