IBN 93-16185 Ryan In order to fully understand a behavior in a biological framework, it is necessary to understand the evolutionary history of that behavior. This is perhaps the most difficult issue in behavioral research. It requires thorough knowledge of both the behavior of a group of animals and the evolutionary relationships among the species in the group. Dr. Ryan's exciting work on this problem combines sophisticated studies of animal communication with detailed reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships. This combination of approaches will lead to a much better understanding of how the behaviors involved in acoustic communication evolve.
