Nau mai, haere mai! Welcome to the Invertebrate Behavioural Ecology & Conservation lab led by Chrissie Painting.

We are interested in the drivers of animal diversity, with a particular focus on animal mating systems. A lot of our work investigates the evolution of exaggerated traits (weapons & ornaments), and the fascinating mating strategies that accompany them. This fits into a central goal of evolutionary biology which seeks to understand patterns in the variation of animal phenotypes. Our group focusses primarily on arthropods including beetles, harvestmen, spiders, and bees, combining multiple approaches including field and lab experiments, molecular and comparative evolution techniques, morphometrics, and microCT xray reconstructions.  

The Invertebrate Behavioural Ecology & Conservation lab is all about diversity – in our approach to lab culture as well as how we study animals. We recognise that diversity brings strength, so as a group we are always striving to learn ways we can make science and the academy a more inclusive and equitable environment for all. We meet weekly for lab group meetings with our friends in the EcoDiv Lab, where we discuss inequity & different approaches to science…and sometimes we share baking!