Examining the ontogeny of the long- distance mating call (LDMC) in the field cricket, Acanthogryllus asiaticus

Abstract

I want to thank my thesis guide, Dr. Manjari Jain, for introducing me to the ocean of animal behaviour in my second year and guiding me throughout my thesis. I am thankful to her for always being available for online or in-person discussion, nurturing my curiosity, and teaching me how to ask and address questions. She has always encouraged me to challenge myself and allowed me to explore the field of behavioural ecology. I remember there were many instances when things did not work out, but she stood by my side, supported and encouraged me to continue trying. She also encouraged us by telling problems she faced and how she faced and tacked them. She taught me the importance of learning from our mistakes and keep working in research. BEL has been a place of learning and enjoyment for me during these two semesters. I am very helpful to Sonam, Soniya, and Dr. Richa for helping with my experiments, teaching, and guiding me at every point throughout these two semesters. I am also appreciative of Afzal for helping me to maintain the cricket culture. I am very thankful to Dr. Richa for providing me with the audio recording of crickets which she recorded during her PhD. I am thankful to Sonam and Soniya didi for helping me with the statistical analysis. I want to thank all the master's students who joined BEL with me; Afzal (For being my cricket partner), Barsa (For being the informative one), Geetika (For cracking jokes), Kaustubh (for helping in use software), Sooraj (For always welcoming me with a smile) and Ushnik. These five years have been quite eventful, and I am especially grateful to Pradosh, Mayank, Ajay, Gaurav, Satyajit, Aditi, Aakansha, Sahil and Rajwant for having my back and for all the fun we had. I am indebted to my family for nurturing and teaching me valuable life lessons for all these years. There are lot more names in the list of people. I need to grateful to all of the people have been an integral part of my life. Thanks to all for your love and guidance.