David Jacoby

Postdoctoral Researcher

Curriculum Vitae:

2013 – Present: Postdoctoral Researcher, Indicators and Assessment Unit, Institute of Zoology (ZSL), London, UK
2013 – Present: Red List Authority Coordinator, Anguillid Eel Specialist Group (AESG), IUCN Species Survival Commission
2009 – 2012: PhD Candidate, University of Exeter and the Marine Biological Association of the UK, Plymouth, UK
2009: Visiting Researcher, University of the West Indies, Trinidad
2006 – 2007: Master of Research, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
2005: Research Assistant, Bimini Biological Field Station, Bahamas
2003: Research Assistant, Operation Wallacea, Sulawesi, Indonesia
2001 – 2004: Bachelor of Science, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.

Research Interests:

Social and spatial interactions in ecology

My research seeks to use electronic tracking devices and network analyses of animal movements to understand connectivity and grouping behaviour in ecological communities. Aggregation, collective movement and social interactions, often very difficult to measure in wild animals, can however fundamentally impact the persistence and vulnerability of a species, so understanding the mechanisms behind such behaviour is crucial to mitigate against threats.

I have a particular interest in the marine environment where often basic ecological knowledge of a species or system is hard to obtain. I believe tracking technologies, in combination with increasingly sophisticated spatial and temporal modelling techniques, can be applied to aid the monitoring and enforcement of highly dynamic and sometimes heavily exploited marine organisms. Specifically, I am interested in the dynamics and drivers of social networks in apex marine predators such as sharks and currently run projects in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and Japan.

Freshwater eel conservation

Freshwater eels are heavily theratened at the global scale by multiple perturbations, yet have a long and complex life history that make them a real challenge to conserve. I have a keen interest in freshwater eel ecology and conservation and am currently the Red List Authority Coordinator for the IUCN Anguillid Eel Specialist Group following our full IUCN Red List assessment of the anguillid species in 2014.

Editorial Board:

Assistant Editor - Journal of Fish Biology (2014 - Present)

Publications (Google Scholar):

14. Jacoby, D.M.P., Papastamatiou, Y.P. & Freeman, R. (2016) Inferring animal social networks and leadership: applications for passive monitoring arrays. Journal of The Royal Society Interface. 13(124):

13. Jacoby, D.M.P., Siriwat, P. Freeman, R & Carbone, C. (2016) Scaling of swim speed in sharks: a reply to Morrison (2016) Biology Letters. 12: 20160502.

12. Jacoby, D.M.P. & Freeman, R. (2016) Emerging network-based tools in movement ecology. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 31(4): 301-314.

11. Naylor, P. & Jacoby, D.M.P. (2016) Territoriality in the tompot blenny, Parablennius gattorugine from photographic records. Journal of Fish Biology. 88(4): 1642-1647.

10. Jacoby, D.M.P., Siriwat, P. Freeman, R & Carbone, C. (2015) Is the scaling of swim speed in sharks driven by metabolism? Biology Letters. 11: 20150781.

9. Jacoby, D.M.P., Casselman, J.M., Crook, V., DeLucia, M-B., Ahn, H., Kaifu, K., Kurwie, T., Sasal, P., Silfvergrip, A.M.C., Smith, K.G., Uchida, K., Walker, A.M. & Gollock, M.J. (2015) Synergistic patterns of threat and the challenges facing global anguillid eel conservation. Global Ecology and Conservation. 4: 321-333.

8. Jacoby, D.M.P., Fear, L, Sims, D.W. & Croft, D.P. (2014) Shark personalities? Repeatability of social network traits in a widely distributed predatory fish. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 68: 1995-2003.

7. Jacoby, D.M.P., Sims, D.W. & Croft, D.P. (2012) The effect of familiarity on aggregation and social behaviour in juvenile small spotted catsharks Scyliorhinus canicula. Journal of Fish Biology. 81: 1596-1610.

6. Croft, D.P., Hamilton, P.B, Darden, S.K, Jacoby, D.M.P., James, R, Bettaney, E.M. & Tyler, C.R. (2012) The role of relatedness in structuring the social network of a wild guppy population. Oecologia. 170(4): 955-963.

5. Jacoby, D.M.P., Brooks, E.J, Croft, D.P. & Sims, D.W. (2012) Developing a deeper understanding of animal movements and spatial dynamics through novel application of network analyses. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 3(3): 574-583.

4. Jones, S.A., Cooke, A, Whiteside, M. & Jacoby, D.M.P. (2012) The effects of morphological and environmental conditions on vigilance behaviour in the feral goat (Capra hircus). Journal of the Lundy Field Society. 3: 87-98.

3. Griffiths, A.M*, Jacoby, D.M.P.*, Casane, D, McHugh, M, Croft, D.P, Genner, M.J. & Sims, D.W. (2012) First Analysis of Multiple Paternity in an Oviparous Shark, the Small-Spotted Catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula L.). Journal of Heredity. 103(2): 166-173.

2. Jacoby, D.M.P., Croft, D.P. & Sims, D.W. (2012) The social behaviour of sharks and rays: analysis, patterns and implications for conservation. Fish and Fisheries. 13(4): 399-417.

1. Jacoby, D.M.P., Busawon, D.S, & Sims, D.W. (2010) Sex and social networking: the influence of male presence on social structure of female shark groups. Behavioral Ecology. 21(4): 808-818.