Dr Sam Matchette Behavioural Ecologist
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I'm currently working as a Research Associate in the Marine Behavioural Ecology Group at the University of Cambridge, UK.
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My research interests broadly concern the interactions between predators and prey, particularly in fishes.
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I combine manipulative behavioural experiments, both in the laboratory and the field, with state-of-the-art computational techniques, including 3D modelling, augmented reality, photogrammetry, and machine learning.
Research
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Trumpetfish
One of my primary research projects involves investigting the behaviour and broader ecology of the trumpetfish, Aulostomus maculatus - a predatory fish that is common across Caribbean coral reefs. I am particularly interested in their foraging behaviour and their interactions with other species, and how these may relate to their colouration.
Visual noise
The basis to my PhD emerged from the juncture between traditional camouflage strategies and motion. Specifically, I was interested in how the presence of visual noise, in particular rapidly-changing illumination (e.g., water caustics or dappled light), can reduce the detectability of moving objects. I have continued studying the influence of visual noise in my current role. Here, I assess how fish optimise their ability to acquire information in "noisy" habitats, both individually and as a shoal.
Media Interest
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Publications
Matchette SR, Drerup C, Davison IK, Simpson SD, Radford AN, Herbert-Read JE. Predatory trumpetfish conceal themselves from their prey by swimming alongside other fish. Current Biology. 2023; 33(15): R801-R802
hhtps://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.075
Scott-Samuel NE, Caro T, Matchette SR, Cuthill IC. Dazzle: surface patterns that impede interception. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 2023; blad075
https//doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blad075
Matchette SR, Mitchell EG, Herbert-Read JE. Spatial clustering of trumpetfish shadowing behaviour
in the Caribbean Sea revealed by citizen science. Marine Biology. 2022; 169: 71
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-022-04057-4
Matchette SR, Herbert-Read JE. Dynamic visual noise promotes social attraction, but does not affect group size preference, in a shoaling fish. Animal Behaviour. 2021; 177: 39-48
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.04.017
Matchette SR, Cuthill IC, Cheney KL, Marshall NJ, Scott-Samuel NE. Underwater caustics disrupts prey detection by a reef fish. Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences. 2020; 287: 20192453
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2453
Cuthill IC, Matchette SR, Scott-Samuel NE. Camouflage in a dynamic world. Current Opinion in Behavioural Sciences. 2019; 30: 109-115
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.07.007
Matchette SR, Cuthill IC, Scott-Samuel NE. Dappled light disrupts prey detection by masking movement. Animal Behaviour. 2019; 155: 89-95
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.07.006
Matchette SR, Cuthill IC, Scott-Samuel NE. Concealment in a dynamic world: dappled light and caustics mask movement. Animal Behaviour. 2018; 143: 51–57
See Google Scholar for more details
