Ashleigh Showler
Papers
1
Total Citations
52
H-Index
1
About
Ashleigh Showler is a behavioral ecologist whose innovative work bridges 3D printing technology and animal behavior, with a primary focus on zebrafish social dynamics. Her most-cited study, "Zebrafish response to 3D printed shoals of conspecifics: the effect of body size" (2016, 52 citations), pioneered the use of rapid prototyping to create realistic, customizable model shoals for controlled behavioral experiments. This work demonstrated that zebrafish respond to 3D-printed conspecifics based on body size cues, establishing a cost-effective, reproducible method for studying social interactions. Showler’s key contributions lie in demonstrating how accessible 3D printing can transform hypothesis-driven research in animal behavior, enabling laboratories worldwide to design complex, replicable stimuli without expensive equipment. Her research has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of shoaling behavior, predator avoidance, and social recognition in fish. By making sophisticated behavioral experiments more accessible, Showler has empowered researchers to explore questions previously limited by technological constraints, solidifying her impact on both behavioral ecology and the practical application of 3D printing in biological research.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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