Behavioural Ecology and Evolution Group

Our group, the Behavioural Ecology and Evolution Group, has a diverse team comprising members from various nationalities and backgrounds. Our research mainly focuses on the study of animal behavior, its relation to ecology, and how it has evolved over time. We aim to comprehend the mechanisms underlying animal behavior, and we pay particular attention to animal cognition, how individuals form social relationships, and how they make decisions. We employ multiple methods to study animal behavior in the wild and controlled laboratory environments.

Our team conducts field research in different parts of the world, including Hawaii, Lizard Island, and Portugal. We also have a cutting-edge laboratory for behavioral and cognitive research at Laboratório Marítimo da Guia (Cascais, Portugal), where we perform experiments to understand animal behavior in controlled environments.

Apart from conducting our research, we are committed to sharing our findings with the scientific community and reaching out to the public to raise awareness about animal behavior's significance. 

If you are interested in our research or would like to join our team, please contact us via email at jrpaula@fc.ul.pt. We look forward to hearing from you!