Behaviour and Evolution (Pau Carazo’s research group) is part of the Ethology lab at Cavanilles Institute for Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology (University of Valencia). We are generally interested in the evolution and function of behaviour, and in the role that behaviour plays as a spearhead of evolutionary change. Currently, or main line of research is on the evolutionary biology of sexual conflict and its interaction with ageing and kin selection, but we are also working on the role of adaptive behavioural plasticity in evolution, and on the evolution of signal reliability and animal signals at large.

We are driven more by the questions than by the use of a particular organism, so we work or have worked with a variety of systems. Our current main model organism for work on sexual conflict, kin selection, behavioural plasticity and ageing is the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). We also study Podarcis lizards, a fantastic system to ask questions about the evolution of communication. Our unit was set up in 2015, so we are young and enthusiastic!