Susana A. M. Varela

Professor Auxiliar

Bio

Assistant Professor at the Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde e Enfermagem (FCSE) of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) and an External Researcher at the Integrative Behavioural Biology Group (IBBG) of the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM).

Studies Social Behaviour with two main approaches: 1) Behavioural Ecology: the study of the ecological conditions under which social behaviour is adaptive and how the use of social information impacts its development and evolution; and 2) Behavioural Neurobiology: the study of the underlying cognitive mechanisms by which animals acquire, learn and use social information.

Interested in three additional objectives: 3) Sociocultural Evolution: the study of how the transmission of social information leads to the evolution of culture, communication, and language; 4) Conservation Behaviour and Conservation Psychology: the study of social information use in contexts that could be relevant to conservation problems and the study of the mechanisms that inhibit or trigger nature conservation behaviours in humans; and 5) Research Ethics. 

And passionate about Teaching, Science Education, Communication and Outreach. 

Other

"A Origem do Homem e a Selecção Sexual". Translation to Portuguese of the book "The Descent of Man and The Selection in Relation to Sex", by Charles Darwin, 2nd Edition, 1874.

Varela, S. , Varela, SAM. (2009). "A Origem do Homem e a Selecção Sexual". Translation to Portuguese of the book "The Descent of Man and The Selection in Relation to Sex", by Charles Darwin, 2nd Edition, 1874..
Other

Animal decision-making for habitats and mates: the selection of breeding commodities through inadvertent social information

Varela, S. , Varela, SAM. (2007). Animal decision-making for habitats and mates: the selection of breeding commodities through inadvertent social information. Sorbonne Université Campus Pierre et Marie Curie
Paper

Are in vitro and in silico approaches used appropriately for animal-based major depressive disorder research?

Varela, S. (2020). Are in vitro and in silico approaches used appropriately for animal-based major depressive disorder research?. PloS One
Paper

Corrigendum to Sex-biased dispersal, kin selection and the evolution of sexual conflict. [J. Evol. Biol. 28, (2015) 1901-1910]

Varela, S. , Faria, G.S.. (2016). Corrigendum to Sex-biased dispersal, kin selection and the evolution of sexual conflict. [J. Evol. Biol. 28, (2015) 1901-1910]. Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Paper

Despite reproductive interference, the net outcome of reproductive interactions among spider mite species is not necessarily costly

Varela, S. , Salomé H Clemente. (2018). Despite reproductive interference, the net outcome of reproductive interactions among spider mite species is not necessarily costly. Behavioral Ecology
Other

Developmental effects of oxytocin neurons on social affiliation and processing of social information

Varela, S. , Ana Rita Nunes. (2020). Developmental effects of oxytocin neurons on social affiliation and processing of social information.
Paper

Does predation select for or against avian coloniality? A comparative analysis

Varela, S. , Varela, S.A.M.. (2007). Does predation select for or against avian coloniality? A comparative analysis. Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Paper

Evolution of mating behavior between two populations adapting to common environmental conditions

Varela, S. , Bárbaro, M.. (2015). Evolution of mating behavior between two populations adapting to common environmental conditions. Ecology and Evolution
Paper

Genetic and cultural evolution of mate choice

Varela, S. , Santos, Mauro. (2021). Genetic and cultural evolution of mate choice. Treballs de la SCB. Cent cinquanta aniversari de la publicació del llibre de Charles Darwin “The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex”.
Paper

How pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection influence male mating decisions in a promiscuous species

Varela, S. , Inês Órfão. (2018). How pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection influence male mating decisions in a promiscuous species. Animal Behaviour
Paper

Incomplete species recognition entails few costs in spider mites, despite first-male precedence

Varela, S. , Clemente, S.H.. (2016). Incomplete species recognition entails few costs in spider mites, despite first-male precedence. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Paper

Interaction time with conspecifics induces food preference or aversion in the wild Algerian mouse

Varela, S. , Rita S. Andrade. (2023). Interaction time with conspecifics induces food preference or aversion in the wild Algerian mouse. Behavioural Processes
Paper

Male spider mites use chemical cues, but not the female mating interval, to choose between mates

Varela, S. , Rodrigues, L.R.. (2017). Male spider mites use chemical cues, but not the female mating interval, to choose between mates. Experimental and Applied Acarology
Paper

Mate-choice copying accelerates species range expansion

Varela, S. , Manuel Sapage. (2024). Mate-choice copying accelerates species range expansion. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Paper

Mate-choice copying: A fitness-enhancing behavior that evolves by indirect selection

Varela, S. , Santos, M.. (2017). Mate-choice copying: A fitness-enhancing behavior that evolves by indirect selection. Evolution
Paper

Me against who? Male guppies adjust mating behaviour according to their rival’s presence and attractiveness

Varela, S. , Órfão, I.. (2019). Me against who? Male guppies adjust mating behaviour according to their rival’s presence and attractiveness. Ethology
Paper

Medicinal use of fauna by a traditional community in the Brazilian Amazonia

Varela, S. , Barros, F.B.. (2012). Medicinal use of fauna by a traditional community in the Brazilian Amazonia. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
Paper

Negative public information in mate choice copying helps the spread of a novel trait

Varela, S. , Santos, M.. (2014). Negative public information in mate choice copying helps the spread of a novel trait. American Naturalist
Other

Phenotypic architecture of sociality and its associated genetic polymorphisms in zebrafish

Varela, S. , Claúdia Gonçalves. (2021). Phenotypic architecture of sociality and its associated genetic polymorphisms in zebrafish.
Paper

Public Versus Personal Information for Mate Copying in an Invertebrate

Varela, S. , Mery, F.. (2009). Public Versus Personal Information for Mate Copying in an Invertebrate. Current Biology
Paper

Sex-biased dispersal, kin selection and the evolution of sexual conflict

Varela, S. , Faria, G.S.. (2015). Sex-biased dispersal, kin selection and the evolution of sexual conflict. Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Paper

Sexual selection modulates genetic conflicts and patterns of genomic imprinting

Varela, S. , Faria, G.S.. (2017). Sexual selection modulates genetic conflicts and patterns of genomic imprinting. Evolution
Paper

Short telomeres drive pessimistic judgment bias in zebrafish

Varela, S. , Espigares, F.. (2021). Short telomeres drive pessimistic judgment bias in zebrafish. Biology Letters
Paper

Social learning by mate‐choice copying increases dispersal and reduces local adaptation

Varela, S. , Manuel Sapage. (2021). Social learning by mate‐choice copying increases dispersal and reduces local adaptation. Functional Ecology
Paper

The correlated evolution of social competence and social cognition

Varela, S. , Susana A. M. Varela. (2020). The correlated evolution of social competence and social cognition. Functional Ecology
Paper

The relation between R. A. Fisher's sexy-son hypothesis and W. D. Hamilton's greenbeard effect

Varela, S. (2018). The relation between R. A. Fisher's sexy-son hypothesis and W. D. Hamilton's greenbeard effect. Evolution Letters
Paper

The Relevance of In Silico, In Vitro and Non-human Primate Based Approaches to Clinical Research on Major Depressive Disorder

Varela, S. , Carvalho, C.. (2019). The Relevance of In Silico, In Vitro and Non-human Primate Based Approaches to Clinical Research on Major Depressive Disorder. Alternatives to laboratory animals : ATLA
Paper

The role of mate‐choice copying in speciation and hybridization

Varela, S. , Susana A. M. Varela. (2018). The role of mate‐choice copying in speciation and hybridization. Biological Reviews
Paper

The social evolution of sleep: sex differences, intragenomic conflicts and clinical pathologies

Varela, S. , Gonçalo S. Faria. (2019). The social evolution of sleep: sex differences, intragenomic conflicts and clinical pathologies. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Paper

Two research avenues for future mate-choice copying studies: a comment on Davies et al.

Varela, S. , Manuel Sapage. (2020). Two research avenues for future mate-choice copying studies: a comment on Davies et al.. Behavioral Ecology