Contact:
Alexandre Varaschin Palaoro, PhD
e-mail: alexandre.palaoro@gmail.com
Visiting Professor
LUTA do Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva
Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil
Contributor of Sobrevivendo na Ciência (Brazilian science blog)
CV on CNPq Lattes Platform (Brazilian Research Database)
ResearchGate Profile (here)
Google Scholar Platform (here)
Github Profile (here)
Research Interests:
I am interested in animal contests and animal weapons. These two areas overlap considerably when we consider that the majority of species fight using some sort of weapon. Interestingly, the theoretical background behind these two areas does not overlap. We either study animal weapon evolution and assume weapons are important in fighting, or we study animal contests and also assume that that weapons are important. My goal is to merge contest theory to animal weapons by studying weapon function, biomechanics, and evolution, while also studying how these weapon components influences the rules behind animal contests. My ultimate goal is to answer: Why are animal weapons diverse?
Specifically, the topics I am currently interested/working on are:
- Animal contests: how resource value and fighting costs influence contest dynamics and resolution; what fighting ability really is; what factors influence the evolution of how contests are terminated.
- Weaponry performance and evolution: how biomechanics influence weapon shape (and vice-versa); what sort of selective pressures act on weapons.
- Life history and behavior of decapods.
I tend to use decapods as models. But, I am always open to (and excited about) new ideas and new models.
Research interests in prose:
The wind swept through nearby trees, making leaves whisper tales of cold nights. The moon shined on the sky while I stood there, trying to remain as still as I could, knees deep in freezing water, breathing and observing. I was in the hunt for freshwater crabs for my master's thesis experiments, when a sudden rustle came from the woods. Two horned beetles were struggling to lift each other and conquer the best position on a branch. I laughed silently at myself and came back to task at hand. Entering the river was always the worst part of my study and needed much concentration. As soon as my red flashlight lit the water I saw two crabs battling each other. They were spinning in circles trying to grab each other with their claws. That elegant dance of aggression definitely caught my attention: two fights of armed animals in a single night. How lucky I was. As sudden as the first flashes of daylight rush through your window to warn you the day has begun, I realized: I wanted to know more not only about animal contests, but also about animal weapons. "These two areas overlap considerably", I thought. How surprised and glad I was when I found that current theory does not consider these two areas in full. "There is much work to be done here". And so my journey began.
Alexandre Varaschin Palaoro, PhD
e-mail: alexandre.palaoro@gmail.com
Visiting Professor
LUTA do Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva
Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil
Contributor of Sobrevivendo na Ciência (Brazilian science blog)
CV on CNPq Lattes Platform (Brazilian Research Database)
ResearchGate Profile (here)
Google Scholar Platform (here)
Github Profile (here)
Research Interests:
I am interested in animal contests and animal weapons. These two areas overlap considerably when we consider that the majority of species fight using some sort of weapon. Interestingly, the theoretical background behind these two areas does not overlap. We either study animal weapon evolution and assume weapons are important in fighting, or we study animal contests and also assume that that weapons are important. My goal is to merge contest theory to animal weapons by studying weapon function, biomechanics, and evolution, while also studying how these weapon components influences the rules behind animal contests. My ultimate goal is to answer: Why are animal weapons diverse?
Specifically, the topics I am currently interested/working on are:
- Animal contests: how resource value and fighting costs influence contest dynamics and resolution; what fighting ability really is; what factors influence the evolution of how contests are terminated.
- Weaponry performance and evolution: how biomechanics influence weapon shape (and vice-versa); what sort of selective pressures act on weapons.
- Life history and behavior of decapods.
I tend to use decapods as models. But, I am always open to (and excited about) new ideas and new models.
Research interests in prose:
The wind swept through nearby trees, making leaves whisper tales of cold nights. The moon shined on the sky while I stood there, trying to remain as still as I could, knees deep in freezing water, breathing and observing. I was in the hunt for freshwater crabs for my master's thesis experiments, when a sudden rustle came from the woods. Two horned beetles were struggling to lift each other and conquer the best position on a branch. I laughed silently at myself and came back to task at hand. Entering the river was always the worst part of my study and needed much concentration. As soon as my red flashlight lit the water I saw two crabs battling each other. They were spinning in circles trying to grab each other with their claws. That elegant dance of aggression definitely caught my attention: two fights of armed animals in a single night. How lucky I was. As sudden as the first flashes of daylight rush through your window to warn you the day has begun, I realized: I wanted to know more not only about animal contests, but also about animal weapons. "These two areas overlap considerably", I thought. How surprised and glad I was when I found that current theory does not consider these two areas in full. "There is much work to be done here". And so my journey began.
Awards
2019 - Honorable mention for the presentation of the undergraduate thesis of Jônatas de Jesus Florentino, entitled "Fifty shades of red: Differences in claw color and its relation to alternative reproductive strategies", presented at the International Phase of the 27th International Symposium of Scientific and Technological Education at the Universide de São Paulo (USP) under the supervision of Dr. Alexandre V. Palaoro. Interview here (Portuguese only)
2018 - International Society for Behavioral Ecology Travel Award, awarded by the International Society for Behavioral Ecology (ISBE), of USD 500.00
2016 - Most relevant publication of the Biodiversidade Animal Graduate Programme: "Weaponry and defenses in fighting animals: How allometry can alter the predictions from contest theory" published in Behavioral Ecology
2016 - The TCS Graduate Studies Scholarship on Ecology, Behavioral Ecology and Population Genetics, awarded by The Crustacean Society, of USD 1,000.00