ISABEL DAMAS MOREIRA
Behavioural Ecologist

​UNDERSTANDING WHAT MAKES A LIZARD INVASIVE: THE ROLE OF BEHAVIOUR AND COGNITION

PhD project

I was awarded a PhD scholarship (IPRS) from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, in 2015. 

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I completed my PhD at The Lizard Lab, where I had the privilege of being mentored by Prof. Dr. Martin Whiting (Macquarie University) and co-supervised by Dr. James Harris (CIBIO-InBIO).

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My research focused on a small lizard, the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus), which can hitchhike to new locations worldwide and become invasive. I examined how different behavioural components might contribute to its invasive success. Although I was based in Sydney, I studied a population of this invasive species in Lisbon, conducting my field and lab work in Portugal.

​Specifically, I investigated its behavioural flexibility, use of social information, behavioural traits, and competitive ability — features that are likely crucial fot its invasive potential! Check out the Publications' section if you would like to learn more about our results!​​