Centre for Evolutionary Biology at UWA
@ceb-uwa
We are a University of Western Australia Centre of Excellence. Follow our latest research, news, and updates in the broad field of evolutionary biology.
Our director, Leigh W. Simmons, delivers the Hamilton Lecture at #ISBE2026 🇮🇹 @isbe2026.bsky.social @behavecol.bsky.social Highlighting contributions to the understanding of female agency in sexual selection over his career, we congratulate Leigh on being distinguished as 2026’s Hamilton Lecture.
Developing our understanding of pebble mice evolution in WA 🇦🇺 An overview of evolutionary history of rodents endemic to WA by @pebblemouse.bsky.social at #ISBE2026 🇮🇹 alongside evidence that pebble mice DO live in social groups past breeding seasons 🐁
Insights into sexual selection of trapdoor spiders 🕷️ Another talk by @naminganame.bsky.social at #ISBE2026 🇮🇹 covering novel mate guarding behaviour and evolution of sexual structures in Mygalomorphs in WA 🇦🇺 Read the Nature Note here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
The effects of androgenic pollution on immune-reproductive trade-offs 💉 A great talk delivered by @upama.bsky.social on day 2 of #ISBE2026 🇮🇹 on the immune responses of mosquito fish in relation to agricultural pollutants. Watch this space for the upcoming paper in Conservation Physiology!
The Art of Ant War 🛡️ @invertebrateissy.bsky.social presenting her work on battlefield complexity on any warfare outcomes in native and introduced 🐜 in WA. #ISBE2026
We’re here at #ISBE2026 in Torino! 🇮🇹✨ Come connect with us and watch some great talks over the coming week 🥂 @pebblemouse.bsky.social @upama.bsky.social @1jonevans.bsky.social @naminganame.bsky.social @invertebrateissy.bsky.social @brainiants.bsky.social
Congratulations 🎓 to Ed Galluccio for delivering a fantastic overview of his PhD project covering how ontogenetic and environmental impact shapes cognition in wild magpies 🥂 @mandyridley.bsky.social @dutourmylene.bsky.social
Diego Lara Arias - "Drivers of macroinvertebrate abundance in the Brixton Street Wetland" 🦐 @jenkelley01.bsky.social (4/4)
Rousset Palou Egoaguirre - "The impact of heat stress on microsite use and cognition in Sumatran Orangutans (Pongo abelii) at Perth Zoo" 🦧 @mandyridley.bsky.social @gblackburn.bsky.social (3/4)
Belinda Atkinson - "Climatic drivers of activity patterns in the western pebble mound mouse (Pseudomys chapmani) across temporal scales" 🐭 @pebblemouse.bsky.social (2/4)
Formal presentation in flow🌊 SBS seminar late post: Harry Mortimer presented his PhD proposal on the effect of combined environmental stressors on the Western Rainbowfish🌈🐟. We were graced with great visuals and a visit from a 3D printed perch. @jenkelley01.bsky.social @pebblemouse.bsky.social
A BLAST of fresh sea air graced us this week as we welcomed back Dr. Paige Maroni from a whirlwind year where she spent >150 days in polar regions 🛥️ Paige gave us insights into advances in polar deep-sea research 🦑 , we can’t wait to see what future dives bring! @marinefutureslab.bsky.social
Monitoring monitors? 🦎 This week we had @brainiants.bsky.social take a break from ants, and delve into her past life as a zookeeper. We heard from her about the conservation challenges and best practice guidelines for captive crocodile monitors (Varanus salvadorii). Thanks Kim!
Our 2026 talks started off with a bang! (or a buzz 🐝?) We thank visiting academic, Dr. Daniela Scaccabarozzi, for sharing her research on how orchids exploit visual and chemical cues to attract pollinators and achieve reproductive success! 🌼 @larschittka.bsky.social @qmul.bsky.social
Hello friends! We are ⭐ Kim, Nirjana, and Aadhi ⭐ the new CEB representatives for 2026! Over the coming year, we'll be sharing all the exciting and diverse research happening within CEB, so stay tuned.👀 🐜 @brainiants.bsky.social🧠 🪲@hasbeanbeetle.bsky.social 🫘 🦜@nirjana-dewan.bsky.social 🧬
Congrats to all the students that presented🎉. We're looking forward to what's in store for next year. We also took home the: 3-minute presentation (@matbourqui.bsky.social) 🏆 Poster presentation (@hasbeanbeetle.bsky.social) 🏆 Quiz night🏆 Magnificent!
◻️Avantika Deep Sharma◼️(@avantikadeep.bsky.social) gave us a bird's-eye view on the intra-sexual competition in cooperatively breeding Western Australian magpies 🐦🥊🐦. @mandyridley.bsky.social @lizziespeechley.bsky.social
🐸Shengyao Lin🐸presented a ribbit-ing talk on the genome size variation and evolutionary mechanisms in frogs 🧬. @reneecatullo.bsky.social
🐭Cameron Dodd🐭(@kultarrcam.bsky.social) presented an ex-skull-ent talk on skull evolution in the Sminthopsinae💀. @reneecatullo.bsky.social @kennytravouillon.bsky.social
🐜Kim Wong🐜 (@brainiants.bsky.social) gave us a f(ant)astic and thought-provoking talk on the intraspecific variation in cognition of green-head ants🧠. @mandyridley.bsky.social @notthebestsam.bsky.social
🕷️Jackson Rendall🕷️wove together a spectacular presentation on the population genomics and species distribution modelling of spiny trapdoor spiders🧬. @reneecatullo.bsky.social @rowanlym.bsky.social @brunobuzatto.bsky.social
🪲Stuart Lay🪲spoke to us about the taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of the carabid beetle tribe Abacetini from the Pilbara region! @reneecatullo.bsky.social @idrnik.bsky.social
🌊Mathys Bourqui🌊 (@matbourqui.bsky.social) took us on a quick dive into his research on spatial distribution and community modelling in the midwater!
🐒Lakshani Weerasekara🐒 (@lucky-monkey.bsky.social) presented online all the way from Sri Lanka on some monkey business. We were fortunate to hear about the male coalition strategies in Toque macaques (...and the great ID names she came up with🍌) @mandyridley.bsky.social @cyrilgrueter.bsky.social
We flocked over to watch 🦜Nirjana Dewan🦜(@nirjana-dewan.bsky.social) talk about the conservation genomics of the white-tailed black cockatoos! @rowanlym.bsky.social @theg-cat.bsky.social
🐒Lakshani Weerasekara🐒 (@lucky-monkey.bsky.social) presented online all the way from Sri Lanka on some monkey business. We were fortunate to hear about the male coalition strategies in Toque macaques (...and the great ID names she came up with🍌) @mandyridley.bsky.social
🦎Levi Brown🦎 (@leviloveslizards.bsky.social) presented a snippet of their first chapter on the biogeography of the cape range region. @reneecatullo.bsky.social
🫘Aadhi Ramkumar🫘 (@hasbeanbeetle.bsky.social) presented their research on melanisation in the cowpea seed beetle🪲
🐟Harry Mortimer🐟 opened the conference with a fish-tastic presentation on the effect of combined environmental stressors 🌡️🌊 on the Western Rainbowfish 🌈 @jenkelley01.bsky.social @pebblemouse.bsky.social