Docente
Raquel O. Vasconcelos

Resume

Raquel O. Vasconcelos has established an academic career focused on understanding how aquatic organisms perceive and adapt to changing sensory environments. Her research lies at the interface of fish sensory physiology, auditory neuroscience, behavioral ecology, and bioacoustics, combining mechanistic approaches with applied research in biodiversity monitoring and aquaculture. She is a biologist with an MSC in Marine Biology and Management of Marine Resources, holds a PhD in Biology (Ecophysiology) from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, and received advanced neurophysiology training at the Marine Biological Laboratory (USA) through a competitive Grass Foundation fellowship, followed by postdoctoral training at Cornell University. These experiences supported the development of an integrative research profile combining electrophysiology, behavioral assays, acoustics, and molecular approaches. Her research has advanced knowledge on auditory processing and sensory adaptation in fish, particularly under anthropogenic stressors such as underwater noise and their interaction with intrinsic factors such as ageing. By integrating physiological, behavioral, and ecological approaches, her work provides robust evidence on how environmental change affects auditory function, cognition, and organismal performance. Vasconcelos has demonstrated scientific independence and leadership through the coordination and co-coordination of multiple competitive research projects funded by FDCT (Macao) and MAR2030 (Portugal), and participation in European collaborative projects (e.g., Horizon Europe). Her research bridges fundamental sensory biology with applications in aquaculture and ecosystem restoration. Following an extended research period in Macao, she has recently re-established her research activity in Portugal, entering a consolidation phase focused on strengthening an independent research line within the national scientific system. This effort builds on recent projects such as FLATFARE and A-AAGORA, positioning her to expand research capacity, international collaboration, and applied outcomes in Portugal. Her scientific output includes 32 peer-reviewed publications, including 7 book chapters, with more than 1,000 citations and a strong proportion of first and senior authorship. She is currently Associate Professor at Universidade Lusófona and co-PI of the Marine Bioacoustics and Animal Behaviour group at MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE-UL), contributing to research infrastructure development, international networks, and knowledge transfer between academia and industry, while maintaining an active academic affiliation with University of Saint Joseph (Macao), fostering Europe–Asia research collaboration.

Graus

• Licenciatura
  Biology
• Mestrado
  Biologia e Gestão de Recursos Marinhos
• Pós-doutoramento
  Behavioral Neurophysiology
• Outros
  Neural Systems and Behaviour
• Outros
  Grass Fellowship
• Doutoramento
  Biologia

Publicações

Preprint

• 2024-08-16, Exploring tropical freshwater soundscapes in Southeast Asia: insights into auditory sensory adaptation of wild Siamese fighting fishBetta splendens
• 2023-04-26, Noise-induced damage in the zebrafish inner ear endorgans: evidence for higher acoustic sensitivity of saccular and lagenar hair cells
• 2022-04-08, The effect of time regime in noise exposure on the auditory system and behavioural stress in the zebrafish

Journal article

• 2026, Underwater noise induces cognitive impairments and anxiety-like behavior in black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii) via disruption of the microbiota-gut-brain and HPI axes. , Environmental Science & Technology
• 2026, Marine Traffic Noise Causes Hearing Loss and Affects Behaviour and Reproduction in the Marine Medaka (Oryzias melastigma), Science of the Total Environment
• 2025-10, Auditory representation of conspecific calls improves throughout ontogeny in a singing fish, Biology Letters
• 2025-06, Managing Aquaculture Noise: Impacts on Fish Hearing, Welfare, and Mitigation Strategies, Reviews in Aquaculture
• 2024-01-01, Characterization of the vocal behavior of the miniature and transparent fish model, Danionella cerebrum, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
• 2024, Turning up the heat: Effects of temperature on agonistic acoustic communication in the two-spotted goby (Pomatoschistus flavescens)
• 2023-11-15, Noise-induced damage in the zebrafish inner ear endorgans: evidence for higher acoustic sensitivity of saccular and lagenar hair cells, Journal of Experimental Biology
• 2023-08-24, Effects of Noise Exposure and Ageing on Anxiety and Social Behaviour in Zebrafish., Biology
• 2022-09-12, The effect of time regime in noise exposure on the auditory system and behavioural stress in the zebrafish, Scientific Reports
• 2022-03-08, Noise-induced hearing loss correlates with inner ear hair cell decrease in larval zebrafish, Journal of Experimental Biology
• 2021-02-26, Impact of noise on development, physiological stress and behavioural patterns in larval zebrafish, Scientific Reports
• 2020, Noise-induced hearing loss in zebrafish: investigating structural and functional inner ear damage and recovery, Hearing Research
• 2019, Characterization of the Natural Soundscape of Zebrafish and Comparison with the Captive Noise Conditions, Zebrafish
• 2018, Acoustic communication in marine shallow waters: Testing the acoustic adaptive hypothesis in sand gobies, Journal of Experimental Biology
• 2017, Ontogenetic development of the inner ear saccule and utricle in the Lusitanian toadfish: Potential implications for auditory sensitivity, Hearing Research
• 2015, Vocal differentiation parallels development of auditory saccular sensitivity in a highly soniferous fish, Journal of Experimental Biology
• 2012, Vocal behavior predicts reproductive success in a teleost fish, Behavioral Ecology
• 2012, Hearing sensitivity of the painted goby, Pomatoschistus pictus., Advances in experimental medicine and biology
• 2011, Representation of complex vocalizations in the Lusitanian toadfish auditory system: Evidence of fine temporal, frequency and amplitude discrimination, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• 2011, Auditory saccular sensitivity of the vocal Lusitanian toadfish: Low frequency tuning allows acoustic communication throughout the year, Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
• 2010, Vocal behavior during territorial intrusions in the lusitanian toadfish: Boatwhistles also function as territorial 'keep-out' signals, Ethology
• 2009-04, Toadfish boatwhistles also function as territorial keep-out signals., The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
• 2009, Variability in the sonic muscles of the lusitanian toadfish (halobatrachus didactylus): Acoustic signals may reflect individual quality, Canadian Journal of Zoology
• 2008-01, Ship noise affects acoustic communication in the Lusitanian toadfish, Bioacoustics
• 2008, Variability in the mating calls of the Lusitanian toadfish Halobatrachus didactylus: Cues for potential individual recognition, Journal of Fish Biology
• 2008, Ship noise affects acoustic communication in the lusitanian toadfish, Bioacoustics
• 2008, Development of vocalization, auditory sensitivity and acoustic communication in the Lusitanian toadfish Halobatrachus didactylus, Journal of Experimental Biology
• 2007, Effects of ship noise on the detectability of communication signals in the Lusitanian toadfish, Journal of Experimental Biology
• 2006, Seasonal variation of sound production in the Lusitanian toadfish Halobatrachus didactylus, Journal of Fish Biology

Book chapter

• 2026, Seahorse Sound Production and the Impact of Anthropogenic Noise, The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life IV, Springer Nature
• 2026, Fish Models in Noise Pollution Research: A Comparative Perspective on Freshwater and Marine Species, The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life IV, Springer Nature
• 2023, Zebrafish as a Model in Bioacoustics: Investigating Sensory Responses to Noisy Environments
• 2023, Chronic Boat Noise Impacts on the Early Life Stages of Cichlids (Maylandia zebra): Preliminary Findings
• 2016, Development of structure and sensitivity of the fish inner ear, 877
• 2015, Fish Sounds and Mate Choice

Conference poster

• 2023, Testing the impact of antropogenic noise on behavior, reproduction and transgenerational effects in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma)., OCEANOISE international conference, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, Spain
• 2022-06-10, Danionella cerebrum as a novel model system to investigate acoustic signaling and noise-coping mechanisms in vertebrates, International Conference on the Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life, Berlin, Germany.
• 2022, The effect of temperature on agonistic sound production in a small marine fish. , XIX Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal
• 2022, Characterization of the vocal behaviour in the miniature and transparent Danionella cerebrum (Cyprinidae). , XIX Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal
• 2022, A noisy lifetime: behavioral effects of noise exposure and aging in the zebrafish model., XIX Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal
• 2021, Noise-induced hearing loss is related with inner ear hair cell decrease in larval zebrafish., SEB, Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference, Belgium, virtual meeting
• 2021, Investigating the mechanisms underlying ageing and noise-induced hearing loss in the zebrafish model. , SEB, Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference, Belgium, virtual meeting
• 2020, Investigating the mechanisms underlying ageing and noise-induced hearing loss in the zebrafish model. , 11th European Zebrafish Meeting, Czek Republic, virtual meeting
• 2020, Are the zebrafish inner ear endorgans are differentially affected by noise exposure? , 11th European Zebrafish Meeting, Czek Republic, virtual meeting
• 2019, Zebrafish as a model system in hearing research: investigating the species adaptation to the natural soundscape and noise-induced hearing loss. , The effects of noise on aquatic life conference, Den Haag, The Netherlands
• 2019, Unraveling the auditory function of zebrafish otolithic end organs using noise. , The effects of noise on aquatic life conference, Den Haag, The Netherlands
• 2019, Light preference and spontaneous alternation behavior as measurements of noise-induced stress in larval zebrafish., 6th Macao Symposium on Biomedical Sciences, Macao
• 2019, Impact of noise exposure on development and physiological stress in larval zebrafish. , The effects of noise on aquatic life conference, Den Haag, The Netherlands
• 2019, Impact of noise exposure on development and physiological stress and behavior in larval zebrafish., XXVII International Bioacoustics Congress, Brighton, England
• 2018, Effects of noise on development, hearing and physiological stress: insights from larval and adult zebrafish., Zebrafish Neuroethology Symposium, Brisbane, Australia
• 2018, Auditory temporary threshold shifts under acoustical stress in zebrafish., The International Conference of Neuroethology, Brisbane, Australia
• 2017, Light pollution in Macao: assessment of night-sky brightness and potential implication., Asia-Pacific regional IAU Meeting (APRIM), Taiwan
• 2017, Development of zebrafish under noise conditions: insights into the natural soundscape and noise effects, XXVI International Bioacoustics Congress, Haridwar, India
• 2016, Early development of the auditory sense in zebrafish: effects of hormonal levels and environmental noise conditions. , International symposium & workshop - Fish and Amphibian Embryos as Alternative Models in Toxicology and Teratology, Paris, France
• 2015, Early multimodal communication in the territorial Lusitanian toadfish. , International Bio-Acoustic Council (IBAC) Congress, Murnau, Germany
• 2015, Differentiation of vocal patterns in a singing fish. , Modulation of Neural Circuits & Behavior, Gordon Research Conference, Hong Kong SAR
• 2015, Development of the inner ear morphology and auditory sensitivity for social communication in the Lusitanian toadfish. , International Bio-Acoustic Council (IBAC) Congress, Murnau, Germany
• 2013, Differential roles of saccule and utricle for directional hearing and vestibular sense in a soniferous benthic fish, 50 years of Underwater Bioacoustics: a symposium to honor Drs. Arthur N. Popper and Richard R. Fay, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, USA
• 2011, Talkative males are more attractive: relation between vocal behaviour and mating success in the Lusitanian toadfish. , Acoustic Communication by Animals - Third International Conference, Ithaca, NY, USA
• 2010, Peripheral auditory sensitivity of the Lusitanian toadfish: both males and females are best tuned to low frequencies to enhance acoustic communication throughout the year., SFN - Society for Neuroscience, 40th Annual Meeting Neuroscience, San Diego, CA, USA
• 2008, Ontogenetic development of acoustic communication in the Lusitanian toadfish Halobatrachus didactylus., Acoustic Communication by Animals - Second International Conference, Corvallis, OR, USA
• 2007, Ship noise affects acoustic communication in the Lusitanian toadfish. , International Conference - The Effects of noise on Aquatic Life, Nyborg, Denmark
• 2005, Acoustic communication in the Lusitanian toadfish (Halobatrachus didactylus): vocal interactions between nesting males., XX International Bio-Acoustic Council (IBAC) Congress, Piran, Slovenia