RAQUEL VASCONCELOS
RESEARCH INTERESTS
SELECTED RESEARCH PROJECTS
My major research interests are animal behaviour and neurophysiology, namely understanding the social role of vocal communication signals and how sounds are produced and detected by the vertebrate nervous system. I am interested in the physiological mechanisms underlying auditory sensitivity and how changes in the environment (eg. increasing noise pollution) can impact hearing, behavior and possible physiological adaptations.
Presently, my research lines focus on social behavior, vocal communication and auditory sensitivity in fish. I have been using the highly vocal Lusitanian toadfish (Halobatrachus didactylus, Batrachoididae) and, more recently, the zebrafish Danio rerio, as my major study organisms.
Ongoing research projects cover the following topics: (1) ontogenetic development of multimodal communication; (2) developmental of auditory-vocal systems; (3) hormonal control of auditory sensitivity; and (4) effects of noise on early development and noise pollution.
A parallel project, in collaboration with The University of Hong Kong (Global Night Sky Brightness Monitoring Network), focuses on light pollution in Macau.
2019 | 2022 – ZAN- Acquired hearing loss in the zebrafish model: investigating the mechanisms underlying aging and noise effects on the vertebrate auditory system. 斑馬魚模型的聽力損失：老化以及噪音在脊椎動物的聽覺系統裹影響機制的探討. FDCT 046/2018/A2. Research Team: Raquel O. Vasconcelos (PI), Miguel Godinho Ferreira (Champalimaud Foundation), Dong Liu (Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China).
2016 | 2019 – ZEBRASONIC- Listening to the Environment: Importance of Early Acoustic Experience on Development and Hearing in Zebrafish/ 聆听环境：斑马鱼早期听力及发育的声学体验重要性. FDCT 036/2015/A1. Research Team: Raquel O. Vasconcelos (PI), Andrew H. Bass (team member).
2014 | 2015 – Hormonal control of auditory sensitivity in the zebrafish Danio rerio. Postdoc Associate Fellowship, Cornell University, NY, USA. (Raquel O. Vasconcelos; Andrew H. Bass lab)
2012 | 2016 – The vocal brain of fish: development of auditory processing and vocal motor control. FDCT 019/2012/A1. Research Team: Raquel O. Vasconcelos (PI), Paulo J. Fonseca (team member), Joseph Sisneros (team member).
2011 – Differential roles of saccule and utricle for directional hearing and vestibular sense in a vocal benthic fish, Halobatrachus didactylus. Research Fellowship from the Grass Foundation, Marine Biological Laboratory, MA, USA. (RO Vasconcelos)
PUBLICATIONS
Breitzler, L., Lau, I. H., Fonseca, P. J., Vasconcelos, R. O. Noise-induced hearing loss in zebrafish: functional and structural inner ear damage and recovery. Under submission.
Lara, R. A., Vasconcelos, R. O. (2019) Characterization of the natural soundscape of zebrafish and comparison with the captive noise conditions. Zebrafish, 16, 152-164. COVER ARTICLE
Amorim, M. C. P., Vasconcelos, R. O., Bolgan, M., Pedroso, S., Fonseca, P. J. (2018) Acoustic communication in marine shallow waters: testing the acoustic adaptive hypothesis in sand gobies. Journal of Experimental Biology, jeb183681.
Vasconcelos, R. O., Alderks, P. W., Ramos, A., Fonseca, P. J., Amorim, M. C. P., and Sisneros, J. A. (2015) Vocal differentiation parallels development of auditory saccular sensitivity in a highly soniferous fish. Journal of Experimental Biology 218: 2864-2872. (Featured in Inside JEB – Toadfish hearing improves with age)
TEAM
Collaborators
Research
Andrew Bass
Cornell University, USA
Clara Amorim and Paulo J. Fonseca
University of Lisbon, Portugal
Joseph A. Sisneros
University of Washington, USA
Jason Chun Shing Pun
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Rafael Ayala Lara
PhD Student
Rafael is looking at the effects of environmentally significant noise levels on early development and stress responses in zebrafish.
Lukas Breitzler
Master Student
Lukas’s work focuses on effects of noise exposure on hearing sensitivity (temporary threshold shifts) and inner ear sensory morphology in the adult zebrafish.
Former grad students
Patricia Chaves, MSc student (ISPA, Lisbon)
Mei Ka Lam, MSc student (USJ, Macau)
Yolanda Lau
Research Assistant
Yolanda assists in various studies with a focus on morphological changes in the sensory receptors and underlying molecular mechanisms.
Ciaria Valdoria
former BsC student
Ciara currently collaborates in two projects on “multimodal communication” and “differential role of inner ear otolithic endorgans for vestibular and hearing senses” in the Lusitanian toadfish.
Last update: 16-10-19 13:00
Detector place: Calçada do Poço, Macau (澳门水坑尾區 (水井斜巷))
AQI Level
58
3.6 m/s