Our research in behavioral ecology is integrative and related to behavioral ecology and physiology of stress and coloration in animals, leveraging predator-prey interactions, sexual signalling, and their interactions with urbanization and climate change.
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Ongoing Projects
Ongoing Projects
Climate vulnerability and adaptive boundaries in Indian Agamids, in collaboration with Macro-physiology Lab, CES, IISc and generously funded by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) - Advanced Research Grant (ARG). Stay tuned for interesting findings!
Climate vulnerability and adaptive boundaries in Indian Agamids, in collaboration with Macro-physiology Lab, CES, IISc and generously funded by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) - Advanced Research Grant (ARG). Stay tuned for interesting findings!
Previous Projects
Previous Projects
Link to the Review and the Early Career Research Spotlight Interview in JEB on the journal's 100th year.
- Framework for integrative research in biology using the Non-consumptive Predator-Prey framework
Predators influence ecosystems not only by consuming prey but also by creating fear and perceived risk in prey animals. The presence of predators can change how animals behave—where they forage, how they use habitats, and how they allocate energy to survival. These behavioral responses can also affect their growth, reproduction, health, and lifespan.
Because of these effects, predator–prey systems provide a powerful natural model for studying how organisms perceive threats, cope with stress, and adapt to their environments. Research in this area is helping scientists understand broader questions about behavior, cognition, aging, and the biological impacts of stress, offering insights into how environmental challenges shape life across many levels of biology.
2. Evolution of dynamic color change in Indian Agamids
2. Evolution of dynamic color change in Indian Agamids
Many animals can change their color, but this ability has mostly been studied as a way to camouflage against backgrounds. In reality, color change can also play roles in communication, signaling, and responding to environmental conditions.
In this study, we examined color change in six species of agamid lizards, close relatives of chameleons. By comparing closely related species, we found that the ability to change color can vary greatly—even among species that share recent evolutionary ancestry. Different parts of the body may also change color in different ways, and species in which males and females look very different are not necessarily the ones where individuals change color the most.
These findings highlight the power of comparative studies across evolutionary lineages. By studying related species together, scientists can better understand how traits evolve and diversify, helping explain the remarkable diversity of life in nature.
3. Urbanisation and Shifting Phenotypes Behavioural, Physiological and Cognitive Strategies of the Indian Rock Agama Psammophilus dorsalis
3. Urbanisation and Shifting Phenotypes Behavioural, Physiological and Cognitive Strategies of the Indian Rock Agama Psammophilus dorsalis
This project is largely Anuradha's PhD work where she studied the ecology of the Indian Rock Agama (Psammophilus cf. dorsalis), a lizard inhabiting rocky outcrops in and around Bangalore. By comparing urban populations from Bangalore with rural populations from Kolar, they explored how organisms adapt to urbanization. Her research focused on how urban environments shape physiological responses, behavior, and cognitive abilities, and how these traits help individuals cope with the complexity and unpredictability of rapidly changing urban habitats. Popular press: Mongabay, The Wire.
Urbanization reshapes food landscapes for Indian Rock Agamas (Psammophilus cf. dorsalis). Compared to rural populations, urban lizards consume different insect prey and spend less time foraging. Surprisingly, despite reduced foraging effort, urban individuals exhibit higher body mass indices, indicating access to more energy-rich resources in cities. Link to the paper.
2. Urban lizards have shifted from proactive to reactive coping styles reflecting their higher cortisol and lower androgen hormonal levels in cities. Link to the paper.
3. Urbanization alters anti-predator strategies in Indian Rock Agamas (Psammophilus cf. dorsalis). Urban lizards—particularly males—perch lower, select refuges closer to their perches, and allow closer approach before fleeing (shorter flight initiation distance), reflecting habituation to frequent, non-lethal human disturbance. In contrast, females show little habitat-based change in escape behaviour, likely relying on crypsis for predator avoidance.
Popular press: Research Matters
Spectrograms of body coloration showing dynamic color change in social context, (a) orange and black for courtship and (b) yellow-orange for aggression.
4. Dynamic social colour change, previously best known in chameleons, is also present in the Indian Rock Agama (Psammophilus dorsalis). Males rapidly alter dorsal and lateral body colours depending on social context—displaying high-contrast orange–black patterns during courtship and yellow–orange colors during male–male competition. While courtship displays produce stronger chromatic contrast, colour transitions occur more rapidly during competitive encounters. Importantly, anthropogenic disturbance alters this signalling system: males from suburban habitats show slower colour change and duller displays compared to rural males. This study provides the first evidence of rapid, context-dependent physiological colour signalling in this species and overall in agamids and demonstrates that environmental disturbance can modify dynamic colour communication.
Popular press: mint
More interesting outcomes!
More interesting outcomes!
While investigating the adaptive transition of Psammophilus dorsalis from rural to urban habitats, we gained several novel insights into the species’ biology.
Dynamic color change in these lizards functions as a form of social signaling, where both color contrast and the rate of change vary across different social contexts. The nature of this signaling also differs across populations inhabiting anthropogenically disturbed landscapes. Link to the paper.
Suburban lizards are smarter and learn and forget faster. We tested how well lizards from different environments could learn to choose a safe refuge after a simulated predator attack, and how quickly they could adjust when the safe location changed. Lizards from suburban areas—where habitats change rapidly over time—learned faster and adapted more quickly when the rules changed compared to lizards from stable rural environments. Link to the paper.
Behind the scenes!
Behind the scenes!
Rock Agama male and female perching on boulders.
A male in aggression colours.
Data collection in the field.
The beautiful rocky landscapes of central peninsular India, a world apart!
Say hello to Cnemaspis anuradhae! - a gecko endemic to the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot of southern India. It is named after Anuradha Batabyal in recognition of her contributions to herpetology. Photo: Akshay Khandekar. Popular press: Miami Herald
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