Mario Gallego-Abenza, Ph.D.

Research topics

Song divergence & Population signature

I investigate song divergence across European populations of Pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) and how it may act as a reproductive barrier preventing gene flow between populations. Moreover, at The Wheatcroft Lab, we explore the role of learning in dialect discrimination at different life stages. Funding Agency: ERC Grant to David Wheatcroft.

At Wheatcroft Lab, we implement cutting-edge tools such Machine Learning models to agilize data processing recordings from the field.

Social cognition

Common ravens (Corvus corax) are known for their complex social life with a moderate degree of fission-fusion dynamics. With the help of GPS loggers together with long-term observational data, we can identify inter-individual differences in how much each individual contributes to changes in both the size and composition of non-breeder groups. Additionally, we experimentally manipulated the brood size of captive breeding to explore the effect of early social environment on socio-cognitive abilities such as familiarity discrimination in juveniles. Funding Agency: FWF Grant to Matthias-Claudio Loretto & Thomas Bugnyar.

Adaptation to anthropogenic noise

Some species are shown to adjust their acoustic sexual signals to improve transmission when living in noisy environments. However, little is known about the long-term consequences of these adjustments in other contexts, such as anti-predator responses. We use field cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) found calling in the wild as a model species to identify potential trade-offs of noise-adjusted calling songs. This project is conducted in Murcia, south of Spain, and it is not currently funded by any research agency apart from personal contributions.

Thanks to Albert & Maria Bergström´s Foundation, I got to examine this research question on another species, the Great green bush cricket (Tettigonia viridissima). In summer 2025, I recorded more than a hundred males chirping at different distances of the highway E4 in Sweden mainland. Such an observational approach can shed light on undescribed effects of traffic noise on insects with apparently non-overlapping frequencies with road noise.

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