We study the predictability of evolution, asking when similar ecological challenges lead to the same adaptive outcomes, and when they do not. Our research integrates behaviour, sensory ecology, physiology, and molecular evolution to uncover the rules that shape adaptation across biological systems. Using a range of ecological interactions as model frameworks, we examine how perception, cognition, chemical defences, and evolutionary history interact to constrain and channel adaptive change. Our goal is to build a mechanistic, predictive understanding of evolutionary processes.