Study systems

African cichlid fishes

Some shell breeding cichlid species from Lake Tanganyika (illustrations: Alex Viertler)

Two male Neolamprologus multifasciatus contending for an empty shell shelter (photo: Jakob Gübel)

Cichlids of the African Great Lakes are an incredibly speciose group that express an immense diversity of social and reproductive behaviours. This is especially true for the cichlid fishes of Lake Tanganyika. These species offer a very precious and powerful system in which to test theories about social evolution, as well as the expression of different mating tactics (such as males either court and pair-bond with females, or coercively cuckold to steal fertilizations from other males)

Example publications:

  • Bose APH, Brodin T, Katongo C, Mabo L, Jordan A (2024) How can we measure resource quality when resources differ in many ways? Deconstructing shelter quality in a social fish. Ecology and Evolution, 14(8), e70146. [paper]

  • Bose APH, Koch L, Dabernig-Heinz J, Grimm J, Sefc KM, Jordan A (2022) Patterns of sex-biased dispersal are consistent with social and ecological constraints in a group-living cichlid fish. BMC Ecology and Evolution 22:1-12. [paper]

  • Bose AHP*, Windorfer J*, Böhm A, Ronco F, Indermaur A, Salzburger W, Jordan LA (2020). Structural manipulations of a shelter resource reveal underlying preference functions in a shell-dwelling cichlid fish. Proceeding of the Royal Society B 287: 20200127. *Co-first authors [paper]

  • Bose APH, Henshaw JM, Zimmermann H, Fritzsche K, Sefc KM (2019). Inclusive fitness benefits mitigate costs of cuckoldry to socially paired males. BMC Biology 17(2). [paper]

 

CT-scan of a Neothauma tanganyicense shell, which many shell-dwelling cichlids use as their homes in the wild

3D printed version of a Neothauma tanganyicense shell next to a natural one (photo: Aneesh Bose)

Variabilichromis moorii parent with their offspring (photo: Aneesh Bose)

A plainfin midshipman guarder male (photo: Shyamal Bose)

Plainfin midshipman fish

The plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus, family Batrachoididae) is a deep-sea species of toadfish that breeds in the intertidal zones of the Pacific coast of North America. Primarily known for their great singing abilities, these fish also display extremely interesting reproductive behaviours. Despite being a deep-sea species, these toadfish migrate to the intertidal zone to breed during the summer. Parental care in this species is extremely prolonged, lasting approximately 70 days, over which time the male caregivers stop foraging and become severely emaciated. They show incredible levels of male-male competition, with ‘guarder males’ fighting intensely for intertidal nesting sites, and ‘sneaker males’ stealthily trying to cuckold them during spawnings. I use this species to study the costs of parental care and the factors that underlie filial cannibalism.

This is a very charismatic species, but little known species, which has been featured in several excellent nature documentaries, including “Stay-at-Home Animal Dads” (The Nature of Things with David Suzuki) and “Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough” (CBC, Netflix).

Example publications:

  • Houpt NSB, Borowiec BG, Bose APH, Brown NAW, Scott GR, Balshine S (2020). Parental males of the plainfin midshipman are physiologically resilient to the challenges of the intertidal zone. Physiology and Biochemical Zoology 93(2): 111-128. [paper]

  • Bose APH, Lau M, Cogliati KM, Neff B, Balshine S. (2019). Cannibalism of young is related to low paternity and nest takeovers in an intertidal fish. Animal Behaviour 153: 41-48. [paper]

  • Bose APH, Cogliati KM, Luymes N, Bass AH, Marchaterre MA, Sisneros JA, Bolker B, Balshine S (2018). Phenotypic traits and resource quality as factors affecting male reproductive success in a toadfish. Behavioral Ecology 29(2): 496-507. (winner of ISBE 2020 Pitelka Prize) [paper]

Male plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus (photo: Theresa Warriner)

Male plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, with his eggs (approx. 2 weeks old) in an intertidal nest (photo: Aneesh Bose)

Bald eagle, one of the main predators of midshipman fish, flying off with an unlucky male (photo: Mike Yip)

Round goby

Round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, expressing a non-reproductive phenotype (photo: Erin McCallum)

The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus, family Gobiidae) is a highly problematic invasive species in the Laurentian Great Lakes as well as in Europe and the Baltic Sea. They are highly resilient to a range of abiotic conditions and typically out-compete native species in invaded habitats. Yet we know very little about their basic reproductive ecology. For example, much like the plainfin midshipman fish above, males of this species also express two reproductive tactics consistent with a “guarder male” – “sneaker male” dichotomy. I am interested in their expression of alternative reproductive tactics, and how interactions between the tactics can facilitate their invasion success.

Example publications:

  • McCallum ES*, Bose APH*, Lobban N, Marentette J, Pettitt-Wade H, Koops M, Fisk A, Balshine S (2019). Alternative reproductive tactics, an overlooked source of life history variation in the invasive Round Goby. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 76(9), 1562-1570. *Co-first authors [paper]

  • Bose APH, McCallum ES, Raymond K, Marentette JR, Balshine S (2018). Growth and otolith morphology vary with alternative reproductive tactics and contaminant exposure in the round goby Neogobius melanostomus. Journal of Fish Biology 93(4): 674-684. [paper]

  • McCallum ES, Bose APH, Warriner TR, Balshine S (2017). An evaluation of behavioural endpoints: The pharmaceutical pollutant fluoxetine decreases aggression across multiple contexts in round goby (Neogobius melanostomus). Chemosphere 175: 401-410. [paper]

Round goby in the lab (photo: Julie Marentette)

Pair of round goby, with guarder male phenotype on left (photo: Jörgen Wiklund)