African cichlid fishes

Cichlids of the African rift lakes are an incredibly speciose group that express an immense diversity of social and reproductive behaviours. This is especially true for the fishes of Lake Tanganyika. These species represent a very precious and powerful system in which I test theories about the evolution of sociality, the conflicts that arise from group-living, and the mating system implications of parentage loss.

Example publications:

- 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]

Plainfin midshipman fish

The plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus, family Batrachoididae) is a deep-sea species of toadfish that breeds along 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 fish, these toadfish migrate to the intertidal zones to breed during the summer months of April – July. 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 spawning events. I use this species to study the costs of parental care, the factors that underlie offspring cannibalism, and the co-evolution between male alternative reproductive tactics.

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]

Round goby

The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus, family Gobiidae) is a highly problematic invasive species in the Laurentian Great Lakes as well as western 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. I am interested in their expression of alternative reproductive tactics as well as the factors that facilitate their invasions.

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]