The
African cichlids are currently getting significant evolutionary biological attention when compared to other fish (Seehausen, Mayhew, & Alphien, 1999).
And even when one eschews these standard textbooks, studies that first come to mind when one thinks of influential tropical evolutionary biology are, for example, the work on
African cichlids (e.g., Meyer 1993, Schliewen et al.
Distance-to-cover and the escape decisions of an
African cichlid fish, Melanochromis chipokae.
Most of the systems involve the production of tilapia, a tropical
African cichlid cultured all over the world in ponds and intensive aquaculture operations.
Washington, Nov 25 (ANI): While experimenting with
African cichlid fish, Stanford biologists discovered that when a female shows a preference for a particular male, but then witnesses him losing a fight with another male, her feelings toward him change.
Sebastian Baldauf from the University of Bonn, Germany, worked with a team of researchers to study the effects of female ornamentation in the
African cichlid fish Pelvicachromis taeniatus.
Ribbink examines biodiversity and speciation in
African cichlid fishes, and finds unexpected differences between lake and riverine faunas.
Lake Tanganyika as an evolutionary reservoir of old lineages of East
African cichlid fishes: inferences from allozyme data.
Desjardins and coauthor Russell Fernald, professor of biology, arrived at their conclusion by comparing the behavior and brain activity of male
African cichlid fish during and after one-on-one encounters with either a mirror or other another male of about the same size.
The East
African cichlid fishes that inhabit Lakes Malawi, Tanganyika, and Victoria are known for their sexually distinct appearance.
The research on
African cichlids was inspired by anecdotal reports of their intelligence from aquarium owners.
According to the Canadian scientists, who studied
African Cichlids, a popular aquarium species, fish demonstrate several complex behaviours, including aggression, causing the scientists to predict that they could be capable of advanced memory tasks.
Using SINEs to probe ancient explosive speciation: Hidden radiation of
African cichlids? Molecular Biology and Evolution 20:924-930.