Collaborative Research: Mechanisms of Signal Diversity in Communication

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Carlson, Bruce AIOS-0818390Collaborative Research: Mechanisms of Signal Diversity in Electric Fish Communication In this collaborative project, researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca and Washington University in St. Louis will explore the mechanisms responsible for the large-scale diversification of animal communication signals. The mormyrids are a diverse group of fishes from Africa that communicate using species-specific electric organ discharges (EODs) that are essential for species recognition. However, some species are polymorphic, with different individuals having distinct EOD forms and correspondingly different electric organ morphology. This project will focus on the polymorphic species Paramormyrops kingsleyae as a microcosm of electric signal evolution throughout the mormyrids. The researchers will use a combination of field work, molecular genetic techniques, electrophysiology, and behavioral playback experiments to determine the genetic basis for electric signal diversity in P. kingsleyae, and the importance of this diversity in driving reproductive isolation between populations and adapting different populations to their particular environments. The results of these studies will lead to specific hypotheses about the root causes of electric signal diversification throughout the mormyrids, which the researchers will test using similar techniques across a wide range of species. This research will prove broadly applicable by providing a mechanistic understanding of how animal communication signals diversify, as well as insight into the ultimate causes for this diversification and the resulting consequences for speciation and the evolution of communication behavior. Broader impacts: The project includes an educational outreach program for public school students, which uses electric fish to provide hands-on demonstrations for linking basic concepts in the physical sciences and biology. In addition, the researchers will create an online searchable database of electric signals that researchers, students, and the general public will be able to access. This database will be used to archive and catalogue thousands of EODs collected during more than 20 years of field work in Africa.