Brain Evolution, Communication, and the Diversification of Behavior

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In this project, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis will collaborate with researchers at several institutions around the world to determine how natural selection shapes behavioral variation among species, and how species differences in sensory perception and communication relate to underlying changes in the nervous system. Closely related species can differ dramatically in their behavior, but little is known about why these differences arise and how they result from changes in brain anatomy and physiology. The goals of this project are to determine how behavioral differences allow organisms to adapt to diverse environments, and to identify a neurobiological basis for this adaptation. There are over 200 species of African electric fishes, and the unique characteristics of their electric communication signals make it possible to establish direct links between brain and behavior. Using a combination of electrophysiology, neuronal imaging, molecular genetic analysis, and behavioral studies, the researchers will characterize species diversity in sensory perception and communication, and determine how perceptual variation relates to differences in neural circuitry and social behavior. This research will prove broadly applicable by providing an integrated, mechanistic understanding of how behavioral variation arises among individuals and species. Electric fish are ideally suited for public outreach in neuroscience and behavior. As exotic animals, they attract a wide audience. In addition, they provide a unique opportunity to easily perform neurophysiology experiments in an intact, freely behaving animal. The researchers will expand ongoing outreach activities to produce and make freely available a formal lab module that uses weakly electric fish to expose middle and high school students to hypothesis-driven science and teach them about the role of electricity in the nervous system. Providing teachers with the tools needed to perform hypothesis-driven experiments in the classroom will ensure that these activities have an extended and enduring impact.