Keller-Costa Tina, Canário Adelino V M, Hubbard Peter C
Centro de Ciências do Mar, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.
Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2015 Sep 15;221:64-74. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.01.001. Epub 2015 Jan 23.
The family Cichlidae is well-known for pair-formation, parental care, territoriality, elaborate courtship and social organization. Do cichlids use chemical communication to mediate any of these behaviours? Early studies suggest that parent cichlids can discriminate between conspecific and heterospecific wrigglers (but not eggs) using olfactory cues. Some species are able to discriminate between their own brood and other conspecific broods based on olfaction. The young recognise conspecific adults (although not necessarily their parents) through the odorants they release. In both scenarios, protection of the young from predation is the likely selective force. Some male cichlids use urinary pheromones during courtship and spawning to attract females and induce ovulation. Females--in their turn--may base their mate-choice in part on assessment of those self-same pheromones. The same pheromonal system may be involved in establishing and maintaining the social hierarchies in lek-breeding cichlids. Individual recognition is also mediated by chemical communication. Finally, there is ample behavioural evidence that cichlids--like ostariophysan fish--release alarm cues that alert conspecifics to predation danger. Although the effects of these cues may be similar (e.g., increased shelter use, tighter schooling), they are different substances which remain to be identified. Cichlids, then, use chemical communication associated with many different behaviours. However, given the diversity of cichlids, little is known about the mechanisms of chemical communication or the chemical identity of the cues involved. The aim of this mini-review is to persuade those working with cichlids to consider the involvement of chemical communication, and those working in chemical communication to consider using cichlids.
丽鱼科以配对形成、亲代抚育、领地意识、精心求偶和社会组织而闻名。丽鱼会利用化学通讯来调节这些行为中的任何一种吗？早期研究表明，亲代丽鱼能够利用嗅觉线索区分同种和异种的仔鱼（但不是卵）。一些物种能够根据嗅觉区分自己的幼鱼和其他同种的幼鱼。幼鱼通过成年同种个体释放的气味剂识别它们（尽管不一定是它们的父母）。在这两种情况下，保护幼鱼免受捕食可能是选择压力。一些雄性丽鱼在求偶和产卵期间使用尿液信息素来吸引雌性并诱导排卵。反过来，雌性可能部分基于对这些相同信息素的评估来选择配偶。相同的信息素系统可能参与建立和维持在求偶场繁殖的丽鱼的社会等级制度。个体识别也通过化学通讯来介导。最后，有充分的行为证据表明，丽鱼——像骨鳔总目鱼类一样——会释放警报信号，提醒同种个体有捕食危险。尽管这些信号的作用可能相似（例如，增加庇护所的使用、更紧密的群体行为），但它们是不同的物质，有待确定。因此，丽鱼利用与许多不同行为相关的化学通讯。然而，鉴于丽鱼的多样性，人们对化学通讯的机制或所涉及信号的化学特性知之甚少。这篇小型综述的目的是说服研究丽鱼的人考虑化学通讯的参与，以及从事化学通讯研究的人考虑使用丽鱼。
