2008/11/25 by Philine G. D. Feulner, Martin Plath, Jacob Engelmann +4 · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · Health Professions · #Art #Assortative mating #Biology #Ecology #Electric fish #Evolutionary biology #Fish <Actinopterygii> #Fish Biology and Ecology Studies #Fish Ecology and Management Studies #Fish biology, ecology, and behavior #Fishery #Health and Medical Education #Humanities #Interspecific competition #Intraspecific competition #Mate choice #Mating #Political science #Population #Reproductive isolation #Sexual selection #Sympatric speciation #Sympatry #Zoology
paper · doi:10.1098/rsbl.2008.0566
openalex publication_date 2010/01/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Mate choice is mediated by a range of sensory cues, and assortative mating based on these cues can drive reproductive isolation among diverging populations. A specific feature of mormyrid fish, the electric organ discharge (EOD), is used for electrolocation and intraspecific communication. We hypothesized that the EOD also facilitates assortative mating and ultimately promotes prezygotic reproductive isolation in African weakly electric fishes. Our behavioural experiments using live males as well as EOD playback demonstrated that female mate recognition is influenced by EOD signals and that females are attracted to EOD characteristics of conspecific males. The dual function of the EOD for both foraging and social communication (including mate recognition leading to assortative mating) underlines the importance of electric signal differentiation for the divergence of African weakly electric fishes. Thus, the EOD provides an intriguing mechanism promoting trophic divergence and reproductive isolation between two closely related Campylomormyrus species occurring in sympatry in the lower Congo rapids.