Death risk drives
shocking love songs
The need to escape predators may
have driven the growing complexity of the pulses and waves emitted by
electric fish.
References:
Stoddard, P.K. 1999. Predation enhances complexity in the evolution
of electric fish signals. Nature 400(July 15):254.
Further Readings:
Ryan, M.J. Electrifying diversity. Nature 400(July 15):211.
Zuk, M., and G.R. Kolluru. 1998. Quarterly Review of Biology
73:415.
Pictures of fish plus colorized sequences of signaling are available
at Philip Stiddard's Electric Fish page at http://www.fiu.edu/~stoddard/electricfish.html.
Sources:
Carl D. Hopkins
Cornell University
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
W263 Mudd Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Philip K. Stoddard
Florida International University
Department of Biological Science
Miami, FL 33199
Marlene Zuk
University of California, Riverside
Department of Biology
Riverside, CA 92521
From Science
News, Vol. 156, No. 3, July 17, 1999, p. 37.
Copyright © 1999, Science Service.
