Seminar: Cichlid fishes as a model for evolution of altruism in vertebrates

Seminar by Evolutionary Genomics Unit: Cichlid fishes as a model for evolution of altruism in vertebrates
By Dr. Shun Satoh from Kyoto University. 

Date: May 29th(Mon) 
Time: 15:00* - 
Room: C209 (Center Bldg)
 *The start time has been updated as of May 19th. sorry for the inconvenience. 

Zoom Link:
https://oist.zoom.us/j/94360778822?pwd=ZDlPZFY2d3luQWovcUdLZ1lvbGdpQT09 
Meeting ID: 943 6077 8822
Passcode: 705537

Please contact egu@oist.jp, if you have any questions. 

In this presentation, he will present two different approaches to "altruism" in the family Cichlidae. First, the study will be presented which uses an interspecific comparative phylogenetic approach to the evolution of cooperative breeding system in cichlid fish endemic to Lake Tanganyika. Cooperative breeding is a social system in which non-breeding individuals, so-called helpers, participate in parental care. Cooperative breeding has been reported in fish only in a limited tribe (Lamprologini) inhabiting Lake Tanganyika. He used interspecific comparative methods to analyze the ecological factors that promote cooperative breeding within the Lamprologini and how the evolution of cooperative breeding affects life history traits in 73 species of the tribe Lamprologini. Based on these results, the causes and consequences of the complex and "altruistic" transformation of animal societies will be discussed. Second, He will present the results of a prosocial choice task (PCT) conducted on convict cichlids, a species of the family Cichlidae. In this experimental paradigm, subject individuals were presented with a choice in which both the subject and their experimental partner received rewards (i.e., prosocial choice) or in which only subject received rewards (i.e., antisocial choice). Results showed that male convict cichlids actively chose the prosocial option when their experimental partner was a breeding mate. They also found that the relationship with the experimental partner and the social situation were important factors in their choice of PCT. Based on these results, the similarities between the altruism of fish and that of primates will be discussed.