Communication in Marine Fishes

Dear Colleagues, 

Marine fishes astonish by their extraordinary diversity in appearance, ecology and species richness. They are found in oceans around the globe and inhabit diverse environments ranging from open water to coastal areas, from the dark deep sea to light-flooded coral reefs and murky estuarine areas, from sandy or rocky substrates to seagrass beds or kelp forests, just to name some. Not surprisingly, marine fishes evolved a diverse set of strategies for inter- and intraspecific communication. They use visual, chemical, auditory and electrical communication between friends or foes, for sexual selection, courtship and mating, for individual recognition, for finding food and predator avoidance, for schooling or territorial demarcation. Depending on habitat type, the composition of local communities (diversity and abundance of species and individuals), their ecology and behaviour, either one or the other communication system, or a combination of different systems is most useful. Also, within one communication channel, marine fishes have evolved a great diversity, like a variety of coloration and visual sensitivities, of sound production and hearing abilities, or in the production and sensing of chemical cues. The aim of this Special Issue is to invite contributions focusing on the evolution, sensory processing, behaviour, molecular mechanisms of the various communication strategies  in marine fishes, and help explore how those different modalities (vision, olfaction, taste, hearing, lateral line, electroreception), their possible interaction to one another, but also the great diversity within one communication system may act as key traits reflecting the diversity and species richness present in marine fishes.

Dr. Sara Mae Stieb
Guest Editor

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• (colour) vision
• chemoreception
• hearing
• lateral line
• electroreception
• evolution
• sensory processing
• behaviour
• molecular mechanisms