"The Amazing Role of Social Behavior (even) in Fishes"

Every semester the bean Museum hosts what is called a "Tanner Lecture" downstairs in the auditorium of the museum. We have scientists who specialize in many different things from universities and organizations all over the world share with students and professors some of their research and findings. For this winter semester we had Dr. Ingo Schlupp present to us. He is the Presidential professor of Biology and the Associate Dean for research for arts and sciences at the University of Oaklahoma. His presentation was called "The Amazing Role of Social Behavior (even) in Fishes"

For Fish one of the first and most important descisions is who to mate with? males may not have to deal with that problem as much, they just want to mate but females need to make this important choice once a season and she needs to find a suitable and fit partner to pass on genes. So in Fish we see that there is generally female choice and male competition as hypothesized by Charles Darwin.

Kinship, or how related you are and how you treat your relatives. Fish like Dwarf Ciclids raise their offspring and their offspring are more successful, healthier than dwarf ciclids that grow up independantly. Fish can tell how related they are to other fish as well! They are more accepting or less territorial toward related fish.

The Social Environment- you hear the term of don't be a sheep, maybe you should hear don't be a fish. They will follow eachother and copy and imitate and lie as well. Fish have a dynamic social behavior.  They also can have leaders, in big groups like sardines, herring and anchovies do to avoid predators.  They can change their sex, fish can do lots of crazy cool things.

These are great opportunities to learn lots about what researchers are doing and how they do it. This world if full in interesting things to explore.