Diversity of sexual dimorphism in electrocommunication signals and its androgen regulation in a genus of electric fish, Apteronotus

Differential expression of steroid-related genes across electrosensory brain regions in two sexually dimorphic species of electric knifefish

The production of communication signals can be modulated by hormones acting on the brain regions that regulate these signals. However, less is known about how signal perception is regulated by hormones. The electrocommunication signals of weakly electric fishes are sexually dimorphic, sensitive to hormones, and vary across species. The neural circuits that regulate the production and perception of these signals are also well-characterized, and electric fishes are thus an excellent model to examine the neuroendocrine regulation of sensorimotor mechanisms of communication. We investigated (1) whether steroid-related genes are expressed in sensory brain regions that process communication signals; and (2) whether this expression differs across sexes and species that have different patterns of sexual dimorphism in their signals. Apteronotus leptorhynchus and Apteronotus albifrons produce continuous electric organ discharges (EODs) that are used for communication. Two brain regions, the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) and the dorsal torus semicircularis (TSd), process inputs from electroreceptors to allow fish to detect and discriminate electrocommunication signals. We used qPCR to quantify the expression of genes for two androgen receptors (ar1, ar2), two estrogen receptors (esr1, esr2b), and aromatase (cyp19a1b). Four out of five steroid-related genes were expressed in both sensory brain regions, and their expression often varied between sexes and species. These results suggest that expression of steroid-related genes in the brain may differentially influence how EOD signals are encoded across species and sexes, and that gonadal steroids may coordinately regulate central circuits that control both the production and perception of EODs.

How new communication behaviors evolve: Androgens as modifiers of neuromotor structure and function in foot-flagging frogs

How diverse animal communication signals have arisen is a question that has fascinated many. Xenopus frogs have been a model system used for three decades to reveal insights into the neuroendocrine mechanisms and evolution of vocal diversity. Due to the ease of studying central nervous system control of the laryngeal muscles in vitro, Xenopus has helped us understand how variation in vocal communication signals between sexes and between species is produced at the molecular, cellular, and systems levels. Yet, it is becoming easier to make similar advances in non-model organisms. In this paper, we summarize our research on a group of frog species that have evolved a novel hind limb signal known as 'foot flagging.' We have previously shown that foot flagging is androgen dependent and that the evolution of foot flagging in multiple unrelated species is accompanied by the evolution of higher androgen hormone sensitivity in the leg muscles. Here, we present new preliminary data that compare patterns of androgen receptor expression and neuronal cell density in the lumbar spinal cord - the neuromotor system that controls the hind limb - between foot-flagging and non-foot-flagging frog species. We then relate our work to prior findings in Xenopus, highlighting which patterns of hormone sensitivity and neuroanatomical structure are shared between the neuromotor systems underlying Xenopus vocalizations and foot-flagging frogs' limb movement and which appear to be species-specific. Overall, we aim to illustrate the power of drawing inspiration from experiments in model organisms, in which the mechanistic details have been worked out, and then applying these ideas to a non-model species to reveal new details, further complexities, and fresh hypotheses.

Supervised learning algorithm for analysis of communication signals in the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus

Signal analysis plays a preeminent role in neuroethological research. Traditionally, signal identification has been based on pre-defined signal (sub-)types, thus being subject to the investigator's bias. To address this deficiency, we have developed a supervised learning algorithm for the detection of subtypes of chirps-frequency/amplitude modulations of the electric organ discharge that are generated predominantly during electric interactions of individuals of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus. This machine learning paradigm can learn, from a 'ground truth' data set, a function that assigns proper outputs (here: time instances of chirps and associated chirp types) to inputs (here: time-series frequency and amplitude data). By employing this artificial intelligence approach, we have validated previous classifications of chirps into different types and shown that further differentiation into subtypes is possible. This demonstration of its superiority compared to traditional methods might serve as proof-of-principle of the suitability of the supervised machine learning paradigm for a broad range of signals to be analyzed in neuroethology.

Evolution of androgen receptors contributes to species variation in androgenic regulation of communication signals in electric fishes

Hormones and receptors coevolve to generate species diversity in hormone action. We compared the structure and function of androgen receptors (ARs) across fishes, with a focus on ARs in ghost knifefishes (Apteronotidae). Apteronotids, like many other teleosts, have two ARs (ARα and ARβ). ARβ is largely conserved, whereas ARα sequences vary considerably across species. The ARα ligand binding domain (LBD) has evolved under positive selection, and differences in the LBD across apteronotid species are associated with diversity in androgenic regulation of behavior. The Apteronotus leptorhynchus ARα LBD differs substantially from that of the Apteronotus albifrons ARα or the ancestral AR. Structural modeling and transactivation assays demonstrated that A. leptorhynchus ARα cannot bind androgens. We propose a model whereby relative expression of ARα versus ARβ in the brain, coupled with loss of androgen binding by ARα in A. leptorhynchus might explain reversals in androgenic regulation and sex differences in electrocommunication behavior.

Neuroendocrine mechanisms contributing to the coevolution of sociality and communication

Communication is inherently social, so signaling systems should evolve with social systems. The 'social complexity hypothesis' posits that social complexity necessitates communicative complexity and is generally supported in vocalizing mammals. This hypothesis, however, has seldom been tested outside the acoustic modality, and comparisons across studies are confounded by varying definitions of complexity. Moreover, proximate mechanisms underlying coevolution of sociality and communication remain largely unexamined. In this review, we argue that to uncover how sociality and communication coevolve, we need to examine variation in the neuroendocrine mechanisms that coregulate social behavior and signal production and perception. Specifically, we focus on steroid hormones, monoamines, and nonapeptides, which modulate both social behavior and sensorimotor circuits and are likely targets of selection during social evolution. Lastly, we highlight weakly electric fishes as an ideal system in which to comparatively address the proximate mechanisms underlying relationships between social and signal diversity in a novel modality.

Electrocommunication signals and aggressive behavior vary among male morphs in an apteronotid fish, Compsaraia samueli

Within-species variation in male morphology is common among vertebrates and is often characterized by dramatic differences in behavior and hormonal profiles. Males with divergent morphs also often use communication signals in a status-dependent way. Weakly electric knifefish are an excellent system for studying variation in male morphology and communication and its hormonal control. Knifefish transiently modulate the frequency of their electric organ discharge (EOD) during social encounters to produce chirps and rises. In the knifefish Compsaraia samueli, males vary extensively in jaw length. EODs and their modulations (chirps and rises) have never been investigated in this species, so it is unclear whether jaw length is related to the function of these signals. We used three behavioral assays to analyze EOD modulations in male C. samueli: (1) artificial playbacks, (2) relatively brief, live agonistic dyadic encounters, and (3) long-term overnight recordings. We also measured circulating levels of two androgens, 11-ketotestosterone and testosterone. Chirp structure varied within and across individuals in response to artificial playback, but was unrelated to jaw length. Males with longer jaws were more often dominant in dyadic interactions. Chirps and rises were correlated with and preceded attacks regardless of status, suggesting these signals function in aggression. In longer-term interactions, chirp rate declined after one week of pairing, but was unrelated to male morphology. Levels of circulating androgens were low and not predictive of jaw length or EOD signal parameters. These results suggest that communication signals and variation in male morphology are linked to outcomes of non-breeding agonistic contests.

The captivating effect of electric organ discharges: species, sex and orientation are embedded in every single received image

Some fish communicate using pulsatile, stereotyped electric organ discharges (EODs) that exhibit species- and sex-specific time courses. To ensure reproductive success, they must be able to discriminate conspecifics from sympatric species in the muddy waters they inhabit. We have previously shown that fish in both Gymnotus and Brachyhypopomus genera use the electric field lines as a tracking guide to approach conspecifics (electrotaxis). Here, we show that the social species Brachyhypopomus gauderio uses electrotaxis to arrive abreast a conspecific, coming from behind. Stimulus image analysis shows that, even in a uniform field, every single EOD causes an image in which the gradient and the local field time courses contain enough information to allow the fish to evaluate the conspecific sex, and to find the path to reach it. Using a forced-choice test, we show that sexually mature individuals orient themselves along a uniform field in the direction encoded by the time course characteristic of the opposite sex. This indicates that these fish use the stimulus image profile as a spatial guidance clue to find a mate. Embedding species, sex and orientation cues is a particular example of how species can encode multiple messages in the same self-generated communication signal carrier, allowing for other signal parameters (e.g. EOD timing) to carry additional, often circumstantial, messages. This 'multiple messages' EOD embedding approach expressed in this species is likely to be a common and successful strategy that is widespread across evolutionary lineages and among varied signaling modalities.

Modeling of sustained spontaneous network oscillations of a sexually dimorphic brainstem nucleus: the role of potassium equilibrium potential

Intrinsic oscillators in the central nervous system play a preeminent role in the neural control of rhythmic behaviors, yet little is known about how the ionic milieu regulates their output patterns. A powerful system to address this question is the pacemaker nucleus of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus. A neural network comprised of an average of 87 pacemaker cells and 20 relay cells produces tonic oscillations, with higher frequencies in males compared to females. Previous empirical studies have suggested that this sexual dimorphism develops and is maintained through modulation of buffering of extracellular K⁺ by a massive meshwork of astrocytes enveloping the pacemaker and relay cells. Here, we constructed a model of this neural network that can generate sustained spontaneous oscillations. Sensitivity analysis revealed the potassium equilibrium potential, E_K (as a proxy of extracellular K⁺ concentration), and corresponding somatic channel conductances as critical determinants of oscillation frequency and amplitude. In models of both the pacemaker nucleus network and isolated pacemaker and relay cells, the frequency increased almost linearly with E_K, whereas the amplitude decreased nonlinearly with increasing E_K. Our simulations predict that this frequency increase is largely caused by a shift in the minimum K⁺ conductance over one oscillation period. This minimum is close to zero at more negative E_K, converging to the corresponding maximum at less negative E_K. This brings the resting membrane potential closer to the threshold potential at which voltage-gated Na⁺ channels become active, increasing the excitability, and thus the frequency, of pacemaker and relay cells.

Hormonal Prostaglandin F2α Mediates Behavioral Responsiveness to a Species-Specific Multi-component Male Hormonal Sex Pheromone in a Female Fish

Although hormonally-derived female sex pheromones have been well described in approximately a dozen species of teleost fish, only a few male sex pheromones have been characterized and the neuroendocrine underpinnings of behavioral responsiveness to them is not understood. Herein, we describe a study that addresses this question using the goldfish, Carassius auratus, an important model species of how hormones drive behavior in egg-laying teleost fishes. Our study had four components. First, we examined behavioral responsiveness of female goldfish and found that when injected with prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), a treatment that drives female sexual receptivity, and found that they became strongly and uniquely attracted to the odor of conspecific mature males, while non-PGF2α-treated goldfish did not discern males from females. Next, we characterized the complexity and specificity of the male pheromone by examining the responsiveness of PGF2α-treated females to the odor of either mature male conspecifics or male common carp odor, as well as their nonpolar and polar fractions. We found that the odor of male goldfish was more attractive than that of male common carp, and that its activity was attributable to both its nonpolar and polar fractions with the later conveying information on species-identity. Third, we hypothesized that androstenedione (AD), a 19-carbon sex steroid produced by all male fish might be the nonpolar fraction and tested whether PGF2α-treated goldfish were attracted to either AD alone or as part of a mixture in conspecific water. We found that while AD was inactive on its own, it became highly attractive when added to previously unattractive female conspecific water. Lastly, in a test of whether nonhormonal conspecific odor might determine species-specificity, we added AD to water of three species of fish and found that while AD made goldfish water strongly attractive, its effects on other species holding water were small. We conclude that circulating PGF2α produced at the time of ovulation induces behavioral sensitivity to a male sex pheromone in female goldfish and that this male pheromone is comprised of AD and a mixture of body metabolites. Because PGF2α commonly mediates ovulation and female sexual behavior in egg-laying fishes, and AD is universally produced by male fishes as a precursor to testosterone, we suggest that these two hormones may have similar roles mediating male-female behavior and communication in many species of fish.

The weakly electric fish, Apteronotus albifrons, actively avoids experimentally induced hypoxia

Anthropogenic environmental degradation has led to an increase in the frequency and prevalence of aquatic hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen concentration, DO), which may affect habitat quality for water-breathing fishes. The weakly electric black ghost knifefish, Apteronotus albifrons, is typically found in well-oxygenated freshwater habitats in South America. Using a shuttle-box design, we exposed juvenile A. albifrons to a stepwise decline in DO from normoxia (> 95% air saturation) to extreme hypoxia (10% air saturation) in one compartment and chronic normoxia in the other. On average, A. albifrons actively avoided the hypoxic compartment below 22% air saturation. Hypoxia avoidance was correlated with upregulated swimming activity. Following avoidance, fish regularly ventured back briefly into deep hypoxia. Hypoxia did not affect the frequency of their electric organ discharges. Our results show that A. albifrons is able to sense hypoxia at non-lethal levels and uses active avoidance to mitigate its adverse effects.

Serotonergic Modulation of Sensory Neuron Activity and Behavior in Apteronotus albifrons

Organisms must constantly adapt to changes in their environment to survive. It is thought that neuromodulators such as serotonin enable sensory neurons to better process input encountered during different behavioral contexts. Here, we investigated how serotonergic innervation affects neural and behavioral responses to behaviorally relevant envelope stimuli in the weakly electric fish species Apteronotus albifrons. Under baseline conditions, we found that exogenous serotonin application within the electrosensory lateral line lobe increased sensory neuron excitability, thereby promoting burst firing. We found that serotonin enhanced the responses to envelope stimuli of pyramidal cells within the lateral segment of the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) by increasing sensitivity, with the increase more pronounced for stimuli with higher temporal frequencies (i.e., >0.2 Hz). Such increases in neural sensitivity were due to increased burst firing. At the organismal level, bilateral serotonin application within the ELL lateral segment enhanced behavioral responses to sensory input through increases in sensitivity. Similar to what was observed for neural responses, increases in behavioral sensitivity were more pronounced for higher (i.e., >0.2 Hz) temporal frequencies. Surprisingly, a comparison between our results and previous ones obtained in the closely related species A. leptorhynchus revealed that, while serotonin application gave rise to similar effects on neural excitability and responses to sensory input, serotonin application also gave rise to marked differences in behavior. Specifically, behavioral responses in A. leptorhynchus were increased primarily for lower (i.e., ≤0.2 Hz) rather than for higher temporal frequencies. Thus, our results strongly suggest that there are marked differences in how sensory neural responses are processed downstream to give rise to behavior across both species. This is even though previous results have shown that the behavioral responses of both species to envelope stimuli were identical when serotonin is not applied.

Development of a sexual dimorphism in a central pattern generator driving a rhythmic behavior: The role of glia-mediated potassium buffering in the pacemaker nucleus of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus

Central pattern generators play a critical role in the neural control of rhythmic behaviors. One of their characteristic features is the ability to modulate the oscillatory output. An important yet little-studied type of modulation involves the generation of oscillations that are sexually dimorphic in frequency. In the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus, the pacemaker nucleus serves as a central pattern generator that drives the electric organ discharge of the fish in a one-to-one fashion. Males discharge at higher frequencies than females-a sexual dimorphism that develops under the influence of steroid hormones. The two principal neurons that constitute the oscillatory network of the pacemaker nucleus are the pacemaker and relay cells. Whereas the number and size of the pacemaker and relay cells are sexually monomorphic, pronounced sex-dependent differences exist in the morphology, and subcellular properties of astrocytes, which form a syncytium closely associated with these neurons. In females, compared to males, the astrocytic syncytium covers a larger area surrounding the pacemaker and relay cells and exhibits higher levels of expression of connexin-43 expression. The latter indicates a strong gap-junction coupling of the individual cells within the syncytium. It is hypothesized that these sex-specific differences result in an increased capacity for buffering of extracellular potassium ions, thereby lowering the potassium equilibrium potential, which, in turn, leads to a decrease in the oscillation frequency. This hypothesis has received strong support from simulations based on computational models of individual neurons and the whole neural network of the pacemaker nucleus.

Neural Processing of Communication Signals: The Extent of Sender-Receiver Matching Varies across Species of Apteronotus

As communication signal properties change, through genetic drift or selective pressure, the sensory systems that receive these signals must also adapt to maintain sensitivity and adaptability in an array of contexts. Shedding light on this process helps us to understand how sensory codes are tailored to specific tasks. In a species of weakly electric fish, Apteronotus albifrons, we examined the unique neurophysiological properties that support the encoding of electrosensory communication signals that the animal encounters in social exchanges. We compare our findings to the known coding properties of the closely related species Apteronotus leptorhynchus to establish how these animals differ in their ability to encode their distinctive communication signals. While there are many similarities between these two species, we found notable differences leading to relatively poor coding of the details of chirp structure occurring on high-frequency background beats. As a result, small differences in chirp properties are poorly resolved by the nervous system. We performed behavioral tests to relate A. albifrons chirp coding strategies to its use of chirps during social encounters. Our results suggest that A. albifrons does not exchange frequent chirps in a nonbreeding condition, particularly when the beat frequency is high. These findings parallel the mediocre chirp coding accuracy in that they both point to a reduced reliance on frequent and rich exchange of information through chirps during these social interactions. Therefore, our study suggests that neural coding strategies in the CNS vary across species in a way that parallels the behavioral use of the sensory signals.

Genes linked to species diversity in a sexually dimorphic communication signal in electric fish

Sexually dimorphic behaviors are often regulated by androgens and estrogens. Steroid receptors and metabolism are control points for evolutionary changes in sexual dimorphism. Electric communication signals of South American knifefishes are a model for understanding the evolution and physiology of sexually dimorphic behavior. These signals are regulated by gonadal steroids and controlled by a simple neural circuit. Sexual dimorphism of the signals varies across species. We used transcriptomics to examine mechanisms for sex differences in electric organ discharges (EODs) of two closely related species, Apteronotus leptorhynchus and Apteronotus albifrons, with reversed sexual dimorphism in their EODs. The pacemaker nucleus (Pn), which controls EOD frequency (EODf), expressed transcripts for steroid receptors and metabolizing enzymes, including androgen receptors, estrogen receptors, aromatase, and 5α-reductase. The Pn expressed mRNA for ion channels likely to regulate the high-frequency activity of Pn neurons and for neuromodulator and neurotransmitter receptors that may regulate EOD modulations used in aggression and courtship. Expression of several ion channel genes, including those for Kir3.1 inward-rectifying potassium channels and sodium channel β1 subunits, was sex-biased or correlated with EODf in ways consistent with EODf sex differences. Our findings provide a basis for future studies to characterize neurogenomic mechanisms by which sex differences evolve.

Mathematical modelling of the electric sense of fish: the role of multi-frequency measurements and movement

Understanding active electrolocation in weakly electric fish remains a challenging issue. In this article we propose a mathematical formulation of this problem, in terms of partial differential equations. This allows us to detail two algorithms: one for localizing a target using the multi-frequency aspect of the signal, and another one for identifying the shape of this target. Shape recognition is designed in a machine learning point of view, and takes advantage of both the multi-frequency setup and the movement of the fish around its prey. Numerical simulations are shown for the computation of the electric field emitted and sensed by the fish; they are then used as an input for the two algorithms.

Androgens regulate sex differences in signaling but are not associated with male variation in morphology in the weakly electric fish Parapteronotus hasemani

Sexually dimorphic signaling is widespread among animals and can act as an honest indicator of mate quality. Additionally, differences in signaling and morphology within a sex can be associated with different strategies for acquiring mates. Weakly electric fish communicate via self-generated electrical fields that transmit information about sex, reproductive state, and social status. The weakly electric knifefish Parapteronotus hasemani exhibits sexual dimorphism in body size as well as substantial within-male variation in body size and jaw length. We asked whether P. hasemani exhibits hormonally mediated sexual dimorphism in electrocommunication behavior. We also asked whether males with short versus long jaws differed significantly from each other in morphology, behavior, hormone levels, or reproductive maturity. Males produced longer chirps than females, but other signal parameters (electric organ discharge frequency; chirp rate and frequency modulation) were sexually monomorphic. Pharmacologically blocking androgen receptors in males reduced chirp duration, suggesting that this sexually dimorphic trait is regulated at least in part by the activational effects of androgens. Males sorted into two distinct morphological categories but did not differ in circulating 11-ketotestosterone or testosterone. Short-jawed males and long-jawed males also did not differ in any aspects of signaling. Thus, chirping and high levels of 11-ketotestosterone were reliably associated with reproductively active males but do not necessarily indicate male type or quality. This contrasts with other alternative male morph systems in which males that differ in morphology also differ in androgen profiles and signaling behavior.

Encoding of social signals in all three electrosensory pathways of Eigenmannia virescens

Extracting complementary features in parallel pathways is a widely used strategy for a robust representation of sensory signals. Weakly electric fish offer the rare opportunity to study complementary encoding of social signals in all of its electrosensory pathways. Electrosensory information is conveyed in three parallel pathways: two receptor types of the tuberous (active) system and one receptor type of the ampullary (passive) system. Modulations of the fish's own electric field are sensed by these receptors and used in navigation, prey detection, and communication. We studied the neuronal representation of electric communication signals (called chirps) in the ampullary and the two tuberous pathways of Eigenmannia virescens. We first characterized different kinds of chirps observed in behavioral experiments. Since Eigenmannia chirps simultaneously drive all three types of receptors, we studied their responses in in vivo electrophysiological recordings. Our results demonstrate that different electroreceptor types encode different aspects of the stimuli and each appears best suited to convey information about a certain chirp type. A decoding analysis of single neurons and small populations shows that this specialization leads to a complementary representation of information in the tuberous and ampullary receptors. This suggests that a potential readout mechanism should combine information provided by the parallel processing streams to improve chirp detectability.

Large-scale identification of proteins involved in the development of a sexually dimorphic behavior

Sexually dimorphic behaviors develop under the influence of sex steroids, which induce reversible changes in the underlying neural network of the brain. However, little is known about the proteins that mediate these activational effects of sex steroids. Here, we used a proteomics approach for large-scale identification of proteins involved in the development of a sexually dimorphic behavior, the electric organ discharge of brown ghost knifefish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus. In this weakly electric fish, the discharge frequency is controlled by the medullary pacemaker nucleus and is higher in males than in females. After lowering the discharge frequency by chronic administration of β-estradiol, 2-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis revealed 62 proteins spots in tissue samples from the pacemaker nucleus that exhibited significant changes in abundance of >1.5-fold. The 20 identified protein spots indicated, among others, a potential involvement of astrocytes in the establishment of the behavioral dimorphism. Indeed, immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated higher expression of the astrocytic marker protein GFAP and increased gap-junction coupling between astrocytes in females compared with males. We hypothesize that changes in the size of the glial syncytium, glial coupling, and/or number of glia-specific potassium channels lead to alterations in the firing frequency of the pacemaker nucleus via a mechanism mediating the uptake of extracellular potassium ions from the extracellular space.

Influence of long-term social interaction on chirping behavior, steroid levels and neurogenesis in weakly electric fish

Social interactions dramatically affect the brain and behavior of animals. Studies in birds and mammals indicate that socially induced changes in adult neurogenesis participate in the regulation of social behavior, but little is known about this relationship in fish. Here, we review studies in electric fish (Apteronotus leptorhychus) that link social stimulation, changes in electrocommunication behavior and adult neurogenesis in brain regions associated with electrocommunication. Compared with isolated fish, fish living in pairs have greater production of chirps, an electrocommunication signal, during dyadic interactions and in response to standardized artificial social stimuli. Social interaction also promotes neurogenesis in the periventricular zone, which contributes born cells to the prepacemaker nucleus, the brain region that regulates chirping. Both long-term chirp rate and periventricular cell addition depend on the signal dynamics (amplitude and waveform variation), modulations (chirps) and novelty of the stimuli from the partner fish. Socially elevated cortisol levels and cortisol binding to glucocorticoid receptors mediate, at least in part, the effect of social interaction on chirping behavior and brain cell addition. In a closely related electric fish (Brachyhypopomus gauderio), social interaction enhances cell proliferation specifically in brain regions for electrocommunication and only during the breeding season, when social signaling is most elaborate. Together, these studies demonstrate a consistent correlation between brain cell addition and environmentally regulated chirping behavior across many social and steroidal treatments and suggest a causal relationship.

Evolution and hormonal regulation of sex differences in the electrocommunication behavior of ghost knifefishes (Apteronotidae)

The ghost knifefishes (family Apteronotidae) are one of the most successful and diverse families of electric fish. Like other weakly electric fish, apteronotids produce electric organ discharges (EODs) that function in electrolocation and communication. This review highlights the diversity in the structure, function and sexual dimorphism of electrocommunication signals within and across apteronotid species. EOD frequency (EODf) and waveform vary as a function of species, sex and/or social rank. Sex differences in EODf are evolutionarily labile; apteronotid species express every pattern of sexual dimorphism in EODf (males>females; males<females; males=females). The direction and magnitude of sex differences in EODf are correlated across species and populations with the responsiveness of EODf to androgens and/or estrogens, which suggests that sex differences evolve through gains and/or losses of hormone sensitivity. During social interactions, apteronotids also modulate their EODs to produce motivational signals known as chirps. Chirp structure differs markedly across species, and many species produce two or more discrete chirp types with potentially different functions. The structure of chirps is sexually dimorphic in all apteronotid species, and chirping is influenced by gonadal steroids and by neuromodulators. Encoding of chirps by the electrosensory system depends on the social context created by the interactions of the EODs of signalers and receivers. Electrosensory systems may thus influence the evolution of signal structure and function, and neuromodulators may coordinately shape the production and reception of electrocommunication signals depending on social context.

The energetics of electric organ discharge generation in gymnotiform weakly electric fish

Gymnotiform weakly electric fish produce an electric signal to sense their environment and communicate with conspecifics. Although the generation of such relatively large electric signals over an entire lifetime is expected to be energetically costly, supporting evidence to date is equivocal. In this article, we first provide a theoretical analysis of the energy budget underlying signal production. Our analysis suggests that wave-type and pulse-type species invest a similar fraction of metabolic resources into electric signal generation, supporting previous evidence of a trade-off between signal amplitude and frequency. We then consider a comparative and evolutionary framework in which to interpret and guide future studies. We suggest that species differences in signal generation and plasticity, when considered in an energetics context, will not only help to evaluate the role of energetic constraints in the evolution of signal diversity but also lead to important general insights into the energetics of bioelectric signal generation.

Weakly electric fish display behavioral responses to envelopes naturally occurring during movement: implications for neural processing

How the brain processes natural sensory input remains an important and poorly understood problem in neuroscience. The efficient coding hypothesis asserts that the brain's coding strategies are adapted to the statistics of natural stimuli in order to efficiently process them, thereby optimizing their perception by the organism. Here we examined whether gymnotiform weakly electric fish displayed behavioral responses that are adapted to the statistics of the natural electrosensory envelopes. Previous studies have shown that the envelopes resulting from movement tend to consist of low (<1 Hz) temporal frequencies and are behaviorally relevant whereas those resulting from social interactions consist of higher (>1 Hz) temporal frequencies that can thus mask more behaviorally relevant signals. We found that the self-generated electric organ discharge frequency follows the detailed time course of the envelope around a mean value that is positively offset with respect to its baseline value for temporal frequencies between 0.001 Hz and 1 Hz. The frequency-following component of this behavioral response decreased in magnitude as a power law as a function of the envelope frequency and was negligible for envelope frequencies above 1 Hz. In contrast, the offset component was relatively constant and somewhat increased for envelope frequencies above 1 Hz. Thus, our results show that weakly electric fish display behavioral responses that track the detailed time course of low but not high frequency envelope stimuli. Furthermore, we found that the magnitude of the frequency-following behavioral response matches, in a one-to-one fashion, the spectral power of natural second-order stimulus attributes observed during movement. Indeed, both decayed as a power law with the same exponent for temporal frequencies spanning three orders of magnitude. Thus, our findings suggest that the neural coding strategies used by weakly electric fish perceive the detailed time course of movement envelopes and are adapted to their statistics as found in the natural environment. They also suggest that weakly electric fish might take advantage of the differential frequency content of movement and social envelopes in order to give appropriate behavioral responses during encounters between two or more conspecifics.

Divergence in androgen sensitivity contributes to population differences in sexual dimorphism of electrocommunication behavior

Weakly-electric fish (Apteronotidae) produce highly diverse electrocommunication signals. Electric organ discharges (EODs) vary across species, sexes, and in the magnitude and direction of their sexual dimorphism. Gonadal steroid hormones can modulate EODs, and differences in androgen sensitivity are hypothesized to underlie variation in the degree of sexual dimorphism across species. In this study, we asked whether variation in androgen sensitivity explained variation in sexual dimorphism of EODs within species, at the population level. We examined two populations of black ghost knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons), one from the Orinoco and the other from the Amazon River Basin. EOD frequency (EODf) and chirp rates were measured to characterize diversity in sexual dimorphism across populations. The magnitude of sexual dimorphism in EODf differed significantly across populations, and was more pronounced in the Orinoco population than in the Amazon population. Chirp rates were sexually monomorphic in both populations. 11-Ketotestosterone (11-kT) was administered over a two-week period to assess population differences in sensitivity to androgens. 11-kT masculinized EODf significantly more in the population with the greater degree of sexual dimorphism. 11-kT had no effect on the sexually monomorphic chirping rates. We conclude that population divergence in androgen sensitivity contributes to variation in sexual dimorphism of EODf in A. albifrons.

The neuroethology of electrocommunication: how signal background influences sensory encoding and behaviour in Apteronotus leptorhynchus

Weakly-electric fish are a well-established model system for neuroethological studies on communication and aggression. Sensory encoding of their electric communication signals, as well as behavioural responses to these signals, have been investigated in great detail under laboratory conditions. In the wave-type brown ghost knifefish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus, transient increases in the frequency of the generated electric field, called chirps, are particularly well-studied, since they can be readily evoked by stimulating a fish with artificial signals mimicking conspecifics. When two fish interact, both their quasi-sinusoidal electric fields (called electric organ discharge, EOD) superimpose, resulting in a beat, an amplitude modulation at the frequency difference between the two EODs. Although chirps themselves are highly stereotyped signals, the shape of the amplitude modulation resulting from a chirp superimposed on a beat background depends on a number of parameters, such as the beat frequency, modulation depth, and beat phase at which the chirp is emitted. Here we review the influence of these beat parameters on chirp encoding in the three primary stages of the electrosensory pathway: electroreceptor afferents, the hindbrain electrosensory lateral line lobe, and midbrain torus semicircularis. We then examine the role of these parameters, which represent specific features of various social contexts, on the behavioural responses of A. leptorhynchus. Some aspects of the behaviour may be explained by the coding properties of early sensory neurons to chirp stimuli. However, the complexity and diversity of behavioural responses to chirps in the context of different background parameters cannot be explained solely on the basis of the sensory responses and thus suggest that critical roles are played by higher processing stages.

Food restriction promotes signaling effort in response to social challenge in a short-lived electric fish

Vertebrates exposed to stressful conditions release glucocorticoids to sustain energy expenditure. In most species elevated glucocorticoids inhibit reproduction. However individuals with limited remaining reproductive opportunities cannot afford to forgo reproduction and should resist glucocorticoid-mediated inhibition of reproductive behavior. The electric fish Brachyhypopomus gauderio has a single breeding season in its lifetime, thus we expect males to resist glucocorticoid-mediated inhibition of their sexual advertisement signals. We studied stress resistance in male B. gauderio (i) by examining the effect of exogenous cortisol administration on the signal waveform and (ii) by investigating the effect of food limitation on androgen and cortisol levels, the amplitude of the electric signal waveform, the responsiveness of the electric signal waveform to social challenge, and the amount of feeding activity. Exogenous cortisol administration did reduce signal amplitude and pulse duration, but endogenous cortisol levels did not rise with food limitation or social challenge. Despite food limitation, males responded to social challenges by further increasing androgen levels and enhancing the amplitude and duration of their electric signal waveforms. Food-restricted males increased androgen levels and signal pulse duration more than males fed ad libitum. Socially challenged fish increased food consumption, probably to compensate for their elevated energy expenditure. Previous studies showed that socially challenged males of this species simultaneously elevate testosterone and cortisol in proportion to signal amplitude. Thus, B. gauderio appears to protect its cortisol-sensitive electric advertisement signal by increasing food intake, limiting cortisol release, and offsetting signal reduction from cortisol with signal-enhancing androgens.

Weakly electric fish for biomonitoring water quality

Environmental pollution is a major issue that calls for suitable monitoring systems. The number of possible pollutants of municipal and industrial water grows annually as new chemicals are developed. Technical devices for pollutant detection are constructed in a way to detect a specific and known array of pollutants. Biological systems react to lethal or non-lethal environmental changes without pre-adjustment, and a wide variety have been employed as broad-range monitors for water quality. Weakly electric fish have proven particularly useful for the purpose of biomonitoring municipal and industrial waters. The frequency of their electric organ discharges directly correlates with the quality of the surrounding water and, in this way, concentrations of toxicants down to the nanomolar range have been successfully detected by these organisms. We have reviewed the literature on biomonitoring studies to date, comparing advantages and disadvantages of this test system and summarizing the lowest concentrations of various toxicants tested. Eighteen publications were identified investigating 35 different chemical substances and using six different species of weakly electric fish.

Electrocommunication behaviour and non invasively-measured androgen changes following induced seasonal breeding in the weakly electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus

Androgens are known to be involved in reproductive behaviours including courtship and aggression. According to the Challenge Hypothesis, androgen activity upregulates male reproductive behaviour seasonally and also modulates short term adaptation of these behaviours in response to social context. In the weakly electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus, 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) has been previously implicated in the regulation of electrocommunication behaviours that are believed to have roles in both aggression and courtship. Changes in male 11-KT levels were quantified using a non-invasive measurement technique alongside changes in electrocommunication behaviour following environmental cues that simulated the onset of the breeding season. Males showed an increase in mean electric organ discharge frequency (EODf), which is consistent with earlier results showing a female preference for high EODf. A subset of males with high initial EODfs showed increases in both 11-KT and EODf, which provides support for an EODf-based dominance hierarchy in this species. Males housed in social conditions and exposed to breeding conditioning also showed higher overall electric organ discharge frequencies and 11-KT compared to males housed in isolation. Evidence is presented that another type of electrocommunication signal previously implicated in courtship may also serve as an inter-male signal of submission. Our results are consistent with earlier observations that electrocommunication signals produced during inter-male aggression serve in deterring attacks, and their pattern of production further suggested the formation of a dominance hierarchy.

Testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone have different regulatory effects on electric communication signals of male Brachyhypopomus gauderio

The communication signals of electric fish can be dynamic, varying between the sexes on a circadian rhythm and in response to social and environmental cues. In the gymnotiform fish Brachyhypopomus gauderio waveform shape of the electric organ discharge (EOD) is regulated by steroid and peptide hormones. Furthermore, EOD amplitude and duration change on different timescales and in response to different social stimuli, suggesting that they are regulated by different mechanisms. Little is known about how androgen and peptide hormone systems interact to regulate signal waveform. We investigated the relationship between the androgens testosterone (T) and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), the melanocortin peptide hormone α-MSH, and their roles in regulating EOD waveform of male B. gauderio. Males were implanted with androgen (T, 11-KT, or blank), and injected with α-MSH before and at the peak of androgen effect. We compared the effects of androgen implants and social interactions by giving males a size-matched male stimulus with which they could interact electrically. Social stimuli and both androgens increased EOD duration, but only social stimuli and 11-KT elevated amplitude. However, no androgen enhanced EOD amplitude to the extent of a social stimulus, suggesting that a yet unidentified hormonal pathway regulates this signal parameter. Additionally, both androgens increased response of EOD duration to α-MSH, but only 11-KT increased response of EOD amplitude to α-MSH. Social stimuli had no effect on EOD response to α-MSH. The finding that EOD amplitude is preferentially regulated by 11-KT in B. gauderio may provide the basis for independent control of amplitude and duration.

Echo response to chirping in the weakly electric brown ghost knifefish (Apteronotus leptorhynchus): role of frequency and amplitude modulations

Teleost fish of the order Gymnotiformes are distinguished by their ability to produce electric discharges by means of specialized organs. These electric organ discharges serve various behavioral functions, including communication. During such electric interactions, male brown ghost knifefish ( Apteronotus leptorhynchus (Ellis in Eigenmann, 1912)) generate several types of transient frequency and amplitude modulations (“chirps”) of the otherwise nearly constant discharges. Previous studies have shown that the chirps generated by one individual follow those of the other with a preferred latency of approximately 500–1000 ms. As demonstrated in the present study, signals consisting of either frequency modulations or amplitude modulations are able to trigger this echo response. Signals composed of just amplitude modulations are effective in triggering an echo response only if the reduction in amplitude is large (approximately 40%, relative to baseline of the electric organ discharge of the emitting fish). By contrast, in frequency-modulated signals, a maximum frequency increase as small as 1.2% relative to baseline frequency is sufficient to trigger an echo response. This remarkable sensitivity might be an adaptation for the detection of so-called type-2 chirps, as chirps of this type are composed of rather small frequency increases and negligible amplitude modulations. In line with this hypothesis is the observation that during electric interactions of two fish, the generation of these chirps dominates the production of any of the other five chirp types known.

Vocal pathway degradation in gonadectomized Xenopus laevis adults

Reproductive behaviors of many vertebrate species are activated in adult males by elevated androgen levels and abolished by castration. Neural and muscular components controlling these behaviors contain numerous hormone-sensitive sites including motor initiation centers (such as the basal ganglia), central pattern generators (CPGs), and muscles; therefore it is difficult to confirm the role of each hormone-activated target using behavioral assays alone. Our goal was to address this issue by determining the site of androgen-induced vocal activation using male Xenopus laevis, a species in which androgen dependence of vocal activation has been previously determined. We compared in vivo calling patterns and functionality of two in vitro preparations-the isolated larynx and an isolated brain from which fictive courtship vocalizations can be evoked--in castrated and control males. The isolated larynx allowed us to test whether castrated males were capable of transducing male-typical nerve signals into vocalizations and the fictively vocalizing brain preparation allowed us to directly examine vocal CPG function separate from the issue of vocal initiation. The results indicate that all three components--vocal initiation, CPG, and larynx--require intact gonads. Vocal production decreased dramatically in castrates and laryngeal contractile properties of castrated males were demasculinized, whereas no changes were observed in control animals. In addition, fictive calls of castrates were degraded compared with those of controls. To our knowledge, this finding represents the first demonstration of gonad-dependent maintenance of a CPG for courtship behavior in adulthood. Because previous studies showed that androgen-replacement can prevent castration-induced vocal impairments, we conclude that degradation of vocal initiation centers, larynx, and CPG function are most likely due to steroid hormone deprivation.

Sex differences in the electrocommunication signals of the electric fish Apteronotus bonapartii

The South American weakly-electric knifefish (Apteronotidae) produce highly diverse and readily quantifiable electrocommunication signals. The electric organ discharge frequency (EODf), and EOD modulations (chirps and gradual frequency rises (GFRs)), vary dramatically across sexes and species, presenting an ideal opportunity to examine the proximate and ultimate bases of sexually dimorphic behavior. We complemented previous studies on the sexual dimorphism of apteronotid communication signals by investigating electric signal features and their hormonal correlates in Apteronotus bonapartii, a species which exhibits strong sexual dimorphism in snout morphology. Electrocommunication signals were evoked and recorded using a playback paradigm, and were analyzed for signal features including EOD frequency and the structure of EOD modulations. To investigate the androgenic correlates of sexually dimorphic EOD signals, we measured plasma concentrations of testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone. A. bonapartii responded robustly to stimulus playbacks. EODf was sexually monomorphic, and males and females produced chirps with similar durations and amounts of frequency modulation. However, males were more likely than females to produce chirps with multiple frequency peaks. Sexual dimorphism in apteronotid electrocommunication signals appears to be highly evolutionarily labile. Extensive interspecific variation in the magnitude and direction of sex differences in EODf and in different aspects of chirp structure suggest that chirp signals may be an important locus of evolutionary change within the clade. The weakly-electric fish represent a rich source of data for understanding the selective pressures that shape, and the neuroendocrine mechanisms that underlie, diversity in the sexual dimorphism of behavior.

Chirping response of weakly electric knife fish (Apteronotus leptorhynchus) to low-frequency electric signals and to heterospecific electric fish

Brown ghost knife fish (Apteronotus leptorhynchus) can briefly increase their electric organ discharge (EOD) frequency to produce electrocommunication signals termed chirps. The chirp rate increases when fish are presented with conspecific fish or high-frequency (700-1100 Hz) electric signals that mimic conspecific fish. We examined whether A. leptorhynchus also chirps in response to artificial low-frequency electric signals and to heterospecific electric fish whose EOD contains low-frequency components. Fish chirped at rates above background when presented with low-frequency (10-300 Hz) sine-wave stimuli; at 30 and 150 Hz, the threshold amplitude for response was 1 mV cm(-1). Low-frequency (30 Hz) stimuli also potentiated the chirp response to high-frequency ( approximately 900 Hz) stimuli. Fish increased their chirp rate when presented with two heterospecific electric fish, Sternopygus macrurus and Brachyhypopomus gauderio, but did not respond to the presence of the non-electric fish Carassius auratus. Fish chirped to low-frequency (150 Hz) signals that mimic those of S. macrurus and to EOD playbacks of B. gauderio. The response to the B. gauderio playback was reduced when the low-frequency component (<150 Hz) was experimentally filtered out. Thus, A. leptorhynchus appears to chirp specifically to the electric signals of heterospecific electric fish, and the low-frequency components of heterospecific EODs significantly influence chirp rate. These results raise the possibility that chirps function to communicate to conspecifics about the presence of a heterospecific fish or to communicate directly to heterospecific fish.

Hormonal and behavioral correlates of morphological variation in an Amazonian electric fish (Sternarchogiton nattereri: Apteronotidae)

The weakly electric fish from the main channel of the Amazon river, Sternarchogiton nattereri, offers a striking case of morphological variation. Females and most males are toothless, or present only few minute teeth on the mandible, whereas some males exhibit exaggerated, spike-like teeth that project externally from the snout and chin. Androgens are known to influence the expression of sexually dimorphic traits, and might be involved in tooth emergence. In this study we assess the relationship in S. nattereri between morphological variation, 11 ketotestosterone (11-KT) and testosterone (T). We also examine relationships of morphology and androgen levels with electric organ discharge (EOD) frequency, reproductive condition, and seasonality. Our main finding is that male morph categories differed significantly in plasma concentrations of 11-KT, with toothed males showing higher levels of 11-KT than toothless males. By contrast, we did not detect statistical differences in T levels among male morph categories. Reproductive condition, as measured by gonadosomatic indexes (GSI), differed across two sample years, increased as the season progressed, and was higher in toothed males than in non-toothed males. EOD frequency was higher in toothed males than in either toothless males or females. Taken together, our findings suggest that S. nattereri male sexual characters are regulated by 11-KT levels, and that both morphology and androgens interact with reproductive condition and EOD frequency in ways that vary within and across reproductive seasons.

Neural heterogeneity and efficient population codes for communication signals

Efficient sensory coding implies that populations of neurons should represent information-rich aspects of a signal with little redundancy. Recent studies have shown that neural heterogeneity in higher brain areas enhances the efficiency of encoding by reducing redundancy across the population. Here, we study how neural heterogeneity in the early stages of sensory processing influences the efficiency of population codes. Through the analysis of in vivo recordings, we contrast the encoding of two types of communication signals of electric fishes in the most peripheral sensory area of the CNS, the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL). We show that communication signals used during courtship (big chirps) and during aggressive encounters (small chirps) are encoded by different populations of ELL pyramidal cells, namely I-cells and E-cells, respectively. Most importantly, we show that the encoding strategy differs for the two signals and we argue that these differences allow these cell types to encode specifically information-rich features of the signals. Small chirps are detected, and their timing is accurately signaled through stereotyped spike bursts, whereas the shape of big chirps is accurately represented by variable increases in firing rate. Furthermore, we show that the heterogeneity across I-cells enhances the efficiency of the population code and thus permits the accurate discrimination of different quality courtship signals. Our study shows the importance of neural heterogeneity early in a sensory system and that it initiates the sparsification of sensory representation thereby contributing to the efficiency of the neural code.

Electric signals and species recognition in the wave-type gymnotiform fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus

Gymnotiformes are South American weakly electric fish that produce weak electric organ discharges (EOD) for orientation, foraging and communication purposes. It has been shown that EOD properties vary widely across species and could thus be used as species recognition signals. We measured and quantified the electric signals of various species using a landmark-based approach. Using discriminant function analysis to verify whether these signals are species specific based on different signal parameters, we found that the EOD waveform is a more specific cue than EOD frequency, which shows large overlap across species. Using Apteronotus leptorhynchus as a focal species, we then performed a series of playback experiments using stimuli of different species (varying in frequency, waveform, or both). In an experiment with restrained fish, we found, in contrast to what we predicted, that the choice of stimulus waveform did not affect the production of communication signals. In an experiment with free-swimming fish, the animals spent more time near the playback electrodes and produced more communication signals when the stimuli were within their conspecific frequency range. Waveform again had no measurable effect. The production of communication signals correlated with the frequency difference between the stimulus and the fish's own EOD, but approach behavior did not.

Serotonergic activation of 5HT1A and 5HT2 receptors modulates sexually dimorphic communication signals in the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus

Serotonin modulates agonistic and reproductive behavior across vertebrate species. 5HT(1A) and 5HT(1B) receptors mediate many serotonergic effects on social behavior, but other receptors, including 5HT(2) receptors, may also contribute. We investigated serotonergic regulation of electrocommunication signals in the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus. During social interactions, these fish modulate their electric organ discharges (EODs) to produce signals known as chirps. Males chirp more than females and produce two chirp types. Males produce high-frequency chirps as courtship signals; whereas both sexes produce low-frequency chirps during same-sex interactions. Serotonergic innervation of the prepacemaker nucleus, which controls chirping, is more robust in females than males. Serotonin inhibits chirping and may contribute to sexual dimorphism and individual variation in chirping. We elicited chirps with EOD playbacks and pharmacologically manipulated serotonin receptors to determine which receptors regulated chirping. We also asked whether serotonin receptor activation generally modulated chirping or more specifically targeted particular chirp types. Agonists and antagonists of 5HT(1B/1D) receptors (CP-94253 and GR-125743) did not affect chirping. The 5HT(1A) receptor agonist 8OH-DPAT specifically increased production of high-frequency chirps. The 5HT(2) receptor agonist DOI decreased chirping. Receptor antagonists (WAY-100635 and MDL-11939) opposed the effects of their corresponding agonists. These results suggest that serotonergic inhibition of chirping may be mediated by 5HT(2) receptors, but that serotonergic activation of 5HT(1A) receptors specifically increases the production of high-frequency chirps. The enhancement of chirping by 5HT(1A) receptors may result from interactions with cortisol and/or arginine vasotocin, which similarly enhance chirping and are influenced by 5HT(1A) activity in other systems.

Phylogenetic comparative analysis of electric communication signals in ghost knifefishes (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae)

Electrocommunication signals in electric fish are diverse, easily recorded and have well-characterized neural control. Two signal features, the frequency and waveform of the electric organ discharge (EOD), vary widely across species. Modulations of the EOD (i.e. chirps and gradual frequency rises) also function as active communication signals during social interactions, but they have been studied in relatively few species. We compared the electrocommunication signals of 13 species in the largest gymnotiform family,Apteronotidae. Playback stimuli were used to elicit chirps and rises. We analyzed EOD frequency and waveform and the production and structure of chirps and rises. Species diversity in these signals was characterized with discriminant function analyses, and correlations between signal parameters were tested with phylogenetic comparative methods. Signals varied markedly across species and even between congeners and populations of the same species. Chirps and EODs were particularly evolutionarily labile, whereas rises differed little across species. Although all chirp parameters contributed to species differences in these signals, chirp amplitude modulation, frequency modulation (FM) and duration were particularly diverse. Within this diversity,however, interspecific correlations between chirp parameters suggest that mechanistic trade-offs may shape some aspects of signal evolution. In particular, a consistent trade-off between FM and EOD amplitude during chirps is likely to have influenced the evolution of chirp structure. These patterns suggest that functional or mechanistic linkages between signal parameters(e.g. the inability of electromotor neurons increase their firing rates without a loss of synchrony or amplitude of action potentials) constrain the evolution of signal structure.

Stimulus frequency differentially affects chirping in two species of weakly electric fish: implications for the evolution of signal structure and function

During social interactions, apteronotid electric fish modulate their electric organ discharges (EODs) to produce transient communication signals known as chirps. Chirps vary widely across species and sex in both number and structure. In Apteronotus leptorhynchus, males chirp far more than females and their chirps have greater frequency modulation than those of females. High-frequency chirps are produced by males most often in response to female-like electric signals. As such, they have been hypothesized to function in courtship. The more common low-frequency chirps, produced by both males and females in response to same-sex signals, are hypothesized to function as aggressive signals. To determine whether the two chirp types in the closely related Apteronotus albifrons have similar functions, we stimulated chirping in male and female A. leptorhynchus and A. albifrons with playbacks simulating the EODs of same-sex versusopposite-sex conspecifics. As in A. leptorhynchus, male and female A. albifrons produced low-frequency chirps most often to same-sex signals. Unlike A. leptorhynchus, however, A. albifrons also produced more high-frequency chirps to same-sex stimuli than to opposite-sex stimuli. This suggests that high-frequency chirps in A. albifrons,unlike those in A. leptorhynchus, may not function as courtship signals and that the function of similar chirp types has diversified in Apteronotus. Examples such as this, in which the function of a communication signal has changed in closely related species, are rare. The electrocommunication signals of apteronotids may thus provide a remarkable opportunity to investigate the evolutionary interactions of signal structure and function.

Interval coding. I. Burst interspike intervals as indicators of stimulus intensity

Short interspike intervals such as those that occur during burst firing are hypothesized to be distinct features of the neural code. Although a number of correlations between the occurrence of burst events and aspects of the stimulus have been identified, the relationship between burst characteristics and information transfer is uncertain. Pyramidal cells in the electrosensory lobe of the weakly electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus, respond to dynamic broadband electrosensory stimuli with bursts and isolated spikes. In the present study, we mimic synaptic input during sensory stimulation by direct stimulation of electrosensory pyramidal cells with broadband current in vitro. The pyramidal cells respond to this stimulus with burst interspike intervals (ISIs) that are reliably and precisely correlated with the intensity of stimulus upstrokes. We found burst ISIs must differ by a minimum of 2 ms to discriminate, with low error, differences in stimulus intensity. Based on these results, we define and quantify a candidate interval code for the processing of sensory input. Finally, we demonstrate that interval coding is restricted to short ISIs such as those generated in burst events and that the proposed interval code is distinct from rate and timing codes.

Serotonin in a diencephalic nucleus controlling communication in an electric fish: Sexual dimorphism and relationship to indicators of dominance

Serotonin regulates aggressive behavior. The production or release of serotonin is sexually dimorphic and related to social rank in many species. We examined serotonin expression in the central posterior/prepacemaker nucleus (CP/PPn) of the electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus. The CP/PPn is a thalamic nucleus that controls agonistic and reproductive electrocommunication signals known as chirps and gradual frequency rises. In parts of the CP/PPn that control chirping, females had more than twice as many serotonergic fibers and terminals as did males. Serotonin immunoreactivity in chirp-controlling areas of the CP/PPn was also negatively correlated with two indicators of dominance: electric organ discharge (EOD) frequency and body mass. Within sexes, the negative correlation between EOD frequency and serotonergic innervation of the PPn was significant in females, but not in males. Females with higher EOD frequencies had less serotonin in the CP/PPn than did females with lower EOD frequencies. Thus, the CP/PPn contained more serotonin in females than in males, and in particular, more serotonin in females with EOD frequencies typical of social subordinates than in females with EOD frequencies typical of social dominants. These results, combined with previous findings that serotonin inhibits chirping and that females chirp much less than males, suggest that serotonin may link sex, social rank, and the production of agonistic communication signals. The relative simplicity of the neural circuits that control the EOD and chirping make the electromotor system well-suited for studying the cellular, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms by which serotonin modulates agonistic communication.

Environmental, seasonal, and social modulations of basal activity in a weakly electric fish

The electric organ discharge (EOD) of weakly electric fish encodes information about species, sex, behavioral, and physiological states throughout the lifetime. Its central command is crucial for sensory-motor coordination, and is therefore the target of plastic mechanisms that adapt fish to environmental and social challenges. The EOD waveform of Brachyhypopomus pinnicaudatus is modulated by environmental factors and the neuroendocrine system. In this study we investigate the effects of water temperature and day-night cycle upon EOD rate in this species during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. During the non-breeding season, EOD rate is a linear function of water temperature and exhibits counterclockwise hysteresis. During breeding, a thermal resistance strategy prevents the decrease of EOD rate to cooling. A nocturnal increase of EOD basal rate independent of water temperature and locomotor activity was demonstrated in isolated non-breeding adults and in male-female dyads all year round. An additional increase of nocturnal EOD rate, probably acting as a social courtship signal, was found in breeding dyads. This additional increase of nocturnal EOD rate could not be fully explained by gonadal maturation and was modulated by social stimuli. This study provides novel data on the complex interactions between environment, reproductive cycle, social behavior, and electromotor output in an advantageous model of the vertebrate central nervous system.

Structure and sexual dimorphism of the electrocommunication signals of the weakly electric fish, Adontosternarchus devenanzii

Electrocommunication signals of electric fish vary across species, sexes and individuals. The diversity of these signals and the relative simplicity of the neural circuits controlling them make them a model well-suited for studying the mechanisms, evolution and sexual differentiation of behavior. In most wave-type gymnotiform knifefishes, electric organ discharge (EOD)frequency and EOD modulations known as chirps are sexually dimorphic. In the most speciose gymnotiform family, the Apteronotidae, EOD frequency is higher in males than females in some species, but lower in males than females in others. Sex differences in EOD frequency and chirping, however, have been examined in only three apteronotid species in a single genus, Apteronotus. To understand the diversity of electrocommunication signals, we characterized these behaviors in another genus, Adontosternarchus. Electrocommunication signals of Adontosternarchus devenanzii differed from those of Apteronotus in several ways. Unlike in Apteronotus, EOD frequency was not sexually dimorphic in A. devenanzii. Furthermore,although A. devenanzii chirped in response to playbacks simulating conspecific EODs, the number of chirps did not vary with different stimulus frequencies. A. devenanzii chirps also differed in structure from Apteronotus chirps. Whereas Apteronotus species produce functionally distinct chirp types differing in frequency modulation (FM), A. devenanzii produced only high-frequency chirps that had either single or multiple frequency peaks. Males produced more multi-peaked chirps than females. Thus, the temporal structure of chirps, rather than the amount of FM, delineated chirp types in A. devenanzii. Our results demonstrate that the structure, function and sexual dimorphism of electrocommunication signals are evolutionary labile in apteronotids and may be useful for understanding the diversity of sexually dimorphic behavior.

Social interaction and cortisol treatment increase cell addition and radial glia fiber density in the diencephalic periventricular zone of adult electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus

In electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus, both long-term social interaction and cortisol treatment potentiates chirping, an electrocommunication behavior that functions in aggression. Chirping is controlled by the diencephalic prepacemaker nucleus (PPn-C) located just lateral to the ventricle. Cells born in adult proliferative zones such as the periventricular zone (PVZ) can migrate along radial glial fibers to other brain regions, including the PPn-C. We examined whether social interactions or cortisol treatment influenced cell addition and radial glia fiber formation by (1) pairing fish (4 or 7 days) or (2) implanting fish with cortisol (7 or 14 days). Adult fish were injected with bromodeoxyuridine 3 days before sacrifice to mark cells that were recently added. Other fish were sacrificed after 1 or 7 days of treatment to examine vimentin immunoreactivity (IR), a measure of radial glial fiber density. Paired fish had more cell addition than isolated fish at 7 days, coinciding temporally with the onset of socially induced increase in chirping behavior. Paired fish also had higher vimentin IR at 1 and 7 days. For both cell addition and vimentin IR, the effect was regionally specific, increasing in the PVZ adjacent to the PPn-C, but not in surrounding regions. Cortisol increased cell addition at 7 days, correlating with the onset of cortisol-induced changes in chirping, and in a regionally specific manner. Cortisol for 14 days increased cell addition, and cortisol for 7 days increased vimentin IR but in a regionally non-specific manner. The correlation between treatment-induced changes in chirping and regionally specific increases in cell addition, and radial glial fiber formation suggests a causal relationship between such behavioral and brain plasticity in adults, but this hypothesis will require further testing.

Neurogenesis and neuronal regeneration in the adult fish brain

Fish are distinctive in their enormous potential to continuously produce new neurons in the adult brain, whereas in mammals adult neurogenesis is restricted to the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus. In fish new neurons are not only generated in structures homologous to those two regions, but also in dozens of other brain areas. In some regions of the fish brain, such as the optic tectum, the new cells remain near the proliferation zones in the course of their further development. In others, as in most subdivisions of the cerebellum, they migrate, often guided by radial glial fibers, to specific target areas. Approximately 50% of the young cells undergo apoptotic cell death, whereas the others survive for the rest of the fish's life. A large number of the surviving cells differentiate into neurons. Two key factors enabling highly efficient brain repair in fish after injuries involve the elimination of damaged cells by apoptosis (instead of necrosis, the dominant type of cell death in mammals) and the replacement of cells lost to injury by newly generated ones. Proteome analysis has suggested well over 100 proteins, including two dozen identified ones, to be involved in the individual steps of this phenomenon of neuronal regeneration.

Electric interactions through chirping behavior in the weakly electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus

The weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus produces wave-like electric organ discharges distinguished by a high degree of regularity. Transient amplitude and frequency modulations ("chirps") can be evoked in males by stimulation with the electric field of a conspecific. During these interactions, the males examined in this study produced six types of chirps, including two novel ones. Stimulation of a test fish with a conspecific at various distances showed that two electrically interacting fish must be within 10 cm of each other to evoke chirping behavior in the neighboring fish. The chirp rate of all but one chirp type elicited by the neighboring fish was found to be negatively correlated with the absolute value of the frequency difference between the two interacting fish, but independent of the sign of this difference. Correlation analysis of the instantaneous rates of chirp occurrence revealed two modes of interactions characterized by reciprocal stimulation and reciprocal inhibition. Further analysis of the temporal relationship between the chirps generated by the two fish during electric interactions showed that the chirps generated by one individual follow the chirps of the other with a short latency of approximately 500-1,000 ms. We hypothesize that this "echo response" serves a communicatory function.