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Magic trait Electric Organ Discharge (EOD): Dual function of electric signals promotes speciation in African weakly electric fish

Philine G.D. Feulner, Martin Plath, Jacob Engelmann, Frank Kirschbaum and Ralph Tiedemann

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A unique evolutionary specialization of African weakly electric fish (Mormyridae) is their ability to produce and perceive electric signals. Mormyrids use their Electric Organs Discharge (EOD) for electrolocation and electrocommunication. Here we discuss the adaptive significance of the EOD in foraging (electric prey detection) in light of recent results demonstrating that mormyrid fish mate assortatively according to EOD waveform characteristics (electric mate choice). Therefore the EOD as a single trait pleiotropically combines natural divergent selection and reproductive isolation. Consequently we postulate the EOD as a “magic trait” promoting the diversification of African weakly electric fish.

Feulner PG, Plath M, Engelmann J, Kirschbaum F. Electrifying love: electric fish use species-specific discharge for mate recognition. Biol Lett 2008 Nov 25. [Epub ahead of print].

Authors

Philine G.D. Feulner Corresponding author: P.Feulner@sheffield.ac.uk

University of Potsdam; and University of Sheffield

Martin Plath

J.W.Goethe-Universität Frankfurt

Jacob Engelmann

University of Bonn

Frank Kirschbaum

Humboldt-University Berlin; and Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries

Ralph Tiedemann

University of Potsdam

This is an open-access article

 Download PDF

If the document does not open, please right-click on the link (control-click on a Macintosh) and select the option to save the file to disk.