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A Brief History of Electrogenesis and Electroreception in Fishes

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Electroreception: Fundamental Insights from Comparative Approaches

Part of the book series: Springer Handbook of Auditory Research ((SHAR,volume 70))

Abstract

The primary goal of this volume is to provide an updated perspective on the topics of electrogenesis and electroreception in fishes. Throughout, there is an emphasis on how comparative perspectives can inform general issues regarding the neural mechanisms of behavior, from detailed comparisons among related species having divergent phenotypes to broad comparisons across distantly related clades having similar phenotypes. The underlying theme throughout is that evolution provides a natural experiment that can be exploited to relate variation in behavior to variation in its neural substrates. This allows for the development and testing of hypotheses regarding the neural control of behavior and for distinguishing generally applicable principles from clade-specific differences. The chapters cover a range of topics including the evolution and development of electric organs and electroreceptors, electrosensory transduction, evolutionary drivers and biophysical bases of electric signal diversity, influences of hormones and motor systems on electrosensory processing, envelope and temporal coding, use of control theory to characterize active sensing, and the role of active electrolocation and spatial learning in behavior. In this introductory chapter, a brief history of research on electrogenesis and electroreception in fishes is presented, with a summary of some of the most important neuroethological studies in electric fish that have contributed greatly to our understanding of brain function and the neural basis of behavior. The field of electroreception research continues to provide fertile ground for using comparative frameworks to understand the neurobiology of animal communication, social behavior, orientation and navigation, and the evolution of information processing.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Grants IOS-1050701, IOS-1255396, and IOS-1755071 to Bruce A. Carlson and Grant IOS-1456700 to Joseph A. Sisneros from the National Science Foundation.

Compliance with Ethics Requirements

Bruce A. Carlson declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Joseph A. Sisneros declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Bruce A. Carlson

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Joseph A. Sisneros

Authors
  1. Bruce A. Carlson
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  2. Joseph A. Sisneros
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bruce A. Carlson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Bruce A. Carlson

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Joseph A. Sisneros

  3. Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Arthur N. Popper

  4. Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Richard R. Fay

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Carlson, B.A., Sisneros, J.A. (2019). A Brief History of Electrogenesis and Electroreception in Fishes. In: Carlson, B., Sisneros, J., Popper, A., Fay, R. (eds) Electroreception: Fundamental Insights from Comparative Approaches. Springer Handbook of Auditory Research, vol 70. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29105-1_1

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