Life History, Neuroendocrinology, and Behavior in Fish

Fish make up over half the total number of living vertebrate species and exhibit a level of variation in sexual behavior that is unrivaled among other vertebrates. The early organization (Bass, 1996) and adult reorganization (Grober and Sunobe, 1996; Reavis and Grober, 1999) of neurobiology and behavior generate sexual plasticity in fishes, and these processes can be socially controlled. The major brain areas and neuroendocrine factors that control the development and adult maintenance of reproductive behavior and physiology in fish do not differ substantially from those in mammals (Crews, 1992), suggesting that the examination of fish provides useful insights into the generation of sexual variation in all vertebrates.