Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.

Non-UMass Amherst users, please click the view more button below to purchase a copy of this dissertation from Proquest.

(Some titles may also be available free of charge in our Open Access Dissertation Collection, so please check there first.)

Visual factors guiding mate choice in a group of Lake Malawi cichlids

Rebecca Carina Jordan, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Abstract

The cichlid fishes of the East African Lakes are noted for their explosive radiation and vast diversification over short evolutionary time. Lake Malawi, in particular, houses a diverse cichlid assemblage. There are numerous theories to explain this diversity that are often linked to sexual selection through female choice. Given that males are brightly colored, female choice cues have been thought to be primarily visual. Little, however, has been done to investigate the visual factors used by Lake Malawi cichlids. The primary objective of my dissertation is to ask four main questions using Lake Malawi mbuna (rock-dwellers): (I) what spectral abilities exist across several taxa? (II) what is the role of visual cues in interspecific mate choice? (III) what is the role of ultraviolet radiation in mate choice and feeding, and (IV) what variation in physical characteristics occur with attenuating light? A critical understanding of the visual factors affecting the Lake Malawi mbuna is a necessary step in understanding the mating systems of these fish. This understanding can aid in explaining the extreme diversity seen in these mbuna, and comes at pivotal time because of the anthropogenic stressors that currently threaten the integrity of the East African cichlid fish.

Subject Area

Ecology

Recommended Citation

Jordan, Rebecca Carina, "Visual factors guiding mate choice in a group of Lake Malawi cichlids" (2001). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI3027214.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI3027214

Share

COinS