Cause and Effect of Parental Care in Fishes: An Epigenetic Perspective

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an analysis of concepts associated with parental care in fishes, using selected examples. It gives an overview of historical trends in recent research, along with possible explanations of how these trends formed. The chapter focuses on the mechanisms that may be responsible for perceived patterns associated with parental care. The chapter aims to (1) examine the diversity of parental care in fishes, (2) describe an evolutionary model of the life history of fishes, with emphasis on reproduction, (3) present a simple concept of individual energy expenditures associated with reproduction, within the context of an integrated life-history model for fishes, (4) analyze the definitions and assumptions that have been associated with parental care, within the context of the energy expenditure model mentioned previously, (5) describe the focus of research on parental care in fishes over the past several years, and (6) develop hypotheses to describe causal mechanisms that could help to explain the evolution of reproductive styles, including parental care.