Cerebral lateralization is an evolutionarily ancient adaptation, apparently ubiquitous among vertebrates. Despite demonstrated advantages of having a more lateralized brain, substantial variability in the strength of lateralization exists within most species. The underlying reasons for the maintenance of this variation are largely unknown. Here, we present evidence that the strength of laterali...

Using probiotics can control pathogens by a variety of mechanisms. Probiotics can promote growth performance and have, therefore, become increasingly important in the aquaculture industry. Convict Cichlid belongs to the family of Cichlidae and is known for its rapid development in laboratory conditions and is suitable for behavioral examinations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect...

The aims of the present study were to investigate the effect of Gokshura and nettle root extracts on growth rate and sex reversal in Convict cichlid fish. Seven-day hatchlings were immersed in water containing 0 (Control, T1), 200 mg/l nettle root extract (T2), 300 mg/l nettle root extract (T3), 10 mg/l Gokshura extract (T4) and 10 mg/l Gokshura plus 200 mg/l nettle root extracts (T5) for two m...

Asymmetries in brain and behaviour have been demonstrated in numerous species representing all major vertebrate taxa, and may be a universal feature of the vertebrate nervous system. While descriptions of lateralization at the behavioural and neuroanatomical level are widespread, examples of correlation between asymmetries in behaviour and neural structures remain relatively scarce. In the past...

Diverse physiological and behavioural mechanisms allow animals to effectively deal with stressors, but chronic activation of the stress axis can have severe consequences. We explored the effects of chronic social stress on agonistic behaviour and gall bladder function, a critical but widely neglected component of stress-induced gastrointestinal dysfunction. Prolonged cohabitation with dominant ...

The duration of startles provides an inverse measure of motivation to resume the previous activity. Here, we use a novel method in which one convict cichlid fish (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) of a competing pair was startled independently of the opponent. Fish were given various opponents and the mean startle duration determined. This mean was negatively correlated with the mean use of highly esc...