title: Building the case for a novel teleost model of non-breeding aggression and its neuroendocrine control.
abstract: In vertebrates, aggression has been traditionally associated with high levels of circulating androgens in breeding males. Nevertheless, the centrality of androgens as primary modulators of aggression is being reconsidered in at least in two particular cases: (1) territorial aggression outside the breeding season, and (2) aggression by females. We are developing the weakly electric fish, Gymnotus omarorum, as a novel, advantageous model system to address these two alternative forms of aggression. This species displays a short, escalated contest, after which a clear hierarchical status emerges. Subordination of individuals involves three sequential decisions: interruptions of their electric discharges, retreats, and chirps. These decisions are influenced by both size asymmetry between contenders and aggression levels of dominants. Both females and males are aggressive, and do not differ in fighting ability nor in the value placed on the resource. Aggression is completely independent of gonadal hormones: dominance status is unrelated to circulating androgen and estrogen levels, and gonadectomy in males does not affect aggression. Nevertheless, estrogenic pathways participate in the modulation of this non-breeding aggression. Our results parallel those put forth in other taxa, heightening the value of G. omarorum as a model to identify commonalities in neuroendrocrine strategies of vertebrate aggression control.
authors.affiliation: Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay. Electronic address: laura.quintana@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Quintana
authors.affiliation: Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Neurofisiología Celular y Sináptica, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, General Flores 2125, Montevideo, Uruguay. Electronic address: lzubizarreta@fmed.edu.uy.
authors.forename: Lucía
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zubizarreta
authors.affiliation: Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay. Electronic address: ceciliajalabert@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jalabert
authors.affiliation: Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay. Electronic address: gervasio.batista@phd.einstein.yu.edu.
authors.forename: Gervasio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.affiliation: Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay. Electronic address: rperrone@iibce.edu.uy.
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perrone
authors.affiliation: Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, Montevideo, Uruguay. Electronic address: asilva@iibce.edu.uy.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D023702:Gymnotiformes / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Agonistic behavior; Aromatase; Electric fish; Estradiol; Female aggression; Gonadal steroids; Gymnotus omarorum; Submission signals; Territorial aggression