When Fish Fight, Science Wins

🧠 What’s new: A research team led by Central Michigan University, in collaboration with the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and the University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded a $1.8 million Collaborative Research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to investigate how aggression and competition influence the evolution of species.

• The project, co-led by Peter Dijkstra, Ph.D. (Central Michigan University), Hans Hofmann, Ph.D. (University of Texas at Austin), and Ryan Wong, Ph.D. (UNO), will examine the neurobiological and genetic mechanisms that drive aggression biases—when individuals direct aggression toward others that resemble themselves.
• By studying two species of social cichlid fish native to Lake Victoria, researchers aim to understand how these behavioral and physiological processes contribute to the emergence of new species and biodiversity. The project also includes international collaborators Ole Seehausen, Ph.D. (Switzerland) and Mary Kishe, Ph.D. (Tanzania).

💡 Why it matters:

• Aggressive interactions are a fundamental driver of evolution, influencing how populations diverge and new species form.
• Understanding the neurobiology of aggression biases could explain how animals—and possibly humans—evolve complex social behaviors.
• The project strengthens UNO’s role in global, interdisciplinary research, providing opportunities for students to engage in genetics, bioinformatics, and behavioral neuroscience.
• It also promotes STEM engagement, including plans to develop an interactive museum exhibit on cichlid behavior for public education.

🔎 Zoom in: The five-year NSF-funded study integrates social learning experiments, genetic mapping, and brain gene expression analysis to identify how aggression biases evolve and persist.

• Researchers will use cutting-edge tools to:
• Assess how social experience and context shape territorial behavior.
• Map genetic loci that regulate aggression and coloration in fish species.
• Examine neural activity and dopamine signaling to understand how the brain mediates aggression toward similar-looking competitors.

This multi-institutional collaboration—spanning the U.S., Switzerland, and Tanzania—combines expertise across neuroscience, genetics, and evolutionary biology. Beyond advancing science, it will prepare undergraduate and graduate students for careers in STEM through immersive international research opportunities.

🎤 What they’re saying:

• Ryan Wong, Ph.D., Principal Investigator and Associate Professor at UNO: “This project gives us the chance to uncover the biological mechanisms behind how competition and aggression shape evolution. It also creates incredible opportunities for UNO students to learn advanced techniques in genetics, neuroscience, and behavioral research alongside leading experts around the world.”
• Peter Dijkstra, Ph.D., Lead Principal Investigator, Central Michigan University: “By combining genetic, behavioral, and neural approaches, we can finally begin to understand how aggression influences species formation and coexistence. It’s an exciting step toward linking animal behavior with evolutionary change.”
• Hans Hofmann, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, University of Texas at Austin: “This research allows us to connect processes happening at the level of brain cells to patterns we see across populations in nature. It’s truly an integrative approach to studying evolution in action.”

🧾 Grant award information:

• Funding source: National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Project title: Collaborative Research: Male-male competition and speciation: behavioral and neuromolecular mechanisms underlying aggression biases in cichlids
• Award number: IOS-2444904
• NuRamp number: UNO-00067872
• Principal investigator: Ryan Wong, Ph.D.
• Collaborating institutions: Central Michigan University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Bern (Switzerland), University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
• Funding period: 2025–2030