Neuroethology of African Cichlids: Environmental and Social Influences on Neuroanatomical Variation

During my PhD, I investigated how ecological and social factors shape brain evolution in cichlid fish. By combining field studies, behavioural observations, and neuroanatomical analyses across natural and captive populations, I found that both environmental complexity and social stimuli drive changes in brain size and structure. My work provides intraspecies evidence for the Social Brain Hypothesis and highlights the brain’s remarkable plasticity, offering new insights into how animals adapt cognitively to their environments.