Evolutionary arms race between cuckoo catfish and cichlid hosts
Public support
Provider
Czech Science Foundation
Programme
Standard projects
Call for proposals
SGA0202600001
Main participants
Ústav biologie obratlovců AV ČR, v. v. i.
Contest type
VS - Public tender
Contract ID
26-20524S
Alternative language
Project name in Czech
Evolutionary arms race between cuckoo catfish and cichlid hosts
Annotation in Czech
Exploitation of host communication (eavesdropping) may provide key information for parasites to locate appropriate hosts. This project will investigate how brood parasitic cuckoo catfish locate their cichlid hosts, how different host and non-host cichlids respond to parasite intrusion, and whether they can defend once their brood is parasitized. It will further explore the consequences of parasite learning and experience on the potential emergence of non-heritable host specialization. The work will combine comparative experimental work on three main sensory modalities, analytical detection of candidate chemical signal composition and their validation in the wild. By integrating parasite and hosts perspectives, it represents a unique opportunity to test how signals and their detection coevolve in a brood parasitic system different from visually oriented avian brood parasites. This project will enhance our understanding of the arms races between brood parasites and their hosts.
Scientific branches
R&D category
ZV - Basic research
OECD FORD - main branch
10614 - Behavioral sciences biology
OECD FORD - secondary branch
—
OECD FORD - another secondary branch
—
CEP - equivalent branches <br>(according to the <a href="http://www.vyzkum.cz/storage/att/E6EF7938F0E854BAE520AC119FB22E8D/Prevodnik_oboru_Frascati.pdf">converter</a>)
EG - Zoology
Solution timeline
Realization period - beginning
Jan 1, 2026
Realization period - end
Dec 31, 2028
Project status
Z - Beginning multi-year project
Latest support payment
—
Data delivery to CEP
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data delivery code
CEP26-GA0-GA-R
Data delivery date
Apr 30, 2026
Finance
Total approved costs
9,820 thou. CZK
Public financial support
9,820 thou. CZK
Other public sources
0 thou. CZK
Non public and foreign sources
0 thou. CZK