1

2

4 Q15

67

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

General and Comparative Endocrinology xxx (2014) xxx–xxx

YGCEN 11806 No. of Pages 1, Model 5G

10 May 2014

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

General and Comparative Endocrinology

journal homepage: www.elsevier .com/locate /ygcen

Guest Editor’s Introduction

Editorial for Perspectives in Cichlid Endocrinology

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.04.0230016-6480/� 2014 Published by Elsevier Inc.

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66Q2

67

68Q3

69

70

71

72

73

The macromolecules that carry on the business of life dependon the neuroendocrine system and the hormonal milieu that playsan essential role in regulating, maintaining and integratingresponses to stress and injury, growth and development, absorp-tion of nutrients, energy metabolism, water and electrolyte balanceand reproduction. The endocrine system uses chemical cues, sub-stances synthesized and secreted by specialized cells, and theirreceptors, to integrate development, proliferation and growth, inaccordance with metabolism, respiration, excretion, movement,reproduction, osmoregulation and sensory perception.

Cichlid fishes are an important evolutionary and endocrinemodel. They offer several advantages as an experimental system,which together with their evolutionary richness make them anexcellent model for studying evolution, physiology, reproductionand behavior. Among cichlids, tilapia are an increasingly popularmodel organism due to their high growth potential, short genera-tion time, ease of spawning and disease resistance. Many speciesof tilapia easily adapt to a wide range of salinities, oxygen, tem-peratures, crowding and handling and serve as model organismsacross vertebrates. As an applied model, worldwide aquacultureproduction of tilapias (the most economically important groupwithin cichlids) is second only to carps among finfishes.

The symposium from which the following proceedings derivewas held from October 3–6, 2013 at the Ein Herod Ihud Kibbutznear Mt. Gilboa, Israel, and brought together world renownedresearchers from six countries including Brazil, Germany, Israel,Japan, Portugal and the United States. Presentations surveyed cur-rent knowledge regarding cichlid endocrine systems, including theneuroendocrine cells, hormones, and receptors, and considered thedeployment of these components in functional systems relevant tothe aquatic life of cichlid fishes. Importantly, presentations pro-vided new, cutting edge data advancing their respective field ofknowledge across the disciplines of behavior, evolutionary biology,physiology and reproduction.

74

Thirty two professors and students discussed their researchthrough formal presentations and over shared meals while livingtogether over the course of the three day workshop. Fifteenresearch papers were presented and long lasting collaborationsand friendships were formed. The twelve original research papersand three reviews that follow offer exciting clues to understandingthe developmental and evolutionary histories of endocrine sys-tems, and continue our collective understanding that unravelsthe complex life histories of fishes exhibiting hormonally regulateddevelopment, growth, metabolism, nutrition, osmoregulation andreproduction.

We are very thankful for the support provided by the BinationalAquaculture Research Development Fund (BARD), which providedthe funding that facilitated an atmosphere for collegiality and col-laboration, intellectual exploration and growth, as well as longlasting friendships. BARD is a competitive funding program formutually beneficial, mission-oriented, strategic and appliedresearch of agricultural problems, jointly conducted by Americanand Israeli scientists. Most BARD projects focus on increasing agri-cultural productivity, particularly in hot and dry climates, andemphasize plant and animal health, food quality and safety, andenvironmental issues. This seminal symposium is seen as a firstin a tradition of symposia, conferences and workshops focusedon the ‘‘Endocrinology of cichlids’’.

Darren T. Lerner⇑Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology,

University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States⇑ Fax: +1 808 956 3014.

E-mail address: lerner@hawaii.edu

Available online xxxx