Social behavior is a critical target for natural selection because expressing behaviors appropriate for a given social context affects reproduction, resource acquisition, and survival. Social context can vary greatly over a lifetime, however, and it remains unknown how well, and by what means, individuals can deal with this variation. The bluebanded goby (Lythrypnus dalli), a highly social fish, is a useful model for investigating context-specific social interactions because behavior and reproduction are simple to measure, and social context is easy to alter in relevant ways. Hormones such as androgens, which are important for vertebrate social behavior, reproduction, and context-specificity, can also be measured and manipulated in L. dalli. For each status class in a hierarchy of gobies, there are specific social behaviors that promote group reproduction. This work will test for the first time whether those successful individuals can translate prior success into positive outcomes in different social contexts and whether the strategic expression of distinct behavioral patterns underlies that success. The reproductive success of individual L. dalli may be directly regulated by androgens and/or regulation could be indirect via androgen effects on important social behaviors. Androgens acting in the brain may be particularly important for the regulation of L. dalli behaviors associated with reproduction. This work could elucidate an evolutionarily conserved interaction between androgens and reproductive success. Social behavior is complex, and this research approach, which integrates an evolutionary perspective with mechanistic regulation by hormones, will be critical to understanding why and how individuals behave the way that they do. Diverse undergraduates, including women and minorities underrepresented in science, have been, and will continue to be, involved in all stages of this research. This work has already been shared with the public at K-12 schools, museums, and research centers, and these education efforts will continue to be a priority.
