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Welcome to the Dijkstra lab at Central Michigan University!

We study competitive and sexual interactions in highly social cichlid fish. Males in many cichlid species are extremely territorial to gain access to females, while females undergo weeks of starvation while carrying their offspring in their mouth. We use carefully controlled behavioral experiments combined with physiological measurements to study the cost of territoriality and reproduction. To learn more about our research please click here.

A cichlid community in our lab

Shown are dominant males engaged in territorial conflict (dominant males are more brightly colored than subordinate males). Want to learn more about these fish? Check out Julie Butler's blog about cichlid science from the view of Burt (yes, that's our cichlid). 

https://burtoniblog.wordpress.com/