Causes and Consequences of Cognitive Variation in Fishes

Fishes are not only the largest, but also the most diverse group of vertebrates. Fishes inhabit a wide range of habitats and exhibit remarkable diversity in life history, morphology, physiology, behaviour, and ecology. Differences in life history, ecology, and social systems have likely shaped cognition in fishes, but our understanding of fish cognition is still limited relative to that of other taxa. Understanding how and why cognition varies within and between species will ultimately help us to understand the selective pressures shaping cognitive phenotypes in fishes and how they have adapted to their environments. This Special Issue—a collection of the most recent articles from experts in the field of fish cognition—aims to further our understanding of the evolutionary drivers of cognitive variation in fishes. Fish cognition is a rapidly developing research area, and with this Special Issue, we wish to particularly highlight four considerations for future studies of fish cognition...