Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are small cyprinids native to the Indian subcontinent. These fish have been used popularly in biological studies for several decades. Several recent studies have revealed that key behaviours common to other vertebrates (birds, mammals) are shared with fishes. Easy maintenance and breeding makes zebrafish extremely suitable as a model system for understanding a variety of questions related to behaviour and its evolution.

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• How do ecological factors (such as predation pressures, resource availability, competition) affect behavioral traits among fish populations? We use wild populations of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model system to address this. Laboratory and field-based experiments are conducted to understand variations in behavioral responses (such as boldness, exploration, aggression, learning, memory and mating related behaviors) among wild zebrafish populations.

• Do specific behavioral traits show consistency in responses within and across zebrafish populations? We investigate repeatability in behavioral traits both within individuals and across individuals among wild populations based on laboratory experiments. What are the physiological mechanisms that drive these behaviors? ELISA based assay methods to measure hormonal profiles can help assess mechanisms underlying behavioral responses.