Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution of Fishes Laboratory

Journal articles

• Quertermous H, Kamstra K, van der Burg C, Muncaster S, Todd E, Jasoni C, Brown C. & Gemmell N (2025) Behavioral and neural correlates of social hierarchy formation in a sex-changing fish. Proc Roy Soc Ser B,RSPB-2024-2097 In Press
• Pini-Fitzsimmons J, White M, Knott NA & Brown C. (2025) Sympatric ray species show different temporal strategies for accessing provisioned food. Wildlife Research, In Press
• Emam W, Lambert H & Brown C (2025). The welfare of farmed Nile tilapia: A review. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 12:1567984.
• Meaux E, Brown C, Messnick SL, O'Connell-Rodwell C & Mumby HS (2025). Worlds that collide: conservation applications of behaviour and culture in human-wildlife interactions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 380, 20240137.
• Greggor A, de Silva S, Brown C, Jesmer B, Noble D, Mueller T, Ruiz-Miranda C, Rutz C, Scott S & Williams J (2025). Strategies for integrating animal social learning and culture into conservation translocation practice. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 380: 20240138.
• Wilson JA, Giske J & Brown C (2025). Overfishing social fish. Fish and Fisheries 26: 278-290.
• Tariel-Adam J, de Toledo J, Floeter S & Brown C (2025). Tool use by New World Halichoeres wrasses. Coral Reefs, March
• Baker LR, Knott NA, Gorkin R, Aubin S, Brown C & Peters KJ (2025). Assessing AI models for fish cleaning stations to identify and measure fishes for improved recreation fisheries data collection. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 1-18
• Clark-Shen N, Tariel-Adam J, Gajanur A & Brown C (2025). Life Beyond a jar: Effects of tank size and furnishings on the behaviour and welfare or Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens). Animal Welfare 2024;33:e62
• Brown C (2025). Can we use judgement bias to assess the welfare of fish in aquariums and zoos? Animal Sentience
• Berlinghieri F, Vittorietta M, Savoca D, Pace A, Riedastra B, Brown C & Groothuis TGG (2025). Parental predator exposure affects offspring boldness and laterality in the stickleback. Animal Behaviour 223,12354.
• Brown C & Webster M (2024). Fishy culture in a changing world. Philosophical Transsactions of the Royal Society B 380: 20240130.
• Lintermans M,...Brown C et al. (2024). Troubled waters in the land down under: pervasive threats and high extinction risks demand urgent conservation actions to protect Australia’s native freshwater fishes. Biological Conservation.
• Berlinghieri F, Rizzuto G, Kruizinga L, Riedastra B, Groothuis TGG & Brown C (2024). Are lateralized and bold fish optimistic or pessimistic? Animal Cognition 27, Article 42.
• Lopes SM, Williamson JE, Lambreghts Y, Allen AP & Brown C (2024). Predicting whaler shark presence in southern Queensland and interactions with humans. Science of the Total Environment.
• Panizzon P, Gismann J, Riedastra B, Nicolaus M, Brown C, Groothuis T (2024). Effects of early predation and social cues on the relationship between laterality and personality. Behavioral Ecology 35, arae012.
• Tims A, Unmack PJ, Hammer MP, Brown C, Adams M, McGee MD (2024). Museum genomics reveals the hybrid origin of an extinct crater lake endemic. Systematic Biology.
• Peele EE, Huveneers C, Brown C, Gervais CR, Yopak KE (2023). Effects of increased temperature on brain and sensory development in the Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portkackoni). Fishes 8.
• Moy K , Schaffer J, Hammer MP, Attard CRM, Beheregaray LB, Duncan R, Lintermans M, Brown C & Unmack PJ (2023). Alternate conservation outcomes from aquatic fauna translocations: losing and saving the Running River rainbowfish Aquatic Conservation 33, 1445-1459
• Berlingheri F , Jensen N, Riedestra B, Brown C & Groothuis TG (2023). The effect of light during embryonic development on laterality and exploration in Western Rainbowfish Laterality 29, 1-18.
• Stelling-Wood,... Brown C et al (2023). A deep dive into the ecology of Gamay (Botany Bay, Australia): current knowledge and future priorities for this highly modified coastal waterway. Marine and Freshwater Research 74, 1003-1025
• Heinrich D, Dhellemmes F, Brown C & Huveneers C (2023). No evidence of time-place learning in juvenile lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris). Animal Behaviour 203, 75-88
• Thomas PA, Peele EE, Yopak KE, Brown C, Huveneers C, Gervais CR, Kinsey ST (2023). Intraspecific variation in muscle growth of two distinct populations of Port Jackson sharks under projected end-of-century temperatures. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A 283, 111467
• Kamstra K, Van Der Burg C, Questermous H, Muncaster S, Todd E, Jasoni C, Brown, C. & Gemmel N (2023). Neuroanatomy of a Sex Changing Fish: The New Zealand Spotty Wrasse (Notolabrus celidotus) Brain Atlas New Zealand Journal of Zoology
• Pini-Fitzsimmons J,Raoult V, Gaston T, Knott NA & Brown, C. (2023) .Diving into the diet of provisioned smooth stingrays using Stable Isotope Analysis. Journal of Fish Biology 102, 1206-1218
• Udyawer V... Brown C. et al (2023) Scaling of activity space in marine organisms across latitudinal gradients. American Naturalist 201 (4), 586-602.
• Pini-Fitzsimmons J, Knott NA & Brown C (2023) Recreational fishery discard practices influence use of tidal estuary by large marine mesopredator. Marine and Freshwater Research 74, 330-334.
• Bass N, Hussey N & Brown C (2023) Using stable isotopes analysis and acoustic telemetry data to infer broad-scale migration patterns of Port Jackson sharks (Heterodontus portusjacksoni). Marine and Freshwater Research 74, 387-397.
• Brown C & Schlussel VA (2023) Smart Sharks: A review of chondrichthyan cognition. Animal Cognition 26, 175-188.
• Brown C (2022) Sentience politics: A fishy perspective. Animal Sentience 2022.406
• Perryman RJY, Mourier J, Venables, Tapilatu, Setyawan & Brown, C. (2022) Reef manta ray social dynamics depend on individual differences in movements and site fidelity. Animal Behaviour 191, 43-55.
• Heinrich DDU, Huveneers C, Houslay TM, Dhellemmes F & Brown C. (2022) Shark habituation to a food-related olfactory cue. Animal Behaviour 187, 147-165.
• Jacoby, DMP, Brown, C, Croft, DP, Mann, J & Mourier, J (2022) Editorial: Sociality in the marine environment. Frontiers in Marine Science, 863595.
• Penry-Williams, IL, Brown, C & Ioannou, CC (2022) Detecting behavioural lateralisation in Poecilia reticulata is strongly dependent on experimental design. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 76, 25.
• Brown C & Byrnes E (2022) Small-scale movement and migration cues of Australian bass (Percalates novemaculeata) in an urbanized river. Marine and Freshwater Research 73, 742-753.
• Bass, N.C., Day, J., Guttridge, T., Knott, N.A. & Brown, C. (2021) Preliminary observations on the movement ecology of a crested horn shark (Heterodontus galeatus). Journal of Fish Biology 100, 582-585
• Bass, N.C., Day, J., Guttridge, T., Knott, N.A., Vila Pouca, C. & Brown, C. (2021) Residency and movement patterns of adult Port Jackson sharks (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) at a breeding aggregation site. Journal of Fish Biology 99, 1455-1466
• Pini-Fitzsimmons, J., Knott, N. & Brown, C. (2021) Heterarchy reveals social organization of a smooth stingray (Bathytoshia brevicaudata) population in a food context. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8 (466)
• Forsatkar MN, Hhoei AJ, Heibatian M, Rezaei K, and Brown, C. (2021) Impact of 17α-Ethynylestradiol increase on post-spawning mortality in the female Siamese fighting fish. Water, Air and Soil Pollution 232, 244.
• Bass, N.C., Day, J., Guttridge, T., Knott, N.A., Brown, C. (2021) Intraspecific variation in diel patterns of rocky reef use suggests temporal partitioning in Port Jackson sharks. Marine and Freshwater Research, accepted
• Salena, MG., Turko, AJ., Singh, A., Pathak, A., Hughes, E., Brown C & Balshine, S. (2021) Understanding fish cognition: a review and appraisal of current practices. Animal Cognition 24, 395-406.
• Berlinghieri, F., Panizzon, P., Penry-Williams, I.L. & Brown, C. (2021) Laterality and fish welfare – A Review. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 236, 105239
• Perryman, RJY. Carpenter, M., Lie, E., Sofronov, G., Marshall, AD. & Brown, C. (2021) Reef manta ray cephalic lobe movements are modulated during social interactions Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 75, 51
• Kadar JP , Ladds MA, Day J, Lyall B & Brown C (2020) Assessment of machine learning models to identify Port Jackson shark behaviours using tri-axial accelerometers. Sensors 20, 7096.
• Gervais, C. , Nay, T. & Brown, C. (2020) Friend or foe? Development of odour detection, differentiation, and anti-predator response in an embryonic elasmobranch. Marine and Freshwater Research72, 942-949.
• Heinrich, D.D.U. , Dhellemmes, F., Guttridge, T., Smukall, M., Brown, C., Rummer, J.C., Huveneers, C., (2020) Short-term impacts of daily feeding on the residency, distribution and energy expenditure of sharks. Animal Behaviour 172, 55-71.
• Gervais, C. , Huveneers, C., Brown, C. (2020) Population variation in the thermal response to climate change reveals differing sensitivity in a benthic shark. Global Change Biology 27, 108-120.
• Brown, C. 2020 Convergent evolution of sentience? Animal Sentience 5 (29), 25
• Lintermans et al 2020 Big trouble for little fish: Identifying Australian freshwater fishes in iminent risk of extinction. Pacific Conservation Biology 26, 365-377.
• Carbia, P.S. Raoult, V., Williamson, J., Park, J., Brown, C. Gaston, T. (2020) Seasonal and developmental diet shifts in sympatric and allopatric intertidal gobies determined by stomach content and stable isotope analysis. Journal of Fish Biology 97, 1051-1062.
• Heinrich, DDU, Vila Pouca, C, Brown, C. & Huveneers, C. (2020) Effects of reward magnitude and training frequency on the learning rates and memory retention of the Port Jackson shark, Heterodotus portusjacksoni. Animal Cognition 23, 939-949.
• Roche, D... Brown, C. , et al (2020) Replication alert: behavioural lateralisation in a detour test is not repeatable in fishes. Animal Behaviour 167, 55-64.
• Carbia, PS & Brown, C (2020) Seasonal variation of sexually dimorphic spatial learning implicates mating systems in the intertidal Cocos frillgoby (Bathygobius cocosensis). Animal Cognition 23, 621-628.
• Vila Pouca, C, Heinrich, D, Huveneers, C & Brown C (2020). Social learning in solitary juvenile sharks. Animal Behaviour 159, 21-27.
• Hedayatirad, M, Miryaghefi, A., Nematollahi, MA, Forsatkar, MN, Brown C (2020) Transgenerational disrupting impacts of atrazine in zebrafish: beneficial effects of dietary spirulina. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C. 230, 108685.
• Dorey, C, & Brown C (2019) Pain and emotion in fishes- Fish welfare implications for fisheries and aquaculture. Animal Studies Journal 8, 175-201.
• Perryman, RJY, Venables, SK, Tapilatu RF, Marshal AD, & Brown, C (2019). Social preferences and network structure in a population of reef manta rays. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 73; 114.
• Griffin, AS, Brown, C, et al (2019) A large-scale automated radio telemetry network for monitoring movements of terrestrial wildlife in Australia. Australian Zoologist 40, 379-391
• Khoei, AJ, Forsatkar, MN & Brown, C (2019) Behavioural and immunotoxic effects of Prograf (tacrolimus) in the male Siamese fighting fish. Ecotoxicology 28, 1032-1037.
• Kadar, J, Ladds, M, Mourier, J, Day, J & Brown, C (2019) Acoustic accelerometry reveals diel activity patterns in pre-migratory Port Jackson sharks. Ecology and Evolution 9, 8933-8944.
• Vila Pouca, C, Gervais, C, Reed J, Michard, J & Brown C (2019) Quantity discrimination in Port Jackson sharks incubated under elevated temperatures. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 73,93.
• Vila Pouca, C. & Brown, C. (2019) Lack of social preference between unfamiliar and familiar juvenile Port Jackson sharks Heterodontus portusjacksoni. Journal of Fish Biology
• Gatto, E., Agrillo, C., Brown, C. & Dadda M. (2019) Individual differences in numerical skills are influenced by brain lateralization in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Intelligence 74, 12-17
• Clark, J., Brown, C., Gillings, M., Gardner, M., Williamson, J., Izzo, C. & Day J. (2019) Characterization of 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the Port Jackson Shark, Heterodontus portusjacksoni (Meyer, 1793). Marine Biodiversity 49 (1), 505-508
• Day, J., Clark, J., Williamson, J., Brown, C. & Gillings, M. (2019) Population genetic analyses reveal female reproductive philopatry in the oviparous Port Jackson shark. Marine and Freshwater Research 70, 986-994
• Carbia, P.S. & Brown, C. (2019) Environmental enrichment influences spatial learning ability in captive-reared intertidal gobies (Bathygobius cocosensis). Animal cognition, 22(1), 89–98
• Moy, K., Unmack, P., Lintermans, M., Duncan, R. & Brown, C. (2019) Barriers to hybridisation and their conservation implications for a highly threatened Australian fish species. Ethology, 125(3), 142-152
• O’Neill, S., Williamson, J., Tosetto, L. & Brown, C. (2018) Effects of acclimatisation on behavioural repeatability in two behaviour assays of the guppy Poecilia reticulata. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 72 (10), 166
• Pini-Fitzsimmons, J., Knott, N. & Brown, C. (2018) Effects of food provisioning on site use in the short-tail stingray Bathytoshia brevicaudata. Marine Ecology Progress Series 600, 99-110
• Vila Pouca, C., Gervais, C., Reed, J. & Brown, C. (2018) Incubation under climate warming affects behavioral lateralisation in Port Jackson sharks. Symmetry 10 (6), 184
• Vila Pouca, C. & Brown, C. (2017) Food approach conditioning and discrimination learning using sound cues in benthic sharks. Animal cognition, 1-12
• Sneddon, L., Wolfenden, D. & Brown, C. (2017) Ample evidence for fish sentience and pain. Animal Sentience, 3(21), 17
• Sneddon, L., Lopez-Luna, J., [...], & Brown, C. (2018) Fish sentience denial: Muddying the waters. Animal Sentience, 3(21), 115
• Mourier, J., Bass, N., Guttridge, T., Day, J. & Brown, C. (2017) Does detection range matter for inferring social networks in a benthic shark using acoustic telemetry? Royal Society open science 4(9), 170485
• Vila Pouca, C. & Brown, C. (2017) Contemporary topics in fish cognition and behaviour. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 16, 46-52
• HedayatiRad, M., Nematollahi, M.A., Forsatkar, M.N. & Brown, C. (2017) Prozac impacts lateralization of aggression in male Siamese fighting fish. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 140, 84-88
• Raoult, V., Trompf, L., Williamson, J.E. & Brown C. (2017) Stress profile influences learning approach in a marine fish. PeerJ 5, e3445
• Mourier, J., Brown, C. & Planes, S. (2017) Learning and robustness to catch-and-release fishing in a shark social network. Biology letters, 13(3)
• Jerry, M. & Brown, C. (2017) Fitness Costs of Sexual Harassment – The Price of Persuasion. Ethology 123, 1-9
• Tosetto, L., Williamson, J. & Brown, C. (2017) Trophic transfer of microplastics does not affect fish personality. Animal behaviour 123, 159-167
• Unmack, P.J., Martin, K., Hammer, M.P., Ebner, B., Moy, K. (2016) Malanda Gold: the tale of a unique rainbowfish from the Atherton Table-lands, now on the verge of extinction Journal of the Australia New Guinea Fishes Association
• Tosetto, L., Williamson, J. & Brown, C. (2016) Microplastics on beaches: ingestion and behavioural consequences for beachhoppers. Marine Biology 163(10), 163-199
• Bass, N.C., Mourier, J., Knott, N.A., Day, J., Brown, C. & Guttridge, T. (2016) Long-term migration patterns and bisexual philopatry in a benthic shark species. Marine and Freshwater Research 68, 1414-1421.
• Byrnes, E., Vila Pouca, C., Chambers, S. & Brown, C. (2016) Into the wild: developing field tests to examine the link between elasmobranch personality and laterality. Behaviour
• Byrnes, E., Vila Pouca, C. & Brown, C. (2016) Laterality strength is linked to stress reactivity in Port Jackson sharks (Heterodontus portusjacksoni). Behavioural Brain Research 305, 239–246
• Byrnes, E. & Brown, C. (2016) Individual personality differences in Port Jackson sharks (Heterodontus portusjacksoni). Journal of Fish Biology 89(2)
• Forsatkar, M., Nematollahi, M., Brown, C. (2016) The toxicological effect of Ruta graveolens extract in Siamese fighting fish: a behavioral and histopathological approach. Ecotoxicology 25(4), 824-834
• Brown, C. (2016) Fish pain: An inconvenient truth. Animal Sentience, 2016.058.
• Brown, C. (2016) Comparative evolutionary approach to pain perception in fishes. Animal Sentience, 2016.011.
• Dadda, M., Agrillo, C., Bisazza, A. & Brown C. (2015) Laterality enhances numerical skills in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience 9, pp
• Griffiths, S.C. & Brown, C. (2015) Social learning: Parents may not always know best. Current Biology 25, 802-804.
• White, G.E. & Brown, C. (2015) Microhabitat use affects goby (Gobiidae) cue use in a spatial learning task. Journal of Fish Biology 86, 1035-1318.
• Brown, C. & Morgan, J. (2015) Predator recognition and responses in the endangered Macquarie perch (Macquaria australiasica). Marine and Freshwater Research 66, 127-134.
• White, G.E. & Brown, C. (2015) Variation in brain morphology in intertidal gobies: A comparison of methodologies used to quantitatively assess brain volumes in fishes. Brain Behaviour and Evolution 85, 246-257.
• White, G.E. & Brown, C. (2015) Microhabitat use affects brain size and structure in intertidal gobies. Brain Behaviour and Evolution 85, 246-257
• White, G.E. & Brown, C. (2015) Cue choice and spatial learning ability are affected by habitat complexity in intertidal gobies. Behavioural Ecology 26, 178-184.
• Brown, C. (2015) Fish inteligence, sentience and ethics. Animal Cognition 18, 1-17
• White, G.E., Hose, G.C. & Brown, C. (2015) Influence of rock-pool characteristics on the distribution and abundance of inter-tidal fishes. Marine Ecology.

Books

• Brown, C., Laland K. & Krause, J. (2011). Fish Cognition and Behaviour, 2nd Edition Wiley-Blackwell, Cambridge, UK.
• Brown, C., Laland K. & Krause, J. (2006). Fish Cognition and Behaviour, Blackwell Publishing, Cambridge, UK.
• Brown, C., Laland, K. & Krause J. (2003). Learning and Memory in Fishes: Why fish are smarter than you think. Blackwell Scientific, London. Special Edition on Learning in Fishes. Fish and Fisheries Volume 4 No.3 2003.

Book chapters

• Brown, C & Wahltinez, S (2024) Animal Welfare. In: Behavioural Responses to a Changing World (Wong & Candolin Eds) Oxford Univerisity Press
• Kamstra K, Van der Burg C, Quertermous H, Muncaster S, Todd E, Jasoni C, Brown, C & Gemmel N, (2024) Neuroendocrine regulation in sex-changing fishes In: (Norris & Lopez Eds) Hormones and Reproduction of Vertebrates, Volume 1, Second Edition. Elsevier.
• Brown, C (2023) Fishes: From social learning to culture. In: The Oxford Handbook of Cultural Evolution. Oxford Univerisity Press
• Watson, MJ, Doyle, KE & Brown, C (2022) . Crustaceans In: (Smith B, Waudby HP, Alberthsen CA, Hampton, JO Eds) Wildlife research in Australia: a practical guide. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne, Australia.
• Kadar, JP, Vila-Pouca, C, Perryman, R, Pini-Fitzsimmons, J, Chambers, S, Gervais, C & Brown C. (2022) Behaviour. In: S. Midway, C. Hasler, and P. Chakrabarty, editors. Methods for fish biology, 2nd edition. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland.
• Vila-Pouca, C, Tosetto, L & Brown, C (2020) A fish memory tale: memory and recall in fish and sharks. In: Handbook of Animal Cognition
• Sneddon L & Brown C (2019) Mental capacities of fishes. In: Neuroethics and Nonhuman Animals (LSM Johnson et al. eds), pp 53-71. Springer.
• Brown, C., Wolfenden, D. & Sneddon, L. (2018). Goldfish (Carassius auratus). In: Companion Animal Care and Welfare: The UFAW Companion Animal Handbook pp 467-478.
• Vila Pouca, C. & Brown, C. (2018). Fish – How to Ask Them the Right Questions. In: Field and Laboratory Methods in Animal Cognition: A Comparative Guide (N. Bueno-Guerra & F. Amici eds). Cambridge University Press pp 199-220.
• Bibost, A-L, Kydd, E & Brown, C. (2013) The effect of sex and early environment on the lateralization of the rainbowfish Melanotaenia duboulayi. In: Behavioural Lateralization in Vertebrates: Two sides of a same coin. (Scermely, D. & Regolin, L. eds); pp. 9–24 Springer.
• Brown, C. (2012) Experience and learning in changing environments. In: Behavioural Responses to a Changing World: Mechanisms and Consequences. (Candolin U & Wong BBM eds); pp. 46-60 Oxford University Press.
• Brown, C. , Laland K. & Krause, J. (2011) Fish cognition and behaviour. In: Fish Cognition and Behaviour 2nd Edition (Brown, C., Laland K. & Krause, J. eds). Wiley- Blackwell Publishing, Cambridge, UK.
• Brown, C. & Laland K. (2011) Social learning in fishes. In: Fish Cognition and Behaviour 2nd Edition (Brown, C., Laland K. & Krause, J. eds). Blackwell Publishing, Cambridge, UK.
• Bisazza, A, & Brown, C. (2011) Laterality of Cognitive functions in fishes. In: Fish Cognition and Behaviour 2nd Edition (Brown, C., Laland K. & Krause, J. eds). Blackwell Publishing, Cambridge, UK.
• Budaev, SV, & Brown, C. (2011) Personality traits and behaviour. In: Fish Cognition and Behaviour 2nd Edition (Brown, C., Laland K. & Krause, J. Eds). Blackwell Publishing, Cambridge, UK.
• Brown, C. (2011). Experience and learning in changing environments. In: Behavioural Responses to a Changing World: Mechanisms and Consequences (B. Wong & U. Candolin eds) pp 46-62, Oxford University Press, UK.
• Kelley, J. & Brown, C. (2011). Predation risk and decision making in poeciliid prey. In: Ecology and Evolution of Poeciliid Fishes. University of Chicago Press pp 174-184.