Fishes show remarkably diverse aggressive behaviour. Aggression is expressed to secure resources; adjusting aggression levels according to context is key to avoid negative consequences for fitness and survival. However, despite its importance, the physiological basis of aggression in fishes is still poorly understood. Several reports suggest hormonal modulation of aggression, particularly by androgens, but contradictory studies have been published. Studies exploring the role of chemical communication in aggressive behaviour are also scant, and the pheromones involved remain to be unequivocally characterized. This is surprising as chemical communication is the most ancient form of information exchange and plays a variety of other roles in fishes. Furthermore, the study of chemical communication and aggression is relevant at the evolutionary, ecological and economic levels. A few pioneering studies support the hypothesis that aggressive behaviour, at least in some teleosts, is modulated by 'dominance pheromones' which reflect the social status of the sender, but there is little information on the identity of the compounds involved. This review aims to provide a global view of aggressive behaviour in fishes, its underlying physiological mechanisms including the involvement of chemical communication, and discusses the potential use of dominance pheromones to improve fish welfare. Methodological considerations and future research directions are also outlined. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

中文翻译：

---

鱼类攻击行为的生理学、内分泌学和化学通讯。

鱼类表现出非常多样化的攻击行为。表现出攻击性是为了获取资源；根据情况调整攻击性水平是避免对健康和生存产生负面影响的关键。然而，尽管它很重要，但鱼类攻击性的生理基础仍然知之甚少。一些报告表明荷尔蒙调节攻击性，特别是雄激素，但已经发表了相互矛盾的研究。探索化学通讯在攻击行为中的作用的研究也很少，并且所涉及的信息素仍有待明确表征。这是令人惊讶的，因为化学通讯是最古老的信息交换形式，并且在鱼类中发挥着各种其他作用。此外，化学通讯和攻击性的研究在进化、生态和经济层面上都是相关的。一些开创性的研究支持这样的假设，即至少在一些硬骨鱼中，攻击行为是由反映发送者社会地位的“优势信息素”调节的，但有关所涉及化合物的身份的信息很少。本综述旨在提供鱼类攻击性行为的全球视角，其潜在的生理机制（包括化学通讯的参与），并讨论使用优势信息素来改善鱼类福利的潜在用途。还概述了方法论考虑因素和未来的研究方向。本文受版权保护。版权所有。