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Kareklas K, Oliveira RF. Emotional contagion and prosocial behaviour in fish: An evolutionary and mechanistic approach. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 163:105780. [PMID: 38955311 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
In this review, we consider the definitions and experimental approaches to emotional contagion and prosocial behaviour in mammals and explore their evolutionary conceptualisation for studying their occurrence in the evolutionarily divergent vertebrate group of ray-finned fish. We present evidence for a diverse set of fish phenotypes that meet definitional criteria for prosocial behaviour and emotional contagion and discuss conserved mechanisms that may account for some preserved social capacities in fish. Finally, we provide some considerations on how to address the question of interdependency between emotional contagion and prosocial response, highlighting the importance of recognition processes, decision-making systems, and ecological context for providing evolutionary explanations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyriacos Kareklas
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, R. Q.ta Grande 6, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal
| | - Rui F Oliveira
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, R. Q.ta Grande 6, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal; ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, Lisboa 1149-041, Portugal.
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2
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Wagner H, Egelhaaf M, Carr C. Model organisms and systems in neuroethology: one hundred years of history and a look into the future. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2024; 210:227-242. [PMID: 38227005 PMCID: PMC10995084 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01685-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
The Journal of Comparative Physiology lived up to its name in the last 100 years by including more than 1500 different taxa in almost 10,000 publications. Seventeen phyla of the animal kingdom were represented. The honeybee (Apis mellifera) is the taxon with most publications, followed by locust (Locusta migratoria), crayfishes (Cambarus spp.), and fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster). The representation of species in this journal in the past, thus, differs much from the 13 model systems as named by the National Institutes of Health (USA). We mention major accomplishments of research on species with specific adaptations, specialist animals, for example, the quantitative description of the processes underlying the axon potential in squid (Loligo forbesii) and the isolation of the first receptor channel in the electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) and electric ray (Torpedo spp.). Future neuroethological work should make the recent genetic and technological developments available for specialist animals. There are many research questions left that may be answered with high yield in specialists and some questions that can only be answered in specialists. Moreover, the adaptations of animals that occupy specific ecological niches often lend themselves to biomimetic applications. We go into some depth in explaining our thoughts in the research of motion vision in insects, sound localization in barn owls, and electroreception in weakly electric fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hermann Wagner
- Institute of Biology II, RWTH Aachen University, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Martin Egelhaaf
- Department of Neurobiology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Catherine Carr
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, USA
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3
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Caputi AA. Living life with an electric touch. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb246060. [PMID: 38009325 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
The electric organ discharges (EODs) produced by weakly electric fish have long been a source of scientific intrigue and inspiration. The study of these species has contributed to our understanding of the organization of fixed action patterns, as well as enriching general imaging theory by unveiling the dual impact of an agent's actions on the environment and its own sensory system during the imaging process. This Centenary Review firstly compares how weakly electric fish generate species- and sex-specific stereotyped electric fields by considering: (1) peripheral mechanisms, including the geometry, channel repertoire and innervation of the electrogenic units; (2) the organization of the electric organs (EOs); and (3) neural coordination mechanisms. Secondly, the Review discusses the threefold function of the fish-centered electric fields: (1) to generate electric signals that encode the material, geometry and distance of nearby objects, serving as a short-range sensory modality or 'electric touch'; (2) to mark emitter identity and location; and (3) to convey social messages encoded in stereotypical modulations of the electric field that might be considered as species-specific communication symbols. Finally, this Review considers a range of potential research directions that are likely to be productive in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Ariel Caputi
- Sistema Nacional de Investigadores - Uruguay, Av. Wilson Ferreira Aldunate 1219, Pando, PC 15600, Uruguay
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Ayali A, Kaminka GA. The hybrid bio-robotic swarm as a powerful tool for collective motion research: a perspective. Front Neurorobot 2023; 17:1215085. [PMID: 37520677 PMCID: PMC10375296 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2023.1215085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Swarming or collective motion is ubiquitous in natural systems, and instrumental in many technological applications. Accordingly, research interest in this phenomenon is crossing discipline boundaries. A common major question is that of the intricate interactions between the individual, the group, and the environment. There are, however, major gaps in our understanding of swarming systems, very often due to the theoretical difficulty of relating embodied properties to the physical agents-individual animals or robots. Recently, there has been much progress in exploiting the complementary nature of the two disciplines: biology and robotics. This, unfortunately, is still uncommon in swarm research. Specifically, there are very few examples of joint research programs that investigate multiple biological and synthetic agents concomitantly. Here we present a novel research tool, enabling a unique, tightly integrated, bio-inspired, and robot-assisted study of major questions in swarm collective motion. Utilizing a quintessential model of collective behavior-locust nymphs and our recently developed Nymbots (locust-inspired robots)-we focus on fundamental questions and gaps in the scientific understanding of swarms, providing novel interdisciplinary insights and sharing ideas disciplines. The Nymbot-Locust bio-hybrid swarm enables the investigation of biology hypotheses that would be otherwise difficult, or even impossible to test, and to discover technological insights that might otherwise remain hidden from view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Ayali
- School of Zoology, Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gal A. Kaminka
- Department of Computer Science and Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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Romano D, Benelli G, Stefanini C. How aggressive interactions with biomimetic agents optimize reproductive performances in mass-reared males of the Mediterranean fruit fly. BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2023:10.1007/s00422-023-00965-w. [PMID: 37256317 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-023-00965-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Mass-rearing procedures of insect species, often used in biological control and Sterile Insect Technique, can reduce the insects competitiveness in foraging, dispersal, and mating. The evocation of certain behaviours responsible to induce specific neuroendocrine products may restore or improve the competitiveness of mass-reared individuals. Herein, we used a mass-reared strain of Ceratitis capitata as model organism. C. capitata is a polyphagous pest exhibiting territorial displays that are closely related to its reproductive performance. We tested if the behaviour of C. capitata males could be altered by hybrid aggressive interactions with a conspecific-mimicking robotic fly, leading to more competitive individuals in subsequent mating events. Aggressive interactions with the robotic fly had a notable effect on subsequent courtship and mating sequences of males that performed longer courtship displays compared to naïve individuals. Furthermore, previous interactions with the robotic fly produced a higher mating success of males. Reproductive performances of C. capitata males may be improved by specific octopaminergic neurones activated during previous aggressive interactions with the robotic fly. This study adds fundamental knowledge on the potential role of specific neuro-behavioural processes in the ecology of tephritid species and paves the way to innovative biotechnological control methods based on robotics and bionics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donato Romano
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025, Pontedera, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Giovanni Benelli
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Cesare Stefanini
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025, Pontedera, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127, Pisa, Italy
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Maxeiner M, Hocke M, Moenck HJ, Gebhardt GHW, Weimar N, Musiolek L, Krause J, Bierbach D, Landgraf T. Social competence improves the performance of biomimetic robots leading live fish. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2023; 18. [PMID: 37015241 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/acca59] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Collective motion is commonly modeled with static interaction rules between agents. Substantial empirical evidence indicates, however, that animals may adapt their interaction rules depending on a variety of factors and social contexts. Here, we hypothesized that leadership performance is linked to the leader's responsiveness to the follower's actions and we predicted that a leader is followed longer if it adapts to the follower's avoidance movements. We tested this prediction with live guppies that interacted with a biomimetic robotic fish programmed to act as a 'socially competent' leader. Fish that were avoiding the robot were approached more carefully in future approaches. In two separate experiments we then asked how the leadership performance of the socially competent robot leader differed to that of a robot leader that either approached all fish in the same, non-responsive, way or one that did change its approach behavior randomly, irrespective of the fish's actions. We found that (1) behavioral variability itself appears attractive and that socially competent robots are better leaders which (2) require fewer approach attempts to (3) elicit longer average following behavior than non-competent agents. This work provides evidence that social responsiveness to avoidance reactions plays a role in the social dynamics of guppies. We showcase how social responsiveness can be modeled and tested directly embedded in a living animal model using adaptive, interactive robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Maxeiner
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mathis Hocke
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke J Moenck
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gregor H W Gebhardt
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Computational Systems Neuroscience, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Nils Weimar
- Institute of Zoology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Lea Musiolek
- Department of Computer Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence 'Science of Intelligence', Technical University of Berlin, Marchstrasse 23, 10587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jens Krause
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence 'Science of Intelligence', Technical University of Berlin, Marchstrasse 23, 10587 Berlin, Germany
| | - David Bierbach
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence 'Science of Intelligence', Technical University of Berlin, Marchstrasse 23, 10587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Tim Landgraf
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence 'Science of Intelligence', Technical University of Berlin, Marchstrasse 23, 10587 Berlin, Germany
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A Bioinspired Cownose Ray Robot for Seabed Exploration. Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:biomimetics8010030. [PMID: 36648816 PMCID: PMC9844324 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8010030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
This article presents the design and the experimental tests of a bioinspired robot mimicking the cownose ray. These fish swim by moving their large and flat pectoral fins, creating a wave that pushes backward the surrounding water so that the fish is propelled forward due to momentum conservation. The robot inspired by these animals has a rigid central body, housing motors, batteries, and electronics, and flexible pectoral fins made of silicone rubber. Each of them is actuated by a servomotor driving a link inside the leading edge, and the traveling wave is reproduced thanks to the flexibility of the fin itself. In addition to the pectoral fins, two small rigid caudal fins are present to improve the robot's maneuverability. The robot has been designed, built, and tested underwater, and the experiments have shown that the locomotion principle is valid and that the robot is able to swim forward, perform left and right turns, and do floating or diving maneuvers.
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Design and control of soft biomimetic pangasius fish robot using fin ray effect and reinforcement learning. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21861. [PMID: 36529776 PMCID: PMC9760642 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26179-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Soft robots provide a pathway to accurately mimic biological creatures and be integrated into their environment with minimal invasion or disruption to their ecosystem. These robots made from soft deforming materials possess structural properties and behaviors similar to the bodies and organs of living creatures. However, they are difficult to develop in terms of integrated actuation and sensing, accurate modeling, and precise control. This article presents a soft-rigid hybrid robotic fish inspired by the Pangasius fish. The robot employs a flexible fin ray tail structure driven by a servo motor, to act as the soft body of the robot and provide the undulatory motion to the caudal fin of the fish. To address the modeling and control challenges, reinforcement learning (RL) is proposed as a model-free control strategy for the robot fish to swim and reach a specified target goal. By training and investigating the RL through experiments on real hardware, we illustrate the capability of the fish to learn and achieve the required task.
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Progresses of animal robots: A historical review and perspectiveness. Heliyon 2022; 8:e11499. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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