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Brönmark C, Hellström G, Baktoft H, Hansson LA, McCallum ES, Nilsson PA, Skov C, Brodin T, Hulthén K. Ponds as experimental arenas for studying animal movement: current research and future prospects. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:68. [PMID: 37880741 PMCID: PMC10601242 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00419-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Animal movement is a multifaceted process that occurs for multiple reasons with powerful consequences for food web and ecosystem dynamics. New paradigms and technical innovations have recently pervaded the field, providing increasingly powerful means to deliver fine-scale movement data, attracting renewed interest. Specifically in the aquatic environment, tracking with acoustic telemetry now provides integral spatiotemporal information to follow individual movements in the wild. Yet, this technology also holds great promise for experimental studies, enhancing our ability to truly establish cause-and-effect relationships. Here, we argue that ponds with well-defined borders (i.e. "islands in a sea of land") are particularly well suited for this purpose. To support our argument, we also discuss recent experiences from studies conducted in an innovative experimental infrastructure, composed of replicated ponds equipped with modern aquatic telemetry systems that allow for unparalleled insights into the movement patterns of individual animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christer Brönmark
- Department of Biology-Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Ecology building, Sölvegatan 37 223 62, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Gustav Hellström
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, 90183, Sweden
| | - Henrik Baktoft
- National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Lars-Anders Hansson
- Department of Biology-Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Ecology building, Sölvegatan 37 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Erin S McCallum
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, 90183, Sweden
| | - P Anders Nilsson
- Department of Biology-Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Ecology building, Sölvegatan 37 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Christian Skov
- National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Tomas Brodin
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, 90183, Sweden
| | - Kaj Hulthén
- Department of Biology-Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Ecology building, Sölvegatan 37 223 62, Lund, Sweden.
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2
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Hansen MJ, Domenici P, Bartashevich P, Burns A, Krause J. Mechanisms of group-hunting in vertebrates. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1687-1711. [PMID: 37199232 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12973] [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: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Group-hunting is ubiquitous across animal taxa and has received considerable attention in the context of its functions. By contrast much less is known about the mechanisms by which grouping predators hunt their prey. This is primarily due to a lack of experimental manipulation alongside logistical difficulties quantifying the behaviour of multiple predators at high spatiotemporal resolution as they search, select, and capture wild prey. However, the use of new remote-sensing technologies and a broadening of the focal taxa beyond apex predators provides researchers with a great opportunity to discern accurately how multiple predators hunt together and not just whether doing so provides hunters with a per capita benefit. We incorporate many ideas from collective behaviour and locomotion throughout this review to make testable predictions for future researchers and pay particular attention to the role that computer simulation can play in a feedback loop with empirical data collection. Our review of the literature showed that the breadth of predator:prey size ratios among the taxa that can be considered to hunt as a group is very large (<100 to >102 ). We therefore synthesised the literature with respect to these predator:prey ratios and found that they promoted different hunting mechanisms. Additionally, these different hunting mechanisms are also related to particular stages of the hunt (search, selection, capture) and thus we structure our review in accordance with these two factors (stage of the hunt and predator:prey size ratio). We identify several novel group-hunting mechanisms which are largely untested, particularly under field conditions, and we also highlight a range of potential study organisms that are amenable to experimental testing of these mechanisms in connection with tracking technology. We believe that a combination of new hypotheses, study systems and methodological approaches should help push the field of group-hunting in new directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Hansen
- Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
| | - Paolo Domenici
- IBF-CNR, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Area di Ricerca San Cataldo, Via G. Moruzzi No. 1, Pisa, 56124, Italy
- IAS-CNR, Località Sa Mardini, Torregrande, Oristano, 09170, Italy
| | - Palina Bartashevich
- Faculty of Life Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, Berlin, 10115, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Science of Intelligence," Technical University of Berlin, Marchstr. 23, Berlin, 10587, Germany
| | - Alicia Burns
- Faculty of Life Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, Berlin, 10115, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Science of Intelligence," Technical University of Berlin, Marchstr. 23, Berlin, 10587, Germany
| | - Jens Krause
- Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Faculty of Life Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, Berlin, 10115, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Science of Intelligence," Technical University of Berlin, Marchstr. 23, Berlin, 10587, Germany
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3
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Paz A, Holt KJ, Clarke A, Aviles A, Abraham B, Keene AC, Duboué ER, Fily Y, Kowalko JE. Changes in local interaction rules during ontogeny underlie the evolution of collective behavior. iScience 2023; 26:107431. [PMID: 37636065 PMCID: PMC10448030 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Collective motion emerges from individual interactions which produce group-wide patterns in behavior. While adaptive changes to collective motion are observed across animal species, how local interactions change when these collective behaviors evolve is poorly understood. Here, we use the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, which exists as a schooling surface form and a non-schooling cave form, to study differences in how fish alter their swimming in response to neighbors across ontogeny and between evolutionarily diverged populations. We find that surface fish undergo a transition to schooling mediated by changes in the way fish modulate speed and turning relative to neighbors. This transition begins with the tendency to align to neighbors emerging by 28 days post-fertilization and ends with the emergence of robust attraction by 70 days post-fertilization. Cavefish exhibit neither alignment nor attraction at any stage of development. These results reveal how evolution alters local interactions to produce striking differences in collective behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Paz
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Karla J. Holt
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Anik Clarke
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Ari Aviles
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Briana Abraham
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Alex C. Keene
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M, College Station, TX 77840, USA
| | - Erik R. Duboué
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Yaouen Fily
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Johanna E. Kowalko
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
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4
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Ioannou CC, Laskowski KL. A multi-scale review of the dynamics of collective behaviour: from rapid responses to ontogeny and evolution. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220059. [PMID: 36802782 PMCID: PMC9939272 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0059] [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: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Collective behaviours, such as flocking in birds or decision making by bee colonies, are some of the most intriguing behavioural phenomena in the animal kingdom. The study of collective behaviour focuses on the interactions between individuals within groups, which typically occur over close ranges and short timescales, and how these interactions drive larger scale properties such as group size, information transfer within groups and group-level decision making. To date, however, most studies have focused on snapshots, typically studying collective behaviour over short timescales up to minutes or hours. However, being a biological trait, much longer timescales are important in animal collective behaviour, particularly how individuals change over their lifetime (the domain of developmental biology) and how individuals change from one generation to the next (the domain of evolutionary biology). Here, we give an overview of collective behaviour across timescales from the short to the long, illustrating how a full understanding of this behaviour in animals requires much more research attention on its developmental and evolutionary biology. Our review forms the prologue of this special issue, which addresses and pushes forward understanding the development and evolution of collective behaviour, encouraging a new direction for collective behaviour research. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kate L. Laskowski
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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5
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Ogino M, Strauss ED, Farine DR. Challenges of mismatching timescales in longitudinal studies of collective behaviour. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220064. [PMID: 36802775 PMCID: PMC9939264 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
How individuals' prior experience and population evolutionary history shape emergent patterns in animal collectives remains a major gap in the study of collective behaviour. One reason for this is that the processes that can shape individual contributions to collective actions can happen over very different timescales from each other and from the collective actions themselves, resulting in mismatched timescales. For example, a preference to move towards a specific patch might arise from phenotype, memory or physiological state. Although providing critical context to collective actions, bridging different timescales remains conceptually and methodologically challenging. Here, we briefly outline some of these challenges, and discuss existing approaches that have already generated insights into the factors shaping individual contributions in animal collectives. We then explore a case study of mismatching timescales-defining relevant group membership-by combining fine-scaled GPS tracking data and daily field census data from a wild population of vulturine guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum). We show that applying different temporal definitions can produce different assignments of individuals into groups. These assignments can then have consequences when determining individuals' social history, and thus the conclusions we might draw on the impacts of the social environment on collective actions. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Ogino
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Eli D. Strauss
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitatsstrasse 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, 104 Natural Science Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1115, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
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6
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Paz A, Holt KJ, Clarke A, Aviles A, Abraham B, Keene AC, Duboué ER, Fily Y, Kowalko JE. Changes in local interaction rules during ontogeny underlie the evolution of collective behavior. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.28.534467. [PMID: 37034671 PMCID: PMC10081253 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.28.534467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Collective motion emerges from individual interactions which produce groupwide patterns in behavior. While adaptive changes to collective motion are observed across animal species, how local interactions change when these collective behaviors evolve is poorly understood. Here, we use the Mexican tetra, A. mexicanus, which exists as a schooling surface form and a non-schooling cave form, to study differences in how fish alter their swimming in response to neighbors across ontogeny and between evolutionarily diverged populations. We find that surface fish undergo a transition to schooling during development that occurs through increases in inter-individual alignment and attraction mediated by changes in the way fish modulate speed and turning relative to neighbors. Cavefish, which have evolved loss of schooling, exhibit neither of these schooling-promoting interactions at any stage of development. These results reveal how evolution alters local interaction rules to produce striking differences in collective behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Paz
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter FL
| | - Karla J. Holt
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter FL
| | - Anik Clarke
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter FL
| | - Ari Aviles
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter FL
| | - Briana Abraham
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter FL
| | | | - Erik R. Duboué
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter FL
| | - Yaouen Fily
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter FL
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7
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Personality variation is eroded by simple social behaviours in collective foragers. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010908. [PMID: 36862622 PMCID: PMC9980820 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The movement of groups can be heavily influenced by 'leader' individuals who differ from the others in some way. A major source of differences between individuals is the repeatability and consistency of their behaviour, commonly considered as their 'personality', which can influence both position within a group as well as the tendency to lead. However, links between personality and behaviour may also depend upon the immediate social environment of the individual; individuals who behave consistently in one way when alone may not express the same behaviour socially, when they may be conforming with the behaviour of others. Experimental evidence shows that personality differences can be eroded in social situations, but there is currently a lack of theory to identify the conditions where we would expect personality to be suppressed. Here, we develop a simple individual-based framework considering a small group of individuals with differing tendencies to perform risky behaviours when travelling away from a safe home site towards a foraging site, and compare the group behaviours when the individuals follow differing rules for aggregation behaviour determining how much attention they pay to the actions of their fellow group-members. We find that if individuals pay attention to the other members of the group, the group will tend to remain at the safe site for longer, but then travel faster towards the foraging site. This demonstrates that simple social behaviours can result in the repression of consistent inter-individual differences in behaviour, giving the first theoretical consideration of the social mechanisms behind personality suppression.
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8
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Davis GH, Crofoot MC, Farine DR. Using optimal foraging theory to infer how groups make collective decisions. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:942-952. [PMID: 35842325 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Studying animal behavior as collective phenomena is a powerful tool for understanding social processes, including group coordination and decision-making. However, linking individual behavior during group decision-making to the preferences underlying those actions poses a considerable challenge. Optimal foraging theory, and specifically the marginal value theorem (MVT), can provide predictions about individual preferences, against which the behavior of groups can be compared under different models of influence. A major strength of formally linking optimal foraging theory to collective behavior is that it generates predictions that can easily be tested under field conditions. This opens the door to studying group decision-making in a range of species; a necessary step for revealing the ecological drivers and evolutionary consequences of collective decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace H Davis
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, Panama; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany; Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Margaret C Crofoot
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, Panama; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany; Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany; Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
| | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany; Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
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9
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Patch A, Paz A, Holt KJ, Duboué ER, Keene AC, Kowalko JE, Fily Y. Kinematic analysis of social interactions deconstructs the evolved loss of schooling behavior in cavefish. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265894. [PMID: 35385509 PMCID: PMC8985933 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fish display a remarkable diversity of social behaviors, both within and between species. While social behaviors are likely critical for survival, surprisingly little is known about how they evolve in response to changing environmental pressures. With its highly social surface form and multiple populations of a largely asocial, blind, cave-dwelling form, the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, provides a powerful model to study the evolution of social behavior. Here we use motion tracking and analysis of swimming kinematics to quantify social swimming in four Astyanax mexicanus populations. In the light, surface fish school, maintaining both close proximity and alignment with each other. In the dark, surface fish no longer form coherent schools, however, they still show evidence of an attempt to align and maintain proximity when they find themselves near another fish. In contrast, cavefish from three independently-evolved populations (Pachón, Molino, Tinaja) show little preference for proximity or alignment, instead exhibiting behaviors that suggest active avoidance of each other. Two of the three cave populations we studied also slow down when more fish are present in the tank, a behavior which is not observed in surface fish in light or the dark, suggesting divergent responses to conspecifics. Using data-driven computer simulations, we show that the observed reduction in swimming speed is sufficient to alter the way fish explore their environment: it can increase time spent exploring away from the walls. Thus, the absence of schooling in cavefish is not merely a consequence of their inability to see, but may rather be a genuine behavioral adaptation that impacts the way they explore their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Patch
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States of America
| | - Alexandra Paz
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States of America
| | - Karla J. Holt
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States of America
| | - Erik R. Duboué
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States of America
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States of America
| | - Alex C. Keene
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of America
| | - Johanna E. Kowalko
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, United States of America
| | - Yaouen Fily
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States of America
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10
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Burford BP, Williams RR, Demetras NJ, Carey N, Goldbogen J, Gilly WF, Harding J, Denny MW. The limits of convergence in the collective behavior of competing marine taxa. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8747. [PMID: 35356556 PMCID: PMC8939367 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Collective behaviors in biological systems such as coordinated movements have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. While many studies examine within-species variation in collective behavior, explicit comparisons between functionally similar species from different taxonomic groups are rare. Therefore, a fundamental question remains: how do collective behaviors compare between taxa with morphological and physiological convergence, and how might this relate to functional ecology and niche partitioning? We examined the collective motion of two ecologically similar species from unrelated clades that have competed for pelagic predatory niches for over 500 million years-California market squid, Doryteuthis opalescens (Mollusca) and Pacific sardine, Sardinops sagax (Chordata). We (1) found similarities in how groups of individuals from each species collectively aligned, measured by angular deviation, the difference between individual orientation and average group heading. We also (2) show that conspecific attraction, which we approximated using nearest neighbor distance, was greater in sardine than squid. Finally, we (3) found that individuals of each species explicitly matched the orientation of groupmates, but that these matching responses were less rapid in squid than sardine. Based on these results, we hypothesize that information sharing is a comparably important function of social grouping for both taxa. On the other hand, some capabilities, including hydrodynamically conferred energy savings and defense against predators, could stem from taxon-specific biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin P. Burford
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford UniversityPacific GroveCaliforniaUSA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Marine Fisheries ServiceSouthwest Fisheries Science CenterUniversity of California Santa CruzSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Nicholas J. Demetras
- Institute of Marine Sciences, affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Marine Fisheries ServiceSouthwest Fisheries Science CenterUniversity of California Santa CruzSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
| | - Nicholas Carey
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford UniversityPacific GroveCaliforniaUSA
- Marine Scotland ScienceAberdeenUK
| | - Jeremy Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford UniversityPacific GroveCaliforniaUSA
| | - William F. Gilly
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford UniversityPacific GroveCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jeffrey Harding
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Marine Fisheries ServiceSouthwest Fisheries Science CenterSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
| | - Mark W. Denny
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford UniversityPacific GroveCaliforniaUSA
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11
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MacGregor HEA, Ioannou CC. Collective motion diminishes, but variation between groups emerges, through time in fish shoals. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210655. [PMID: 34703618 PMCID: PMC8527212 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Despite extensive interest in the dynamic interactions between individuals that drive collective motion in animal groups, the dynamics of collective motion over longer time frames are understudied. Using three-spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, randomly assigned to 12 shoals of eight fish, we tested how six key traits of collective motion changed over shorter (within trials) and longer (between days) timescales under controlled laboratory conditions. Over both timescales, groups became less social with reduced cohesion, polarization, group speed and information transfer. There was consistent inter-group variation (i.e. collective personality variation) for all collective motion parameters, but groups also differed in how their collective motion changed over days in their cohesion, polarization, group speed and information transfer. This magnified differences between groups, suggesting that over time the 'typical' collective motion cannot be easily characterized. Future studies are needed to understand whether such between-group differences in changes over time are adaptive and represent improvements in group performance or are suboptimal but represent a compromise between individuals in their preferences for the characteristics of collective behaviour.
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12
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Hansen M, Burns A, Monk C, Schutz C, Lizier J, Ramnarine I, Ward A, Krause J. The effect of predation risk on group behaviour and information flow during repeated collective decisions. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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13
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Vega-Trejo R, Boussard A, Wallander L, Estival E, Buechel SD, Kotrschal A, Kolm N. Artificial selection for schooling behaviour and its effects on associative learning abilities. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb235093. [PMID: 33139392 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.235093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of collective behaviour has been proposed to have important effects on individual cognitive abilities. Yet, in what way they are related remains enigmatic. In this context, the 'distributed cognition' hypothesis suggests that reliance on other group members relaxes selection for individual cognitive abilities. Here, we tested how cognitive processes respond to evolutionary changes in collective motion using replicate lines of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) artificially selected for the degree of schooling behaviour (group polarization) with >15% difference in schooling propensity. We assessed associative learning in females of these selection lines in a series of cognitive assays: colour associative learning, reversal learning, social associative learning, and individual and collective spatial associative learning. We found that control females were faster than polarization-selected females at fulfilling a learning criterion only in the colour associative learning assay, but they were also less likely to reach a learning criterion in the individual spatial associative learning assay. Hence, although testing several cognitive domains, we found weak support for the distributed cognition hypothesis. We propose that any cognitive implications of selection for collective behaviour lie outside of the cognitive abilities included in food-motivated associative learning for visual and spatial cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina Vega-Trejo
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Annika Boussard
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lotta Wallander
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elisa Estival
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Séverine D Buechel
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alexander Kotrschal
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Animal Sciences: Behavioural Ecology, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 WD Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
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Effects of multiple stressors on fish shoal collective motion are independent and vary with shoaling metric. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Herbert-Read JE, Wade ASI, Ramnarine IW, Ioannou CC. Collective decision-making appears more egalitarian in populations where group fission costs are higher. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190556. [PMID: 31847746 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Collective decision-making is predicted to be more egalitarian in conditions where the costs of group fission are higher. Here, we ask whether Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) living in high or low predation environments, and thereby facing differential group fission costs, make collective decisions in line with this prediction. Using a classic decision-making scenario, we found that fish from high predation environments switched their positions within groups more frequently than fish from low predation environments. Because the relative positions individuals adopt in moving groups can influence their contribution towards group decisions, increased positional switching appears to support the prediction of more evenly distributed decision-making in populations where group fission costs are higher. In an agent-based model, we further identified that more frequent, asynchronous updating of individuals' positions could explain increased positional switching, as was observed in fish from high predation environments. Our results are consistent with theoretical predictions about the structure of collective decision-making and the adaptability of social decision-rules in the face of different environmental contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- J E Herbert-Read
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Biology, Aquatic Ecology Unit, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - A S I Wade
- School of Biological Sciences, Bristol University, Bristol, UK
| | - I W Ramnarine
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - C C Ioannou
- School of Biological Sciences, Bristol University, Bristol, UK
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