Collective motion diminishes, but variation between groups emerges, through time in fish shoals
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,...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Royal Society
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.210655 |
| _version_ | 1818348845527990272 |
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| author | Hannah E. A. MacGregor Christos C. Ioannou |
| author_facet | Hannah E. A. MacGregor Christos C. Ioannou |
| author_sort | Hannah E. A. MacGregor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T17:56:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-66fc454f29494b02a90806b7860d0f68 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T17:56:32Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-66fc454f29494b02a90806b7860d0f682022-12-21T23:36:22ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032021-10-0181010.1098/rsos.210655Collective motion diminishes, but variation between groups emerges, through time in fish shoalsHannah E. A. MacGregor0Christos C. Ioannou1School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 ITQ, UKSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 ITQ, UKDespite 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.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.210655collective personalityrepeatabilityplasticityreaction norm |
| spellingShingle | Hannah E. A. MacGregor Christos C. Ioannou Collective motion diminishes, but variation between groups emerges, through time in fish shoals Royal Society Open Science collective personality repeatability plasticity reaction norm |
| title | Collective motion diminishes, but variation between groups emerges, through time in fish shoals |
| title_full | Collective motion diminishes, but variation between groups emerges, through time in fish shoals |
| title_fullStr | Collective motion diminishes, but variation between groups emerges, through time in fish shoals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Collective motion diminishes, but variation between groups emerges, through time in fish shoals |
| title_short | Collective motion diminishes, but variation between groups emerges, through time in fish shoals |
| title_sort | collective motion diminishes but variation between groups emerges through time in fish shoals |
| topic | collective personality repeatability plasticity reaction norm |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.210655 |
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