Fish in a ring: spatio-temporal pattern formation in one-dimensional animal groups

Abstract

In this work, we study the collective behaviour of fish shoals in annular domains. Shoal mates are modelled as self-propelled particles moving on a discrete lattice. Collective decisionmaking is determined by information exchange among neighbours. Neighbourhoods are specified using the perceptual limit and numerosity of fish. Fish self-propulsion and obedience to group decisions are described through random variables. Spatio-temporal schooling patterns are measured using coarse observables adapted from the literature on coupled oscillator networks and features of the time-varying network describing the fish-to-fish information exchange. Experiments on zebrafish schooling in an annular tank are used to validate the model. Effects of group size and obedience parameter on coarse observables and network features are explored to understand the implications of perceptual numerosity and spatial density on fish schooling. The proposed model is also compared with a more traditional metric model, in which the numerosity constraint is released and fish interactions depend only on physical configurations. Comparison shows that the topological regime on which the proposed model is constructed allows for interpreting characteristic behaviours observed in the experimental study that are not captured by the metric model.

Closed-loop interactions between a shoal of zebrafish and a group of robotic fish in a circular corridor

“…1). This is a common setup to study the collective behavior of fish (Abaid and Porfiri 2010;Jiang et al 2017) and offers a binary choice for the fish, as they can either move in a clockwise direction (CW) or a counterclockwise (CCW), which will be used to evaluate the effect of the robots on the collective decisions of the fish. The dimensions of the corridor were as follows: an external diameter of 58 cm, an internal diameter of 38 cm, and a corridor's width of 10 cm.…”

Collective behavior and predation success in a predator-prey model inspired by hunting bats

“…,N, is x k (t) ∈ R 3 and its velocity vector is v k (t) ∈ R 3 . The position update for prey is the same as above for predators in (1). A schematic of the model geometry is shown in Fig.…”

“…Collective behavior is a striking phenomenon observed in animals of diverse species, such as fish swimming in schools [1], birds flying in flocks [2], ants forming organized lanes [3], and mosquitoes flying in swarms [4]. This social behavior is known to provide a variety of benefits for individuals.…”

Follow the dummy: Measuring the influence of a biomimetic robotic fish-lure on the collective decisions of a zebrafish shoal inside a circular corridor

“…This setup offers a binary choice for the fish because they can either move in the clockwise (CW) or counter-clockwise (CCW) direction. It is also a known setup to study the shoaling formation of zebrafish [22] or rummy-nose tetra Hemigrammus rhodostomus [23]. A coaxial motor is used to actuate two blades to move one or more lures inside the corridor, either CW or CCW.…”