On the Problem of the Evolutionary Origin of Schooling Behavior of Fish

Kasumyan, A. O.; Pavlov, D. S.

doi:10.1134/s0032945223070135

Cited by 2 publications

References 75 publications

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Mechanisms of Social Behavior in the Anti-Social Blind Cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus)

Sekulovski,

Miller

2024

Preprint

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The evolution of social behavior in Astyanax mexicanus, which exists as a sighted, surface-dwelling morph and a blind, cave-dwelling morph, provides a model for understanding how environmental pressures shape social behaviors. We compared the shoaling behavior of blind and surface A. mexicanus to that of zebrafish (Danio rerio), and examined the effects of nutritional state and the neuropeptides isotocin (IT) and arginine vasotocin (AVT) on their social behavior. Blind cavefish not only fail to form shoals, but actively avoid conspecifics, with hunger further diminishing their social cohesion. Administration of low doses of AVT and an IT antagonist partially restored social behavior in blind cavefish, reducing distances between individuals, whereas surface fish exhibited minimal or opposite responses to these hormonal manipulations. Our findings suggest that the loss of schooling behavior in blind cavefish is not a consequence of visual impairment alone, as they remain capable of detecting and responding to others. Instead, this behavior likely reflects an adaptive response to their resource-poor, predator- free cave environment, where shoaling may be disadvantageous. The differing responses to social hormones between the morphs indicate that blind cavefish may have lost the motivation to shoal rather than the ability, highlighting how ecological pressures can shape social behavior.

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Mechanisms of Social Behavior in the Anti-Social Blind Cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus)

Sekulovski,

Miller

2024

Preprint

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Schooling Fish from a New, Multimodal Sensory Perspective

Larsson

2024

Animals

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The acoustic hypothesis suggests that schooling can result in several benefits. (1) The acoustic pattern (AP) (pressure waves and other water movements) produced by swimming are likely to serve as signals within fish shoals, communicating useful spatial and temporal information between school members, enabling synchronized locomotion and influencing join, stay or leave decisions and shoal assortment. (2) Schooling is likely to reduce the masking of environmental signals, e.g., by auditory grouping, and fish may achieve windows of silence by simultaneously stopping their movements. (3) A solitary swimming fish produces an uncomplicated AP that will give a nearby predator’s lateral line organ (LLO) excellent information, but, if extra fish join, they will produce increasingly complex and indecipherable APs. (4) Fishes swimming close to one another will also blur the electrosensory system (ESS) of predators. Since predators use multimodal information, and since information from the LLO and the ESS is more important than vision in many situations, schooling fish may acquire increased survival by confusing these sensory systems. The combined effects of such predator confusion and other acoustical benefits may contribute to why schooling became an adaptive success. A model encompassing the complex effects of synchronized group locomotion on LLO and ESS perception might increase the understanding of schooling behavior.

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On the Problem of the Evolutionary Origin of Schooling Behavior of Fish

Cited by 2 publications

References 75 publications

Mechanisms of Social Behavior in the Anti-Social Blind Cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus)

Mechanisms of Social Behavior in the Anti-Social Blind Cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus)

Schooling Fish from a New, Multimodal Sensory Perspective

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