Social learning of escape routes in zebrafish and the stability of behavioural traditions

Social Learning in Fishes

“…utilisation of the previously demonstrated route when equally viable alternatives were available). Lindeyer & Reader (2010) achieved equivalent results with zebrafish (Danio rerio). Similar experiments carried out on natural populations of Trinidadian guppies in situ found that even in the absence of demonstrators the route preference was maintained (Reader et al 2003;Fig.…”

“…Magurran & Higham (1988) reported that minnows (P. phoxinus) decreased their activity (an antipredatory response to reduce conspicuousness) after observing the startle responses of predator-inspecting group mates, indicating that antipredator information is transmitted between individuals. Moreover, investigations into the avoidance responses of guppies and zebrafish to artificial predators (Sugita 1980;Brown & Laland 2002a;Lindeyer & Reader 2010) suggest that the learning of specific antipredator behaviour is possible. Sugita (1980) found that guppies (Poecilia reticulata, Poeciliidae) learn to avoid an electric shock by following demonstrator fish into one of two safe compartments in a shuttle box.…”

Experimental identification of social learning in wild animals

“…Is the capacity to learn socially an adaptive specialization, or does much social learning result from the by-products of other behavior, such as grouping (van der Post & Hogeweg, 2006)? For example, differences in the social learning of escape routes between wild guppies, domesticated zebrafish (Danio rerio ( ( ), and domesticated guppies may reflect differences in grouping tendencies (Brown & Laland, 2002;Lindeyer & Reader, 2010;Reader et al, 2003). Similarly, local foraging conditions can result in learned preferences for particular conspecific versus heterospecific tutors (Carlier & Lefebvre, 1997;Dolman, Templeton, & Lefebvre, 1996).…”

Mind the fish: zebrafish as a model in cognitive social neuroscience

“…More recently, it has been shown that zebrafish can learn escape routes from trained demonstrators, and that the presence of demonstrators in groups of naïve individuals increased the escape response (i.e., escaped faster) from an approaching trawl. Moreover, observers successfully became demonstrators for further groups of naïve fish and escape responses were experimentally propagated across three generations of social learning (Lindeyer and Reader, 2010). Interestingly, route traditions (i.e., preference for a particular escape route) were not kept along the chain of social transmission, suggesting a mechanism of social facilitation that increases escape response without learning the specific route followed by the demonstrator.…”