Mechanisms underlying shoal composition in the Trinidadian guppy, <i>Poecilia reticulata</i>

Croft, Darren P.; Arrowsmith, Bethany. J.; Bielby, Jon; Skinner, Kalin; White, Elizabeth M.; Couzin, Iain D.; Magurran, Anne E.; Ramnarine, Indar W.; Krause, Jens

doi:10.1034/j.1600-0706.2003.12023.x

Cited by 205 publications

(223 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Although we find support for complex movement rules, we considered only a single, relatively small group size of 10 individuals (although this falls well within the normal range of shoal sizes found in the wild for this species [54]). Theoretical work predicts that group size and density may be important in determining the best movement rule to follow, with simpler rules favoured when shoals are larger and the individuals within them are more dispersed [16].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Selfish herds’ of guppies follow complex movement rules, but not when information is limited

Kimbell¹,

Morrell²

2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Under the threat of predation, animals can decrease their level of risk by moving towards other individuals to form compact groups. A significant body of theoretical work has proposed multiple movement rules, varying in complexity, which might underlie this process of aggregation. However, if and how animals use these rules to form compact groups is still not well understood, and how environmental factors affect the use of these rules even less so. Here, we evaluate the success of different movement rules, by comparing their predictions with the movement seen when shoals of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) form under the threat of predation. We repeated the experiment in a turbid environment to assess how the use of the movement rules changed when visual information is reduced. During a simulated predator attack, guppies in clear water used complex rules that took multiple neighbours into account, forming compact groups. In turbid water, the difference between all rule predictions and fish movement paths increased, particularly for complex rules, and the resulting shoals were more fragmented than in clear water. We conclude that guppies are able to use complex rules to form dense aggregations, but that environmental factors can limit their ability to do so.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Selfish herds’ of guppies follow complex movement rules, but not when information is limited

Kimbell¹,

Morrell²

2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…Our results show that females can use a similar strategy, associating with individuals based on sexual attractiveness, but in this case, reducing their attractiveness to males (and thereby male harassment) by choosing social partners within a shoal that are more attractive than themselves. In guppies, shoal composition is very dynamic, with males joining and leaving shoals on a time scale of seconds [16]. Under these conditions, females are not able to avoid encounters with males and males will harass both receptive and non-receptive females.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We predict that female guppies can reduce male attention by making association decisions based on social partner attractiveness; that is, given that they will encounter males on a regular basis [16], they can reduce the male attention they receive by choosing to partner with the more sexually attractive, receptive females in the shoal. We expect that non-receptive females will show a strong preference for receptive social partners, but that this preference will be weaker, or perhaps even absent, in receptive females as they show interest in male sexual behaviour and therefore are not likely to be attempting to reduce male attention [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It lives in fission -fusion societies, where females form small shoals that are continuously investigated by males that move from shoal to shoal looking for mates [16,17]. Female guppies are highly receptive to male sexual behaviour when they are virgins and several days each month just after parturition [18], at which time they emit chemical cues that attract males and stimulate male sexual activity [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social preferences based on sexual attractiveness: a female strategy to reduce male sexual attention

et al. 2011

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Male sexual harassment of females is common across sexually reproducing species and can result in fitness costs to females. We hypothesized that females can reduce unwanted male attention by constructing a social niche where their female associates are more sexually attractive than themselves, thus influencing the decision-making of males to their advantage. We tested this hypothesis in the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata), a species with high levels of male sexual harassment. First, we confirmed that nonreceptive females were harassed less when they were paired with a more sexually attractive (receptive) female than with another non-receptive female. We then found that, indeed, females exploit this as a strategy to reduce sexual harassment; non-receptive females actively preferred to associate with receptive over non-receptive females. Importantly, when given access only to chemosensory cues, non-receptive females still showed this preference, suggesting that they use information from chemical cues to assess the sexual attractiveness of potential female partners. Receptive females in contrast showed no such preferences. Our results demonstrate that females can decrease male harassment by associating with females that are more sexually attractive than themselves and that they perform active partner choices based on this relative attractiveness. We propose that this strategy is likely to represent an important pathway by which females can construct social niches that influence the decision-making of others to their advantage; in this case, to reduce the sexual harassment they experience.

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“…Persistent associations were present in this population between pairs of females even after accounting for body-size preferences, suggesting shoaling decisions could be based on active partner choice. These associations persisted over several days, despite the fact that guppy shoals disperse at night and reform anew each morning (Croft et al, 2003). While a preference for familiar individuals had been demonstrated in guppies under laboratory conditions using binary choice trials (Griffiths & Magurran, 1997), Croft et al (2004) provided compelling evidence that such preferences can also be expressed in wild populations.…”

Section: The Advent Of Modern Social Network Analysis In Nonhuman Sysmentioning

confidence: 91%

Social dynamics, network structure, and information diffusion in fish shoals.

Hasenjager¹

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for always ensuring my library was well-stocked, and for fostering my enduring love of the natural world. Animal populations are often highly structured, with individuals differing in terms of whom they interact with and how frequently they do so. The resulting pattern of relationships constitutes a population's social network. In this dissertation, I examine how environmental variation can shape social networks and influence information flow within them. In Chapter I, I review the history of social network analysis in animal behavior research, and discuss recent insights generated by network approaches in behavioral ecology. I focus on the fields of: social learning, collective behavior, animal personalities, and cooperation. Animal network studies are often criticized for a lack of replication at the network level and an over-reliance on descriptive approaches in lieu of hypothesis testing. Small, shoaling fish may provide a means to address these concerns, as manipulative experiments can be conducted on replicate social groups under captive conditions. Chapters III-V examine the impacts of environmental variation on the social networks of Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) shoals, the social dynamics from which they emerge, and information diffusion within them. In the experiments described in Chapter III, I manipulated shoal composition in terms of within-group familiarity.Mixed shoals of familiar and unfamiliar fish exhibited greater homogeneity in network vi structure relative to other groups, which likely contributed to the rapid diffusion of foraging information observed within them. In the experiments discussed in Chapter IV, Imanipulated the within-shoal mixture of personality types. In addition to impacting frequencies of partner switching and patterns of phenotypic assortment, individual-and group-level personality variation had strong effects on the initial acquisition of novel foraging information and the speed of its transmission through a group. In the experiments in Chapter V, I manipulated the ambient predation risk perceived by groups.High-risk conditions were associated with shifts in network structure consistent with attempts to minimize predation risk. High ambient risk also impeded the acquisition and subsequent transmission of foraging information, likely due to heightened neophobia and/or an increase in the perceived costs of personal sampling. I conclude in Chapter VI by considering the broader implications of my work and highlighting promising avenues for future research.vii

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Mechanisms underlying shoal composition in the Trinidadian guppy, Poecilia reticulata

Cited by 205 publications

References 49 publications

‘Selfish herds’ of guppies follow complex movement rules, but not when information is limited

‘Selfish herds’ of guppies follow complex movement rules, but not when information is limited

Social preferences based on sexual attractiveness: a female strategy to reduce male sexual attention

Social dynamics, network structure, and information diffusion in fish shoals.

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