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Illuminance-tuned collective motion in fish
Baptiste Lafoux1, Jeanne Moscatelli2, Ramiro Godoy-Diana3
1Laboratoire de Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes (PMMH), CNRS UMR 7636, ESPCI Paris-PSL Research University, Sorbonne Université-Université Paris Cité, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005, Paris, France. baptiste.lafoux@espci.fr.
Communications Biology
|May 31, 2023
Summary
Illumination is crucial for fish schooling. Vision enables cohesive collective motion in fish schools, while the lateral line system is insufficient for maintaining group structure in low light conditions.
Area of Science:
- Animal behavior
- Collective dynamics
- Biophysics
Background:
- Collective motion is common in biological systems.
- The sensory mechanisms underlying fish schooling are not fully understood.
- Visual cues are hypothesized to play a significant role in coordinating group behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the effect of illumination intensity on the collective dynamics of fish schools.
- To determine the necessity of vision for cohesive group formation and maintenance.
- To compare the roles of vision and lateral line sensing in fish collective behavior.
Main Methods:
- Quantified school structure using order parameters in a large group (ca. 50 individuals) of Hemigrammus rhodostomus.
- Controlled ambient light intensity to alter fish visual range.
- Analyzed changes in group cohesion, alignment, and configuration (polarization, milling) with varying illuminance.
Main Results:
- At low light levels, fish schools failed to form a cohesive group.
- Increased illuminance correlated with higher school alignment.
- Higher light intensity led to polarized states and stable rotational milling configurations.
Conclusions:
- Vision is essential for achieving cohesive collective motion in free-swimming fish schools.
- Short-range lateral line sensing alone is insufficient for maintaining school structure under these conditions.
- This study provides insights into the sensory mechanisms driving collective motion in biological systems.
