Abstract
Certain individuals are more effective than others at using individual experience to impact group behavior. Here, we tested whether pre-training of zebrafish that are at the focal central of social group dynamics ("Key" fish) has a stronger positive impact on group performance than does pre-training of less central ("Non-Key") fish. We used very short observation periods and social network statistics to identify Key and Non-Key individuals, trained these fish to respond to an aversive stimulus, and then measured group performance after returning these now-experienced fish to a social setting. Although Key and Non-Key fish evaded the stimulus equally quickly as individuals, groups with experienced Key fish escaped the aversive stimulus more quickly than did groups with experienced Non-Key fish. The impact depended on genetic background: PN zebrafish on the social extremes (more often males) influenced the group's baseline response to the aversive stimulus, whereas experienced Scientific Hatcheries' zebrafish (both males and females) influenced the change in response over repeated trials. These results suggest that social roles are an important feature of information transfer across a group, and set the stage for future research into the genetic and evolutionary basis of social learning.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | e55503 |
| Journal | PLoS One |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 31 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Medicine(all)
Cite this
Socially-Central Zebrafish Influence Group Behavior More than Those on the Social Periphery. / Vital, Cuauhcihuatl; Martins, Emilia.
In: PLoS One, Vol. 8, No. 1, e55503, 31.01.2013.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Socially-Central Zebrafish Influence Group Behavior More than Those on the Social Periphery
AU - Vital, Cuauhcihuatl
AU - Martins, Emilia
PY - 2013/1/31
Y1 - 2013/1/31
N2 - Certain individuals are more effective than others at using individual experience to impact group behavior. Here, we tested whether pre-training of zebrafish that are at the focal central of social group dynamics ("Key" fish) has a stronger positive impact on group performance than does pre-training of less central ("Non-Key") fish. We used very short observation periods and social network statistics to identify Key and Non-Key individuals, trained these fish to respond to an aversive stimulus, and then measured group performance after returning these now-experienced fish to a social setting. Although Key and Non-Key fish evaded the stimulus equally quickly as individuals, groups with experienced Key fish escaped the aversive stimulus more quickly than did groups with experienced Non-Key fish. The impact depended on genetic background: PN zebrafish on the social extremes (more often males) influenced the group's baseline response to the aversive stimulus, whereas experienced Scientific Hatcheries' zebrafish (both males and females) influenced the change in response over repeated trials. These results suggest that social roles are an important feature of information transfer across a group, and set the stage for future research into the genetic and evolutionary basis of social learning.
AB - Certain individuals are more effective than others at using individual experience to impact group behavior. Here, we tested whether pre-training of zebrafish that are at the focal central of social group dynamics ("Key" fish) has a stronger positive impact on group performance than does pre-training of less central ("Non-Key") fish. We used very short observation periods and social network statistics to identify Key and Non-Key individuals, trained these fish to respond to an aversive stimulus, and then measured group performance after returning these now-experienced fish to a social setting. Although Key and Non-Key fish evaded the stimulus equally quickly as individuals, groups with experienced Key fish escaped the aversive stimulus more quickly than did groups with experienced Non-Key fish. The impact depended on genetic background: PN zebrafish on the social extremes (more often males) influenced the group's baseline response to the aversive stimulus, whereas experienced Scientific Hatcheries' zebrafish (both males and females) influenced the change in response over repeated trials. These results suggest that social roles are an important feature of information transfer across a group, and set the stage for future research into the genetic and evolutionary basis of social learning.
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U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0055503
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0055503
M3 - Article
VL - 8
JO - PLoS One
JF - PLoS One
SN - 1932-6203
IS - 1
M1 - e55503
ER -