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For the first time, researchers shed new light on the evolution of different social roles within animal groups by exploring how fish predators target and attack groups of virtual prey. The study, led by the Universities of Bristol and Oxford and published today [Monday 15 April] in the newspaper PNASleaders found in animal groups are more vulnerable to predator attacks.
Leadership offers both opportunities and risks. Fortune can help the daring when it comes to influencing group decisions about what to do and where to go, but these individuals will also be the first to face the dangers that lie ahead. .
The behavioral scientists have long suspected that the leaders of animal groups are more vulnerable to predator attacks. This new research now provides the first experimental evidence confirming this long-standing hypothesis.
By studying real groups of virtual prey attacking predatory fish, Dr. Christos Ioannou and his colleagues have shown that the risk of targeting an individual is strongly influenced by his relative position within a group. Prey from the front were more likely to be attacked by predators than followers located in safer positions relative to the center of the group.
They projected simulated groups of virtual prey on a 2D surface at one of the ends of an aquarium. For their stickleback predators, virtual prey has proved irresistible because it mimics the characteristics of real prey such as Daphnia.
Dr. Christos Ioannou, Lecturer, NERC Scholar and Principal Investigator at Bristol School of Biological Sciences, said, "The main advantage of virtual prey is that their appearance and behavior can be accurately programmed. it is impossible to separate differences in prey position within a group from other characteristics that may influence the risk of being attacked. "
The research also revealed a hierarchy of risks, with isolated individuals being even more likely to be attacked than the prey most ahead of the group. Predators have also programmed their attacks to coincide with times when several solitary prey have separated from the group.
These findings are important for the evolution of leadership in animal groups. They suggest that leaders can minimize the risk of predation by keeping the followers behind them. Natural selection should therefore favor leaders who limit their tendency to move forward in order to preserve the unity of the group.
Dr. Ioannou, added: This work also highlights the striking insights on animal behavior that can be learned from experiments combining real animals with virtual reality. "
The fish are getting closer to the predators
Christos C. Ioannou el al., "Predators attacking virtual prey reveal the costs and benefits of leadership" PNAS (2019). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1816323116
Quote:
Computer games for fish reveal why some prey lead and others follow (April 15, 2019)
recovered on April 16, 2019
from https://phys.org/news/2019-04-games-fish-uncover-prey.html
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