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Friends without benefits: Familiarity does not improve fitness-related behaviours in larvae of a marine shoaling fish
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Orientador(es)
Resumo(s)
It has long been recognized that associating with familiar individuals may confer fitness benefits.
However, gaps in our knowledge remain about how behaviours critical for fish survival are affected by
social experience in early stages. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that familiarity acquired during early life stages improves larval performance. Using sand smelt, Atherina presbyter, we examined the effect of familiarity on foraging efficiency, swimming behaviour and escape response. In view of the benefits of familiarity, we predicted that sand smelt larvae are more responsive and perform more successful escape responses and prey strikes when in groups of familiar conspecifics. The results indicate that sand smelt are indeed more prone to associate with conspecifics based on familiarity; however, contrary to our expectations, familiarity, at this life stage, did not improve behaviours closely related to survival. This may be related to the highly dynamic nature of shoaling, characterized by frequent exchange of individuals among groups, meaning that individuals must constantly adjust their behaviour to that of new members, limits the relevance of familiarity during this life stage. This research underscores the importance of evaluating the ecological and developmental context when investigating social behaviours in early life stages.
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Atherina presbyter conspecific Early life stages Escape response Foreiging Routine swimming
Contexto Educativo
Citação
Vicente, P. N., Almeida, J., & Faria, A. M. (2025). Friends without benefits: Familiarity does not improve fitness-related behaviours in larvae of a marine shoaling fish. Animal Behaviour, 227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123287
Editora
Elsevier BV