Group behaviour, information transfer and fitness consequences in mixed-species animal groups

The social environment provides an important ecological stage for selection to act.

Our understanding of the mechanisms underlying group dynamics, and their fitness consequences for individuals, have seen major advances in recent years, where single-species groups have been analysed for social interactions, group structure, coordinated movement, and social learning.

Surprisingly few studies, however, have analysed how mixed-species groups impact individual success, despite these groups being common in nature.

Interactions in mixed-species groups are likely to differ from single-species groups, with consequences for group dynamics and individual fitness.

This project will evaluate individual behaviours, group formation, collective movement, social learning and fitness proxies in the common and co-occurring mixed-species schools of freshwater fish; common roach (Rutilus rutilus) and white bream (Blicca bjoerkna).

The mixed-species groups will be evaluated under natural field conditions and over relevant time frames where proxies for fitness can be captured.

Field studies are possible due to a novel and unique infrastructure pond system, where ponds equipped with arrays of acoustic receivers can be emptied of water and fish, enabling manipulation of group composition of telemetry-tagged individuals.

Addressing these questions with this experimental system will enable new approaches to understanding group dynamics and selective processes within mixed-species animal groups.