The role of physiological traits in assortment among and within fish shoals
The role of physiological traits in assortment among and within fish shoals
Individuals of gregarious species often group with conspecifics to which they are phenotypically similar. This among-group assortment has been studied for body size, sex and relatedness. However, the role of physiological traits has been largely overlooked. Here, we discuss mechanisms by which physiological traits—particularly those related to metabolism and locomotor performance—may result in phenotypic assortment not only among but also within animal groups. At the among-group level, varying combinations of passive assortment, active assortment, phenotypic plasticity and selective mortality may generate phenotypic differences among groups. Even within groups, however, individual variation in energy requirements, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, neurological lateralization and tolerance to environmental stressors are likely to produce differences in the spatial location of individuals or associations between group-mates with specific physiological phenotypes. Owing to the greater availability of empirical research, we focus on groups of fishes (i.e. shoals and schools). Increased knowledge of physiological mechanisms influencing among- and within-group assortment will enhance our understanding of fundamental concepts regarding optimal group size, predator avoidance, group cohesion, information transfer, life-history strategies and the evolutionary effects of group membership. In a broader perspective, predicting animal responses to environmental change will be impossible without a comprehensive understanding of the physiological basis of the formation and functioning of animal social groups.
This article is part of the themed issue ‘Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals’
Killen, Shaun S.
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Marras, Stefano
0192c33f-e17a-48c2-aaad-e8669c2cb156
Nadler, Lauren
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Domenici, Paolo
1a8cf671-af80-46f3-a2e3-4fa963a9f297
19 August 2017
Killen, Shaun S.
1264c6da-6ec7-4d54-8ceb-2d462626743c
Marras, Stefano
0192c33f-e17a-48c2-aaad-e8669c2cb156
Nadler, Lauren
1d1f8e6a-e951-41f5-888c-cfcb4b4b19dc
Domenici, Paolo
1a8cf671-af80-46f3-a2e3-4fa963a9f297
Killen, Shaun S., Marras, Stefano, Nadler, Lauren and Domenici, Paolo
(2017)
The role of physiological traits in assortment among and within fish shoals.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 372, [20160233].
(doi:10.1098/rstb.2016.0233).
Abstract
Individuals of gregarious species often group with conspecifics to which they are phenotypically similar. This among-group assortment has been studied for body size, sex and relatedness. However, the role of physiological traits has been largely overlooked. Here, we discuss mechanisms by which physiological traits—particularly those related to metabolism and locomotor performance—may result in phenotypic assortment not only among but also within animal groups. At the among-group level, varying combinations of passive assortment, active assortment, phenotypic plasticity and selective mortality may generate phenotypic differences among groups. Even within groups, however, individual variation in energy requirements, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, neurological lateralization and tolerance to environmental stressors are likely to produce differences in the spatial location of individuals or associations between group-mates with specific physiological phenotypes. Owing to the greater availability of empirical research, we focus on groups of fishes (i.e. shoals and schools). Increased knowledge of physiological mechanisms influencing among- and within-group assortment will enhance our understanding of fundamental concepts regarding optimal group size, predator avoidance, group cohesion, information transfer, life-history strategies and the evolutionary effects of group membership. In a broader perspective, predicting animal responses to environmental change will be impossible without a comprehensive understanding of the physiological basis of the formation and functioning of animal social groups.
This article is part of the themed issue ‘Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals’
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e-pub ahead of print date: 3 July 2017
Published date: 19 August 2017
Additional Information:
S.S.K. was supported by Natural Environment Research Council Advanced Fellowship NE/J019100/1 and European Research Council starting grant 640004.
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Local EPrints ID: 472541
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/472541
ISSN: 0962-8436
PURE UUID: 73491635-6f68-472c-8234-0df7826c57db
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Date deposited: 07 Dec 2022 18:06
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:16
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Author:
Shaun S. Killen
Author:
Stefano Marras
Author:
Lauren Nadler
Author:
Paolo Domenici
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