Male zebrafish (Danio rerio) do not preferentially associate with familiar over unfamiliar conspecifics.

Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0214055 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1095-8649 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00221112 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Fish Biol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2003- : Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing
Original Publication: London, New York, Published for the Fisheries Society of the British Isles by Academic Press.

Social Behavior* ; Zebrafish*; Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Male

Members of several shoaling species have been shown to prefer to associate with familiar individuals, enhancing the benefits of aggregation. The authors used a series of social preference tasks in the laboratory to evaluate whether prior familiarity with potential partners influences preference of shoaling partner in male zebrafish (Danio rerio), a social species found in shallow, slow-moving waters. The authors found that though male zebrafish exhibited a strong preference for shoaling with a male conspecific as opposed to remaining alone, they exhibited no preference for familiar over unfamiliar conspecifics. This suggests that the benefits of familiarity for shoaling behaviour may not be as important for male zebrafish as has been shown in other social fish species.
(© 2022 Fisheries Society of the British Isles.)

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Oberlin College Ethyl, Geraldine & Pierre Smith Fund; Oberlin College Lee Drickamer '67 Research Support Fund

Keywords: Danio rerio; familiarity; individual recognition; shoaling; social organization; zebrafish

Date Created: 20220209 Date Completed: 20220428 Latest Revision: 20220428

20231215

10.1111/jfb.15008

35138635