PUBLICATION
Zebrafish prefer larger to smaller shoals: analysis of quantity estimation in a genetically tractable model organism
- Authors
- Seguin, D., Gerlai, R.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-170616-8
- Date
- 2017
- Source
- Animal cognition 20(5): 813-821 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Gerlai, Robert T.
- Keywords
- Numerical cognition, Numerosity, Quantity estimation, Shoaling, Social behavior, Zebrafish
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Behavior, Animal
- Choice Behavior*
- Discrimination, Psychological*
- Mathematical Concepts
- Social Behavior
- Zebrafish/genetics
- Zebrafish/physiology*
- PubMed
- 28616841 Full text @ Anim. Cogn.
Citation
Seguin, D., Gerlai, R. (2017) Zebrafish prefer larger to smaller shoals: analysis of quantity estimation in a genetically tractable model organism. Animal cognition. 20(5):813-821.
Abstract
Numerical abilities have been demonstrated in a variety of non-human vertebrates. However, underlying biological mechanisms have been difficult to study due to a paucity of experimental tools. Powerful genetic and neurobiological tools already exist for the zebrafish, but numerical abilities remain scarcely explored with this species. Here, we investigate the choice made by single experimental zebrafish between numerically different shoals of conspecifics presented concurrently on opposite sides of the experimental tank. We examined this choice using the AB strain and pet store zebrafish. We found zebrafish of both populations to generally prefer the numerically larger shoal to the smaller one. This preference was significant for contrasted ratios above or equalling 2:1 (i.e. 4 vs. 0, 4 vs. 1, 8 vs. 2, 6 vs. 2 and 6 vs. 3). Interestingly, zebrafish showed no significant preference when each of the two contrasted shoals had at least 4 members, e.g. in a contrast 8 versus 4. These results confirm that zebrafish possess the ability to distinguish larger numbers of items from smaller number of items, in a shoaling context, with a potential limit above 4. Our findings confirm the utility of the zebrafish for the exploration of both the behavioural and the biological mechanisms underlying numerical abilities in vertebrates.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping