Fine-scale behavioural adjustments of prey on a continuum of risk.

In the wild, prey species often live in the vicinity of predators, rendering the ability to assess risk on a moment-to-moment basis crucial to survival. Visual cues are important as they allow prey to assess predator species, size, proximity and behaviour. However, few studies have explicitly examined prey's ability to assess risk based on predator behaviour and orientation. Using mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, and their predator, jade perch, Scortum barcoo, under controlled conditions, we provide some of the first fine-scale characterization of how prey adapt their behaviour according to their continuous assessment of risk based on both predator behaviour and angular distance to the predator's mouth. When these predators were inactive and posed less of an immediate threat, prey within the attack cone of the predator showed reductions in speed and acceleration characteristic of predator-inspection behaviour. However, when predators became active, prey swam faster with greater acceleration and were closer together within the attack cone of predators. Most importantly, this study provides evidence that prey do not adopt a uniform response to the presence of a predator. Instead, we demonstrate that prey are capable of rapidly and dynamically updating their assessment of risk and showing fine-scale adjustments to their behaviour.

Speed-mediated properties of schooling.

Collectively moving animals often display a high degree of synchronization and cohesive group-level formations, such as elongated schools of fish. These global patterns emerge as the result of localized rules of interactions. However, the exact relationship between speed, polarization, neighbour positioning and group structure has produced conflicting results and is largely limited to modelling approaches. This hinders our ability to understand how information spreads between individuals, which may determine the collective functioning of groups. We tested how speed interacts with polarization and positional composition to produce the elongation observed in moving groups of fish as well as how this impacts information flow between individuals. At the local level, we found that increases in speed led to increases in alignment and shifts from lateral to linear neighbour positioning. At the global level, these increases in linear neighbour positioning resulted in elongation of the group. Furthermore, mean pairwise transfer entropy increased with speed and alignment, implying an adaptive value to forming faster, more polarized and linear groups. Ultimately, this research provides vital insight into the mechanisms underlying the elongation of moving animal groups and highlights the functional significance of cohesive and coordinated movement.

The effect of water temperature on routine swimming behaviour of new born guppies (Poecilia reticulata).

Guppies have successfully established populations in places with thermal regimes very different from the Tropical conditions in their native range. This indicates a remarkable capacity for thermal adaptation. Given their vulnerability to predation as juveniles, acute changes in temperature, which can alter predator-prey relationships, can impact juvenile survival and have amplified consequences at the population level. To understand how temperature may impact juvenile survival and gain insight into their success as an invasive species, we researched the effect of acute temperature changes on the routine swimming behaviour of juvenile guppies. Using a novel 3-dimensional tracking technique, we calculated 4 routine swimming parameters, speed, depth, and variation in speed or depth, at 6 different test temperatures (17, 20, 23, 26, 29, or 32°C). These temperatures cover their natural thermal range and also extended past it in order to include upper and lower thermal limits. Using model selection, we found that body length and temperature had a significant positive relationship with speed. Variation in speed decreased with rising temperatures and fish swam slightly closer to the bottom at higher temperatures. All juveniles increased variation in depth at higher temperatures, though larger individuals maintained slightly more consistent depths. Our results indicate that guppies have a large thermal range and show substantial plasticity in routine swimming behaviours, which may account for their success as an invasive species.