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Mid-sized groups perform best in a collective decision task in sticklebacks
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dc.contributor.author | Ward, Ashley J. W. | |
dc.contributor.author | Webster, Michael M. | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2019-10-24T14:30:05Z | |
dc.date.available | 2019-10-24T14:30:05Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2019-10-02 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Ward , A J W & Webster , M M 2019 , ' Mid-sized groups perform best in a collective decision task in sticklebacks ' , Biology Letters , vol. 15 , no. 10 , 20190335 . https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0335 | en |
dc.identifier.issn | 1744-9561 | |
dc.identifier.other | PURE: 261744844 | |
dc.identifier.other | PURE UUID: 91639d54-2fb5-4bf7-af8f-12c06c5c4f94 | |
dc.identifier.other | Scopus: 85072778316 | |
dc.identifier.other | PubMed: 31573425 | |
dc.identifier.other | ORCID: /0000-0001-9597-6871/work/63046298 | |
dc.identifier.other | WOS: 000504838100001 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10023/18757 | |
dc.description | This study was supported by Australian Research Council (grant no. DP160103905). | en |
dc.description.abstract | Numerous studies have reported functional improvements in collective behaviour with increasing group size, however, the possibility that such improvements may saturate or even decline as group size continues to grow have seldom been tested experimentally. Here, we tested the ability of solitary three-spined sticklebacks and those in groups, ranging from 2 to 29 fish, to leave an unfavourable patch of habitat. Our results replicate the findings of previous studies at low group sizes, with the fish initially showing a reduction in their latency to leave the unfavourable habitat as group size increased. As group size continued to increase, however, latency to leave the habitat increased, so that the functional relationship between group size and latency to depart was U-shaped. Our results suggest an optimum group size in this context of between 12 and 20 fish. Underlying this group-level trend was a similar U-shaped relationship between group size and the first fish to leave the habitat, suggesting that at larger group sizes, social conformity to the behaviour of the majority can stifle the ability of fish to innovate-in this case, to induce a collective movement from the unfavourable habitat. | |
dc.language.iso | eng | |
dc.relation.ispartof | Biology Letters | en |
dc.rights | Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0335 | en |
dc.subject | Grouping | en |
dc.subject | Schooling | en |
dc.subject | Shoaling | en |
dc.subject | Sociality | en |
dc.subject | Swarm intelligence | en |
dc.subject | QH301 Biology | en |
dc.subject | Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) | en |
dc.subject | Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all) | en |
dc.subject | DAS | en |
dc.subject.lcc | QH301 | en |
dc.title | Mid-sized groups perform best in a collective decision task in sticklebacks | en |
dc.type | Journal article | en |
dc.description.version | Postprint | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. School of Biology | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. Centre for Biological Diversity | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution | en |
dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0335 | |
dc.description.status | Peer reviewed | en |
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