Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.

Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Study reveals fish form friendships
stickleback

Fish guide their friends to hidden patches of food

A study led by the University of St Andrews has revealed that stickleback fish recognise familiar fish that they've previously been housed with and spend more time interacting with these fish than with fish that are unfamiliar.

The study also revealed that fish show their friends the best places to eat; guiding them to hidden patches of food.

Researchers from the University of St Andrews, Anglia Ruskin University, and McMaster University in Canada caught 80 three-spined sticklebacks, a common native species found in rivers across the UK, and separated them into two groups for six weeks.

They were then formed into smaller groups of ten fish, including five fish from each of the two holding tanks. Over the following hours they were tagged and filmed as they searched for food.

Using techniques called Social Network Analysis and Network-Based Diffusion Analysis, the scientists observed that the fish interacted more often with familiar than with unfamiliar fish, and that fish were more likely to find hidden food if a familiar fish had recently found it.

The mechanism by which familiarity affects behaviour in fish is not yet clear, although scientists believe it may reflect a bias towards observing and responding to the behaviour of familiar fish.

"Our study has shown that we can use statistical tools to uncover the fine structure of animal groups, to understand how they move and to predict how information" explains Dr Mike Webster of the University of St Andrew's School of Biology.

"This has applications beyond the current project. It could potentially allow us to understand how new behaviours spread through animal populations, allowing them to respond and adapt to changes in the environment. It could also allow us to track or predict the spread of diseases, and to change the ways that we manage populations of livestock or wild animals in order to minimise the damage that these diseases cause"

The study "Familiarity affects social network structure and discovery of prey patch locations in foraging stickleback shoals" is published in the Royal Society journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The paper is available online via Open Access.  

Image courtesy of Kevin Laland

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.