Robofish leads the crowd to open up new studies in group dynamics

It provides useful information to support freshwater and marine environmental management, to predict fish migration routes and assess the likely impact of human intervention on fish populations.

“We've proven it's possible to use robotic fish to study relationships between individuals and shoal dynamics as well as the behaviour of individual fish,” says PhD student Jolyon Faria who led the experiments. “In the past, we had to watch a shoal and change environmental conditions to see how that affected behaviour. Because the robotic fish is accepted by the shoal, we can use it to control one or several individuals, which allows us to study quite complex situations such as aggressive, cooperative, anti-predator and parental behaviour.”

The computer controlled replica – dubbed Robofish by its creators John Dyer, Dr Dean Waters and Natalie Holt – is a plaster cast model of a three-spined stickleback with an acetate fin, painted to mimic the coloration and markings of a real fish. The scientists needed to prove that Robofish was accepted into the group sufficiently for the fish to respond to the robot like a normal shoal member.

“Although Robofish looked like a stickleback to us, we weren't sure whether the other fish would see it in the same light,” explained Jolyon. “We also thought there might be a problem with the smell, as fish use chemical cues in the water to identify other shoal members. In the end, Robofish was accepted straight away – though we did trial various models until we found one that worked the best.”

Robofish was placed in a tank with either single fish or a group of ten, and then programmed to follow a set path at a slightly faster speed than normal fish. The aim was to see if Robofish could tempt other fish to leave the tank's refuge area and convince its companions to make a 90 degree turn.

Single fish left the refuge much sooner if Robofish instigated the move than they would on their own, though groups of fish left quite quickly without other motivation. Robofish was able to persuade both single fish and groups to make a turn. However, the longer time the fish spent in the tank, the less likely they were to display shoaling activity either on their own or in response to Robofish.

“Because Robofish moved faster and without stopping and tended to be at the front or on the edge of the shoal, the other fish saw it as bold and definite in its actions, which encouraged them to follow,” said Jolyon. “The fish were more easily influenced by a bolder member when they were nervous in new surroundings. Once they'd got used to the tank, they moved round quite happily to explore the tank, rather than moving in unison as they did at the start.”

The experiments – funded through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council – have also allowed the researchers to answer a long-standing question of group dynamics: whether an individual's ability to influence a group is dependent on how close together its members are. In fact, when Robofish turned, its nearest neighbour did turn first, but it made no difference whether they were 9cm or 33cm away from the robot. Most models of group dynamics are based on the assumption that the closer you are to your neighbour the more influence you have, but this study has added weight to the argument that relative, rather than metric distance, is more important.

Photos of Robofish and videos of the experiments are available. Jolyon Faria is available for interview.

Further information:
Abigail Chard, Campuspr Ltd. Tel 0113 258 9880, Mob 07960 448532, Email abigail@campuspr.co.uk

University of Leeds Press Office. Tel 0113 343 4031, Email pressoffice@leeds.ac.uk

Notes to editors
1. This research is published online in Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology in a paper entitled “A novel method for investigating the collective behaviour of fish: introducing 'Robofish'” http://www.springerlink.com/content/917j5l3546324r7x/?p=1fbf690ef26f444087103518b200fcb8ð=1

2. Jolyon Faria is in the final year of his PhD in the Institute of Integrative & Comparative Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds. He was joined in the research by John Dyer, Dean Waters and Natalie Holt of the University of Leeds, Jens Krause and Romain Clement, formerly of Leeds and now at the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology & Inland Fisheries, Iain Couzin formerly of Leeds and now at Princeton University and Ashley Ward, also formerly of Leeds and now at the University of Sydney.

3. The Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds is one of the largest in the UK, with over 150 academic staff and over 400 postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students. The Faculty is ranked 4th in the UK (Nature Journal, 457 (2009) doi :10.1038/457013a) based on results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). The RAE feedback noted that “virtually all outputs were assessed as being recognized internationally, with many (60%) being internationally excellent or world-leading” in quality. The Faculty's research grant portfolio totals some £60M and funders include charities, research councils, the European Union and industry. www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk

4. The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise showed the University of Leeds to be the UK's eighth biggest research powerhouse. The University is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University's vision is to secure a place among the world's top 50 by 2015. www.leeds.ac.uk

5. Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
BBSRC is the UK funding agency for research in the life sciences. Sponsored by Government, BBSRC annually invests around £450 million in a wide range of research that makes a significant contribution to the quality of life in the UK and beyond and supports a number of important industrial stakeholders, including the agriculture, food, chemical, healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.

BBSRC provides institute strategic research grants to the following:

The Babraham Institute, Institute for Animal Health, Institute for Biological, Environmental and Rural Studies (Aberystwyth University), Institute of Food Research, John Innes Centre, The Genome Analysis Centre, The Roslin Institute (University of Edinburgh) and Rothamsted Research. The Institutes conduct long-term, mission-oriented research using specialist facilities. They have strong interactions with industry, Government departments and other end-users of their research.