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Algorithms of information transfer between zebrafish individuals: from perceptual decisions to collective behavior

Project description

Understanding how individual decisions contribute to collective animal behaviour

Rapid information exchange between individuals is crucial for coordinated behaviour. Animal biodiversity showcases numerous fascinating collective phenomena that can offer insights into this question, such as the behaviour of fish schools, which demonstrate almost instantaneous information transfer between individuals. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the INTERZEB project aims to use zebrafish as a model system to study how individuals communicate within a group. It will use immersive virtual reality techniques to observe how information is transmitted from leaders to followers in long chains and how feedback from followers affects this communication. The project aims to better understand how individual decisions contribute to collective animal behaviour and to inspire new technologies.

Objective

Rapid information exchange between individuals is key to coordinated behavior. In a traffic lane, a well-timed brake can signal the presence of an obstacle to the drivers behind, avoiding a vehicle pileup. In a crowd of people, individuals can infer the position of an obscured exit from the movement of their neighbors. How do individual behavioral patterns enable efficient information transfer in a group? Animal biodiversity displays a vast amount of remarkable collective phenomena that can provide us insight into this question, such as the behavior of fish schools, manifesting almost instantaneous information transfer between individuals. The INTERZEB project will use zebrafish as a model system to experimentally establish the behavioral algorithms that enable individuals to transmit information within a group. By employing immersive virtual reality techniques for freely-swimming fish, the project will pursue two objectives:

1) Extracting the functions that enable information transfer from individuals in the front (leaders) to those in the back (followers) arranged in long transmission chains.

2) Establishing how information transfer in the above settings is modulated by feedback sent by followers to leaders.

The resulting algorithms will be implemented in agent-based models and tested in collective simulations as well as in hybrid interactions between multiple fish and algorithm-controlled virtual avatars. The achievement of the projects objectives will provide a substantial contribution to linking individual decision-making and collective animal behavior, will foster interdisciplinary exchange, and will offer potential inspiration for biomimetic technologies. The project will also strongly contribute to the Researchers professional growth by granting interdisciplinary training, leadership, and mastering of cutting-edge methodologies for the study of behavior.

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Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITAT KONSTANZ
Net EU contribution
€ 173 847,36
Address
UNIVERSITATSSTRASSE 10
78464 Konstanz
Germany
Region
Baden-Württemberg Freiburg Konstanz
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
No data