This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Stickleback fish can change their social behavior to help them find food in cloudy water, according to a new University of Bristol study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Water in rivers and seas can vary from crystal clear to densely clouded.
Turbidity, the cloudiness of water caused by small particles such as algae, mud and silt, is increasing in many rivers and coastal waters because of farming, mining, construction and other pollution. Because cloudy water reduces visibility, it can make it more difficult for aquatic animals to see their food, friends or enemies. Researchers from Bristol's School of Biological Sciences looked at how shoals of three-spined sticklebacks respond as their water becomes cloudier and observed their reactions when food suddenly appeared.
Sticklebacks are common freshwater fish and are often found in small shoals in ponds, streams and rivers across the Northern Hemisphere, where they can experience water that ranges from clear to deeply murky. The study found that in murkier water, fish took longer to move toward food than fish in clear water, but individuals in larger groups responded more quickly overall. The way the fish moved together also influenced their response.
In small groups living in murky water, fish reached the food more quickly when they stayed close together and swam in the same direction. By contrast, in larger groups in clear water, tighter coordination slowed the group's response. Before food appeared, fish in murky water tended to swim closer together, align their movements more closely and respond more readily to the behavior of nearby group members, particularly in smaller groups.
The findings suggest that, despite reduced visibility, sticklebacks can compensate by increasing cooperation and coordination with one another. This enhanced social behavior may help them overcome the challenges of murky environments and respond more effectively to important opportunities such as finding food. Christos Ioannou, professor of behavioral ecology in the School of Biological Sciences and corresponding author, said, "When we put an unexpected piece of food in the water, it took the fish longer to find it when the water was cloudier.
This makes sense and has been shown before in different aquatic species. "However, we were excited to see that the sticklebacks were able to compensate for this challenge by changing their shoaling behavior. Their shoals became more coordinated, with the fish moving and aligning themselves much more closely in poor conditions.
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