EXC 2002/1: Collective Adaptation and Learning in Fish Schools (SP 11)

The main objective is to understand the benefits of grouping for collective cognition in fish schools, in particular the specific role of group size and group diversity for collective dynamical adaptation and learning. A specific focus of the project is the role of partial, potentially conflicting prior information of individuals within the group. The project involves systematic experimental investigation of a complex foraging paradigm for fish. The experimental work involves training and testing of (collective) fish behaviour in a laboratory setting with two different poeciliidae species: Trinidadian guppies, Poecilia reticulata, and Amazon mollies, Poecilia formosa.