Shoaling preference and social partner selection – behavioral, metabolic and psychiatric relevance in a zebrafish (Danio rerio) study
Shoaling preference and social partner selection – behavioral, metabolic and psychiatric relevance in a zebrafish (Danio rerio) study

Summary/Abstract: The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is considered an experimental model organism, with numerous applications. The mechanisms underlying shoaling preferences are complex, and some studies documented sex-related differences in social partner selection, little is known about the behavioral response to artificial visual stimuli representing conspecifics. The aim of this research was to evaluate the shoaling preference in zebrafish between two sex-shaped superstimuli, social non-moving 2D images were created using a graphics software. For this study, 20 sexually-mature individuals (males, N=10, and females, N=10) underwent 5 non- invasive behavioral tests and, for each animal, ethological measurements were recorded using EthoVision XT video-tracking software. The findings showed statistically significant differences on zebrafish behavioral response. All individuals, without sex discrimination, tended to shoal more at the contact with the “3 big females” stimulus and less with the “1 big female”, but only female zebrafish showed a preference for same social stimulus and also, spent more time in the proximity of the “big male” image rather than the “small male”. We concluded that conspecifics represented by 2D artificial stimuli are efficient in inducing a behavioral response in this species. Moreover, we validate the existence of sex-dependent discrepancies regarding the shoaling preferences, as well as discussion how the aforementioned data has a possible psychiatric and metabolic relevance in this context.

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