Genetic Control of Collective Behavior in Zebrafish
Wenlong Tang,
Jacob D. Davidson,
Guoqiang Zhang,
Katherine E. Conen,
Jian Fang,
Fabrizio Serluca,
Jingyao Li,
Xiaorui Xiong,
Matthew Coble,
Tingwei Tsai,
Gregory Molind,
Caroline H. Fawcett,
Ellen Sanchez,
Peixin Zhu,
Iain D. Couzin,
Mark C. Fishman
Affiliations
Wenlong Tang
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Jacob D. Davidson
Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitätstraße 10, 78764 Konstanz, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Universitätstraße 10, 78764 Konstanz, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätstraße 10, 78764 Konstanz, Germany
Guoqiang Zhang
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Katherine E. Conen
Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitätstraße 10, 78764 Konstanz, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Universitätstraße 10, 78764 Konstanz, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätstraße 10, 78764 Konstanz, Germany
Jian Fang
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Fabrizio Serluca
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Jingyao Li
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Xiaorui Xiong
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Matthew Coble
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Tingwei Tsai
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Gregory Molind
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Caroline H. Fawcett
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Ellen Sanchez
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Peixin Zhu
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 181 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Iain D. Couzin
Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitätstraße 10, 78764 Konstanz, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Universitätstraße 10, 78764 Konstanz, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätstraße 10, 78764 Konstanz, Germany; Corresponding author
Mark C. Fishman
Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: Many animals, including humans, have evolved to live and move in groups. In humans, disrupted social interactions are a fundamental feature of many psychiatric disorders. However, we know little about how genes regulate social behavior. Zebrafish may serve as a powerful model to explore this question. By comparing the behavior of wild-type fish with 90 mutant lines, we show that mutations of genes associated with human psychiatric disorders can alter the collective behavior of adult zebrafish. We identify three categories of behavioral variation across mutants: “scattered,” in which fish show reduced cohesion; “coordinated,” in which fish swim more in aligned schools; and “huddled,” in which fish form dense but disordered groups. Changes in individual interaction rules can explain these differences. This work demonstrates how emergent patterns in animal groups can be altered by genetic changes in individuals and establishes a framework for understanding the fundamentals of social information processing. : Biological Sciences; Genetics; Behavior Genetics; Behavioral Neuroscience Subject Areas: Biological Sciences, Genetics, Behavior Genetics, Behavioral Neuroscience
