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Diurnal Rhythm of Schooling Behavior of Fish

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Abstract

The diurnal rhythm of schooling behavior of fish closely correlates with changes in illumination and with the ability of individuals to use their vision for coordinated swimming. There is a threshold level of illumination, below which school contacts weaken (swimming velocity decreases, the distance between the nearest partners sharply increases, a uniform orientation is completely lost, swimming becomes multidirectional), fish disperse, a school disintegrates. The threshold level of illumination differs in fish of different species and different ages and shifts depending on changes in other external conditions. The breakup of a school occurs when the illumination is sufficient for the visual perception of partners in the school, but insufficient for fast and well-coordinated school reactions. The formation of a school in the morning hours requires higher illumination than for the evening breakup of the school. At night, schooling fish keep apart, reduce motor activity, can be motionless and lie on the ground.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors express their sincere gratitude to A.A. Kazhlaev, L.S. Alekseeva and A.S. Patseva (Moscow State University), who provided great assistance in preparing the article for publication. The authors are sincerely grateful to P.I. Kirillov (Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences) for careful and constructive editing of the text and illustrations, which improved the quality of the article.

Funding

The article was prepared within the framework of scientific projects of the state assignment of the Moscow State University No. 121032300100-5 and the Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences No. 121122300056-3 in the Unified State Information System for Accounting the Results of Civil Research, Development and Technological Works.

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  1. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    A. O. Kasumyan

  2. Severtsov Institute of Problems of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Science (IPEE RAS), Moscow, Russia

    D. S. Pavlov

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  1. A. O. Kasumyan
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  2. D. S. Pavlov
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Correspondence to A. O. Kasumyan.

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Translated by S. Avodkova

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Kasumyan, A.O., Pavlov, D.S. Diurnal Rhythm of Schooling Behavior of Fish. J. Ichthyol. 63, 1273–1278 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S003294522307007X

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