Guppies Prefer to Follow Large (Robot) Leaders Irrespective of Own Size
Guppies Prefer to Follow Large (Robot) Leaders Irrespective of Own Size
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DOI：
10.3389/fbioe.2020.00441
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发表时间：
2020-05-15
影响因子：
5.7
通讯作者：
Krause, Jens
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Bierbach, David;Moenck, Hauke J.;Krause, Jens
身体的大小通常被认为是决定一个人如何成功地领导其他人，大个子比小个子更适合领导。但是，即使体型较大的个体更容易被跟踪，身体大小往往与特定的行为模式相关，因此不清楚体型较大的个体比体型较小的个体更容易被跟踪，是因为他们的体型还是因为他们的行为方式。为了控制不同大小的领导者之间的行为差异，我们使用了不同大小的仿生机器鱼（Robofish）。已知活的孔雀鱼（Poecilia reticulata）与机器鱼的互动方式与活的同类相似。因此，Robofish可以作为一个同类的领导者，提供标准化的行为，而不管它的大小。我们询问较大的机器鱼领导者是否优先被追随，以及追随者的偏好是否取决于自己的体型或冒险行为（“大胆”）。我们发现，活着的雌性孔雀鱼跟随较大的机器鱼领导者比较小的领导者更接近，这种模式与追随者自己的身体大小以及冒险行为无关。我们的研究表明，领导力中存在一种“越大越好”的模式，这种模式与不同规模的领导者之间的行为差异、追随者自身的规模和冒险行为无关。
Body size is often assumed to determine how successfully an individual can lead others with larger individuals being better leaders than smaller ones. But even if larger individuals are more readily followed, body size often correlates with specific behavioral patterns and it is thus unclear whether larger individuals are more often followed than smaller ones because of their size or because they behave in a certain way. To control for behavioral differences among differentially-sized leaders, we used biomimetic robotic fish (Robofish) of different sizes. Live guppies (Poecilia reticulata) are known to interact with Robofish in a similar way as with live conspecifics. Consequently, Robofish may serve as a conspecific-like leader that provides standardized behaviors irrespective of its size. We asked whether larger Robofish leaders are preferentially followed and whether the preferences of followers depend on own body size or risk-taking behavior ("boldness"). We found that live female guppies followed larger Robofish leaders in closer proximity than smaller ones and this pattern was independent of the followers' own body size as well as risk-taking behavior. Our study shows a "bigger is better" pattern in leadership that is independent of behavioral differences among differentially-sized leaders, followers' own size and risk-taking behavior.