Rapid evolution of coordinated and collective movement in response to artificial selection
Alexander Kotrschal, Alexander Szorkovszky, James E. Herbert‐Read, Natasha I. Bloch, Maksym Romenskyy, Séverine D. Buechel, Ada Fontrodona‐Eslava, Laura Sánchez Alòs, Hong-Li Zeng, Audrey Le Foll, Ganaël Braux, Kristiaan Pelckmans, Judith E. Mank, David J. T. Sumpter, Niclas Kolm
Abstract
) for increased group polarization, we demonstrate rapid evolution in how individuals use social interaction rules. Within only three generations, groups of polarization-selected females showed a 15% increase in polarization, coupled with increased cohesiveness, compared to fish from control lines. Although lines did not differ in their physical swimming ability or exploratory behavior, polarization-selected fish adopted faster speeds, particularly in social contexts, and showed stronger alignment and attraction responses to multiple neighbors. Our results reveal the social interaction rules that change when collective behavior evolves.