Inbreeding affects juvenile shoaling behaviour in sibling groups of a cichlid fish

Whilst the effects of inbreeding on growth and survival have been well studied, knowledge on the impact of inbreeding on the social behaviour is scarce. Animal groups are often composed of relatives, which can facilitate cooperation (due to kin selection) and improve group performance accordingly. Therefore, increased genetic relatedness in inbred kin groups could increase group performance, whilst the reduced genetic diversity could have negative effects (inbreeding depression). We compared the juvenile shoaling behaviour of inbred and outbred sibling groups in Pelvicachromis taeniatus (Boulenger 1901), a West-African cichlid fish with kin mating preferences. Activity (travelled distance), shoal density (inter-individual distance) and recovery from a disturbance (freezing time) in a novel environment were analysed using tracking software. Inbred individuals travelled shorter distances compared to outbred individuals, which may decrease conspicuousness and thus predation risk. Furthermore, inbred sibling groups recovered faster after the disturbance compared to outbred sibling groups suggesting improved coordination. In conclusion, our study revealed differences in shoaling between inbred and outbred sibling groups. The higher relatedness in inbred groups may have positive effects in the form of a reduced conspicuousness. The reduced activity may impair foraging success under natural conditions which might, however, be compensated by faster recovery from disturbances.

Automated summary

This study investigates the impact of inbreeding on the social behavior of fish groups. It finds that inbred sibling groups have different shoaling characteristics, including shorter activity distance and faster recovery ability.