Dataset: Stickleback Shoaling Behaviour

About this Dataset

Stickleback Shoaling Behaviour

Social Contexts and Individual Variation

About this dataset

This dataset explores the effects that social context has on the shoaling behaviour of stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aceluteus), a species well-known for forming small schools as a defence mechanism. Through repeatedly testing their tendency to interact with conspecifics, this dataset captures individual fish's shoaling before and after they experienced either solitary or stable social housing over a period of one month. The measurements taken include entries into back and front sections of the shoal, time spent with both small and large schools, total time spent not shoaling and freezing, as well as the location where experiments were done, detailed by an observer. With these metrics we can gain insight into how environmental influences have an effect on individual variation in behavior in stickleback fish

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How to use the dataset

This dataset provides a valuable opportunity to investigate the effects of social context on shoaling behaviour among stickleback fishes. With this dataset, you can explore how individual sticklebacks respond when exposed to social or isolated environments and learn more about what influences their tendency to shoal with conspecifics.

To make the most of this dataset, there are several important pieces of information that you need to be aware of. First, this dataset tracks individual fish (identified by VIE), their treatment type (social or solitary), where they were tested (ARENA) as well as who observed them and took the data (OBSERVER). It also records entries into shoaling (Front_entries & Back_entries) amount of time spent in large or small shoals(Time_LargeShoal & Time_SmallShoal), total time spent in any kind of shoaling activity whether large or small)(Total_time_Shoal) , mean time per visit with a large group(Mean_time_LargeShoal), amount of time not shoaling(Time_NotShoaling/Time Not Shoaling Large). Lastly, it includes data on post-treatment freezes in order for observers to detect if individuals had undergone any changes related to stress levels (Time freezings). This set also contains measurements taken at both pre- and post-treatment stage so that trends between variations can be easily identified.

Using this data set is easy - once you have familiarized yourself with all the variables found within it. Start by filtering out specific observations depending on what questions you want answered; for example if wanting to investigation differences between fish housed under a social vs solely environment then selecting only observations for which stage column is 'pre' and treatment column is either 'social' or 'solitude'. Once having these observations ready explore further by plotting respective variables against one another such as entries into shoreling shown alongside total times spent there so visualize how these interact together etcetera! The possibilites are endless wthin your exploration so never forget different approaches when completing analysis!

Research Ideas

Exploring the effect of inter- and intra-group competition on shoaling dynamics of stickleback fish by comparing pre-and post-treatment data.

Investigating how different arenas impact the amount of time that individuals spend in a large or small shoal, as well as how many times they enter either along the front or back edges.

Examining the effects of social context on individual variation in shoaling behaviour among stickleback populations, to better understand differences between populations and potentially inform conservation efforts

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit the original authors.
Data Source

License

License: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) - Public Domain Dedication
No Copyright - You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. See Other Information.

Columns

File: MUNSON_(2021)_AnimBehav_data.csv

Column name	Description
VIE	The type of visual environment the fish were tested in. (Categorical)
STAGE	The stage of the fish's life cycle. (Categorical)
TREATMENT	The type of social context the fish were tested in (stable social group or isolated). (Categorical)
Large_location	The location of the large shoal. (Categorical)
TRIAL	The trial number. (Numerical)
ARENA	The size of the arena. (Numerical)
OBSERVER	The observer who recorded the data. (Categorical)
Front_entries	The number of front entries into the shoal. (Numerical)
Back_entries	The number of back entries into the shoal. (Numerical)
Time_LargeShoal	The amount of time spent in the large shoal. (Numerical)
Time_SmallShoal	The amount of time spent in the small shoal. (Numerical)
Total_time_Shoal	The total amount of time spent in the shoal. (Numerical)
Mean_time_LargeShoal	The mean amount of time spent in the large shoal. (Numerical)
Time_NotShoaling	The amount of time spent not shoaling. (Numerical)
Time_NotShoalingLarge	The amount of time spent not shoaling in the large shoal. (Numerical)
Time_freezing	The amount of time spent freezing. (Numerical)

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit the original authors.
If you use this dataset in your research, please credit .

Tables

Munson 2021 Animbehav Data

@kaggle.thedevastator_stickleback_shoaling_behaviour.munson_2021_animbehav_data

35.81 KB
357 rows
18 columns


CREATE TABLE munson_2021_animbehav_data (
  "id" BIGINT,
  "vie" VARCHAR,
  "stage" VARCHAR,
  "treatment" VARCHAR,
  "large_location" VARCHAR,
  "trial" BIGINT,
  "arena" BIGINT,
  "observer" VARCHAR,
  "front_entries" BIGINT,
  "back_entries" BIGINT,
  "time_largeshoal" DOUBLE,
  "time_smallshoal" DOUBLE,
  "total_time_shoal" DOUBLE,
  "mean_time_largeshoal" DOUBLE,
  "time_notshoaling" DOUBLE,
  "time_notshoalinglarge" DOUBLE,
  "time_freezing" DOUBLE,
  "n__time_moving" DOUBLE
);