Fast, bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron (Bleeker, 1856)
Abstract Background During their nighttime shoaling, the flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron produce fascinating, bioluminescent blink patterns, which have been related to the localization of food, determination of nearest neighbor distance, and initiation of the shoal’s movement direction. Informat...
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2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Zoology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-024-00555-x |
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| author | Peter Jägers Stefan Herlitze |
| author_facet | Peter Jägers Stefan Herlitze |
| author_sort | Peter Jägers |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background During their nighttime shoaling, the flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron produce fascinating, bioluminescent blink patterns, which have been related to the localization of food, determination of nearest neighbor distance, and initiation of the shoal’s movement direction. Information transfer e.g., via alarm signals is an important aspect in group living species especially when being under threat. In dark environments, bioluminescence has the potential to accurately transfer such information. Under threat A. katoptron show increased swimming speeds and a higher group cohesion accompanied by fast blink frequencies. Results In this study we used a two-choice paradigm to test the preferences for typical blink characteristics e.g., frequency and duration. Our data show that individuals decided within short periods (< 4 s) for faster blink frequencies of artificial light organs and the preference for the higher blink frequencies became more pronounced as the difference between the presented frequencies increased. The preference correlated with the frequency rather than the duration. Conclusion Our study suggests that fast, bioluminescent blinks of light organs lead to aggregations of A. katoptron. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b3469ddccf234d3c816b33eb6628be99 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1742-9994 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Zoology |
| spelling | doaj-art-b3469ddccf234d3c816b33eb6628be992025-01-19T12:33:33ZengBMCFrontiers in Zoology1742-99942025-01-012211910.1186/s12983-024-00555-xFast, bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron (Bleeker, 1856)Peter Jägers0Stefan Herlitze1Department of General Zoology and Neurobiology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr-University BochumDepartment of General Zoology and Neurobiology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr-University BochumAbstract Background During their nighttime shoaling, the flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron produce fascinating, bioluminescent blink patterns, which have been related to the localization of food, determination of nearest neighbor distance, and initiation of the shoal’s movement direction. Information transfer e.g., via alarm signals is an important aspect in group living species especially when being under threat. In dark environments, bioluminescence has the potential to accurately transfer such information. Under threat A. katoptron show increased swimming speeds and a higher group cohesion accompanied by fast blink frequencies. Results In this study we used a two-choice paradigm to test the preferences for typical blink characteristics e.g., frequency and duration. Our data show that individuals decided within short periods (< 4 s) for faster blink frequencies of artificial light organs and the preference for the higher blink frequencies became more pronounced as the difference between the presented frequencies increased. The preference correlated with the frequency rather than the duration. Conclusion Our study suggests that fast, bioluminescent blinks of light organs lead to aggregations of A. katoptron.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-024-00555-xBioluminescenceBioluminescent signalingFlashlight fishAnomalops katoptronDecision-makingAlarm cue |
| spellingShingle | Peter Jägers Stefan Herlitze Fast, bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron (Bleeker, 1856) Frontiers in Zoology Bioluminescence Bioluminescent signaling Flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron Decision-making Alarm cue |
| title | Fast, bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron (Bleeker, 1856) |
| title_full | Fast, bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron (Bleeker, 1856) |
| title_fullStr | Fast, bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron (Bleeker, 1856) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fast, bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron (Bleeker, 1856) |
| title_short | Fast, bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron (Bleeker, 1856) |
| title_sort | fast bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish anomalops katoptron bleeker 1856 |
| topic | Bioluminescence Bioluminescent signaling Flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron Decision-making Alarm cue |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-024-00555-x |
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