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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Tiny fish surprise scientists in 'volunteer's dilemma'    
      
     Date:   
         July 12, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Exeter   
     Summary:   
         Tiny fish called Trinidadian guppies have surprised scientists   
         when faced with the so-called 'volunteer's dilemma'.   
      
      
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   Tiny fish called Trinidadian guppies have surprised scientists when faced   
   with the so-called "volunteer's dilemma."  The idea of the dilemma is that   
   individuals are less likely to cooperate if they are in a large group.   
      
   Various studies have demonstrated this in humans -- but guppies appear   
   to buck the trend.   
      
   In the new study, by the University of Exeter, guppies in larger groups   
   were more likely to risk approaching a predator to gather information   
   for the shoal.   
      
   "When faced with a possible predator, guppies have to balance risks," said   
   Rebecca Padget, from Exeter's Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour.   
      
   "At least one guppy needs to approach, to find out if there is a threat.   
      
   "An individual that does this could get eaten. However, if none of the   
   guppies take this risk, the whole group is in danger.   
      
   "In this 'volunteer's dilemma', mathematical models suggest that   
   individuals in larger groups should be less willing to cooperate.   
      
   "In a larger group, there's more chance another guppy will take the risk."   
   To test this, the researchers placed a clay model of a pike cichlid   
   (a natural predator of guppies) in a tank containing small (5), medium   
   (10) and large (20) groups of guppies.   
      
   Surprisingly, guppies in the large groups were most likely to approach   
   and inspect the predator.   
      
   Individuals in large groups inspected an average of 14 times in the seven-   
   minute trials.   
      
   Guppies in medium groups were least likely to approach -- going an   
   average of seven times each.   
      
   Members of these medium groups also spent the most time in "refuges"   
   (behind plants or near the gravel at the edge of the tank).   
      
   "We can't be sure why guppies in large groups cooperated more," Padget   
   said.   
      
   "We know guppies have different personalities, so it could be that   
   larger groups are more likely to contain more cooperative individuals   
   -- and others then follow their lead."  After inspecting a predator,   
   guppies return to the group. Previous research has shown that their   
   behaviour then signals danger to the others.   
      
   In the study, an "inspection" was recorded when a guppy went within 30cm   
   of the predator. This was usually done either by individuals or small   
   sub-groups of the main shoal.   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Exeter. Original   
   written by Alex Morrison.   
      
   Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Rebecca F. B. Padget, Tim W. Fawcett, Safi K. Darden. Guppies   
      in large   
         groups cooperate more frequently in an experimental test of the   
         group size paradox. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological   
         Sciences, 2023; 290 (2002) DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0790   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230712011610.htm   
      
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