NDLI: Spontaneous discrimination of small quantities: shoaling preferences in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Gómez Laplaza, Luis M. Gerlai, Robert
Copyright Year	2011
Abstract	The ability to quantify, i.e. to estimate quantity, may provide evolutionary advantages in some contexts and has been demonstrated in a variety of animal species. In a prior study, we showed that angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) were able to discriminate between groups (shoals) in which a large number of conspecifics swam preferring to join the larger of the two. Our results implied that angelfish can compare relative shoal sizes likely on the basis of some quantitative attributes of the shoal. Here, also using a binary preference test, we examined whether angelfish are able to discriminate between shoals of small numbers of conspecifics, and if so whether their performance reveals a comparable underlying mechanism to that proposed for discrimination of small quantities in human and non-human animals, namely the possible precursor of the ability to count. Our results demonstrate that fish reliably chose 4 versus 1, 3 versus 1, 2 versus 1 and 3 versus 2 individuals, but were at chance performance level when having to choose between 4 versus 3, 5 versus 4 and 6 versus 5. Findings also reveal that the density of the fish in the stimulus shoals did not significantly affect the performance of experimental angelfish. These results are compatible with the hypothesis of the existence of an object-file mechanism to discriminate small quantities in vertebrates and provide evidence for spontaneous discrimination of up to three elements in angelfish, a similar limit to that found in human and non-human animals. The findings add to the growing body of data, suggesting that the mechanisms underlying discrimination between different quantities of items may be shared across different taxa and have an evolutionary ancient origin.
Starting Page	565
Ending Page	574
Page Count	10
File Format	PDF
ISSN	14359448
Journal	Animal Cognition
Volume Number	14
Issue Number	4
e-ISSN	14359456
Language	English
Publisher	Springer-Verlag
Publisher Date	2011-03-16
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Subject Keyword	Angelfish Shoaling Quantity discrimination Small numbers Evolutionary Biology Zoology Behavioural Sciences Human Physiology
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Experimental and Cognitive Psychology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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