Habituation determines spatial position in Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi shoals through altered rules of interaction

Abstract Habituation plays a key role in shaping the collective behavior of moving animal groups, yet the effects of variation in habituation within groups are unknown. Here, we merge two subgroups of fish with different levels of habituation and quantitatively analyze their movement. Non-habituated fish (not familiar with their swimming environment) tend to occupy more central positions within the group and position themselves closer to neighbors, consistent with the selfish herd hypothesis. This behavior appears to be driven by adjusted effective local interactions with nearby individuals. Compared to more habituated fish, these individuals also exhibit greater coordination, shorter burst-and-coast dynamics, more efficient information transmission, and a stronger tendency to adopt follower roles. To validate the findings, we develop a machine learning tool that successfully classifies the subgroup identity of individual fish. Our study demonstrates how differences in local-scale inter-individual interactions can drive spatial assortment within groups, based on heterogeneity in their manipulated exposure to the experimental setup.