The impact of predators and vegetation on shoaling in wild zebrafish.

In their natural habitats, animals experience multiple ecological factors and regulate their social responses accordingly. To unravel the impact of two ecological factors on the immediate behavioural response of groups, we conducted experiments on wild zebrafish shoals in arenas with vegetation, predator cues, and both factors simultaneously or neither (control treatments). Analysis of 297 trials revealed that while shoals formed significantly larger subgroups in the presence of predator cues, their subgroup size was comparable to control treatments when they faced predator cues and vegetation.

Shoals in troubled waters? The impact of rising temperatures on metabolism, foraging, and shoaling behavior in mixed-species shoals.

Rising water temperatures across aquatic habitats, in the current global climate change scenario, can directly affect metabolism and food intake in fish species. This can potentially alter their physiological, behavioral, and shoaling properties. In the current study, we examined the effects of high temperatures on metabolism, foraging, and shoaling in tropical fish.

What drives mixed-species shoaling among wild zebrafish? The roles of predators, food access, abundance of conspecifics and familiarity.

Mixed-species groups occur across a wide range of faunal communities and provide several benefits to members. While zebrafish have often been observed to form mixed-species shoals with coexisting species, the factors determining their occurrence are not yet fully understood. Shoals comprising zebrafish (Danio rerio), flying barbs (Esomus danricus), and whitespots (Aplocheilus panchax) were collected from a stagnant canal at Haringhata (West Bengal, India), and using laboratory-based experiments, we deciphered likely drivers of mixed-species shoaling among zebrafish.

Förster Resonance Energy Transfer from Carbon Nanoparticles to a DNA-Bound Compound: A Method to Detect the Nature of Binding.

A drug molecule can bind in various orientations to a DNA strand. Nature of the binding decides the functionality and efficacy of the drug. To innovate a new method to detect the nature of binding of a drug to DNA strands, herein we have used the dipole-dipole interaction driven Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) and a DNA-bound small molecule, ()-3-ethyl-2-(4-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)styryl)benzo[]thiazol-3-ium (EPSBT), which belongs to the hemicyanine family and binds typically to the minor groove of a DNA duplex.

Temporal Patterns in Interactions Across Same- and Mixed-Sex Wild Zebrafish Dyads.

Animals communicate with each other through a variety of behavioral interactions, many of which are often complex due to the interplay of several ecological factors. Observations on dyadic interactions can help throw light on the more complex interactions observed among group living organisms and can help in understanding mechanisms of behaviors related to mating strategies, dominance hierarchies, and decision-making. This study focused on the assessment of several generally observed interactions among dyads of different sexes (female-female, male-male, and male-female) in wild zebrafish (.

Policy capacities and effective policy design: a review.

Effectiveness has been understood at three levels of analysis in the scholarly study of policy design. The first is at the level indicating what entails effective formulation environments or spaces making them conducive to successful design. The second reflects more level concerns, surrounding how policy tool portfolios or mixes can be effectively constructed to address complex policy objectives.