Genetic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity drive troglomorphic character development in European cavefish.

The Aach cave loach (Barbatula barbatula), a recently discovered member of the Nemacheilidae family, offers a unique opportunity to understand the mechanisms underlying evolutionary change. In a common garden experiment, we reared groups of laboratory-bred cave, surface, and hybrid loach under different light conditions. Troglomorphic characters varied significantly among the fish, influenced to a different extent by parental origin and light conditions.

Unravelling the origins of boldness behaviour: a common garden experiment with cavefish ().

Many animals show an aversion to bright, open spaces, with significant variability seen across species, populations and individuals within populations. Although there is much interest in the underlying causes of this behaviour, few studies have been able to systematically isolate the role of heritable and environmental effects. Here, we addressed this gap using a common garden experiment with cavefish.

The emergence and development of behavioral individuality in clonal fish.

Behavioral individuality is a ubiquitous phenomenon in animal populations, yet the origins and developmental trajectories of individuality, especially very early in life, are still a black box. Using a high-resolution tracking system, we mapped the behavioral trajectories of genetically identical fish (Poecilia formosa), separated immediately after birth into identical environments, over the first 10 weeks of their life at 3 s resolution. We find that (i) strong behavioral individuality is present at the very first day after birth, (ii) behavioral differences at day 1 of life predict behavior up to at least 10 weeks later, and (iii) patterns of individuality strengthen gradually over developmental time.

Both prey and predator features predict the individual predation risk and survival of schooling prey.

Predation is one of the main evolutionary drivers of social grouping. While it is well appreciated that predation risk is likely not shared equally among individuals within groups, its detailed quantification has remained difficult due to the speed of attacks and the highly dynamic nature of collective prey response. Here, using high-resolution tracking of solitary predators (Northern pike) hunting schooling fish (golden shiners), we not only provide insights into predator decision-making, but show which key spatial and kinematic features of predator and prey predict the risk of individuals to be targeted and to survive attacks.

Vocally mediated consensus decisions govern mass departures from jackdaw roosts.

In the early morning, large groups of up to hundreds or even thousands of roosting birds, sometimes comprising the entire roost population, often take off together in sudden mass departures. These departures commonly occur in low-light conditions and structurally complex habitats where access to visual cues is likely to be restricted. Roosting birds are often highly vocal, leading us to hypothesise that vocalisations, which can propagate over large distances, could provide a means of enabling individuals to agree on when to depart - that is to establish a consensus - and thus coordinate the timing of mass movements.

Open Hardware in Science: The Benefits of Open Electronics.

Openly shared low-cost electronic hardware applications, known as open electronics, have sparked a new open-source movement, with much untapped potential to advance scientific research. Initially designed to appeal to electronic hobbyists, open electronics have formed a global "maker" community and are increasingly used in science and industry. In this perspective article, we review the current costs and benefits of open electronics for use in scientific research ranging from the experimental to the theoretical sciences.

School Achievement in Early Adolescence Is Associated With Students' Self-Perceived Executive Functions.

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relation between self-perceived executive functions (EFs) and the school achievement of young adolescents (aged 10-12 years), while controlling for parental education and sex. We specifically focused on executive aspects of daily life behavior and the higher-order EFs, as measured with self-report, rather than on the more basic EFs which have been the primary focus of prior investigations. In two independent samples of sixth graders ( > 200 each), students evaluated their EFs on a self-report questionnaire, the Amsterdam Executive Functioning Inventory.

On Neuroeducation: Why and How to Improve Neuroscientific Literacy in Educational Professionals.

New findings from the neurosciences receive much interest for use in the applied field of education. For the past 15 years, neuroeducation and the application of neuroscience knowledge were seen to have promise, but there is presently some lack of progress. The present paper states that this is due to several factors.

The Potential for Physiological Performance Curves to Shape Environmental Effects on Social Behavior.

As individual animals are exposed to varying environmental conditions, phenotypic plasticity will occur in a vast array of physiological traits. For example, shifts in factors such as temperature and oxygen availability can affect the energy demand, cardiovascular system, and neuromuscular function of animals that in turn impact individual behavior. Here, we argue that nonlinear changes in the physiological traits and performance of animals across environmental gradients-known as physiological performance curves-may have wide-ranging effects on the behavior of individual social group members and the functioning of animal social groups as a whole.

Fisheries-induced changes of shoaling behaviour: mechanisms and potential consequences.

We outline key mechanisms by which fishing can change the shoaling tendency and collective behaviour of exploited species - an issue that is rarely considered and poorly understood. We highlight potential consequences for fish populations and food webs, and discuss possible repercussions for fisheries and conservation strategies.

Group-level patterns emerge from individual speed as revealed by an extremely social robotic fish.

Understanding the emergence of collective behaviour has long been a key research focus in the natural sciences. Besides the fundamental role of social interaction rules, a combination of theoretical and empirical work indicates individual speed may be a key process that drives the collective behaviour of animal groups. Socially induced changes in speed by interacting animals make it difficult to isolate the effects of individual speed on group-level behaviours.

Schistocephalus parasite infection alters sticklebacks' movement ability and thereby shapes social interactions.

Parasitism is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom. Although many fundamental aspects of host-parasite relationships have been unravelled, few studies have systematically investigated how parasites affect organismal movement. Here we combine behavioural experiments of Schistocephalus solidus infected sticklebacks with individual-based simulations to understand how parasitism affects individual movement ability and thereby shapes social interaction patterns.

Sex differences in self-regulation in early, middle and late adolescence: A large-scale cross-sectional study.

This large-scale cross-sectional study had the aim to investigate whether adolescent males and females differ in self-perceived self-regulation. The large sample size allowed us to investigate sex differences in three age-groups of young (n = 161), middle (n = 133) and late (n = 159) adolescents. Self-regulation was evaluated with a self-report questionnaire, the Amsterdam Executive Functioning Inventory (AEFI).

The Role of Individual Heterogeneity in Collective Animal Behaviour.

Social grouping is omnipresent in the animal kingdom. Considerable research has focused on understanding how animal groups form and function, including how collective behaviour emerges via self-organising mechanisms and how phenotypic variation drives the behaviour and functioning of animal groups. However, we still lack a mechanistic understanding of the role of phenotypic variation in collective animal behaviour.

Effect of 1 Year Krill Oil Supplementation on Cognitive Achievement of Dutch Adolescents: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) are important for brain development and function, maybe especially during adolescence. Observational studies have demonstrated an association between fish consumption (a source of LCPUFA) and cognition in adolescents, but intervention trials are lacking. The goal of the current study was to investigate the effect of one year of krill oil (a source of LCPUFA) supplementation on the cognitive performance of adolescents with a low Omega-3 Index (O3I ≤ 5%).

Sex Differences in the Performance of 7-12 Year Olds on a Mental Rotation Task and the Relation With Arithmetic Performance.

This study evaluates boy-girl differences in 3D mental rotation in schoolchildren aged 7-12 years and the relation to arithmetic performance. A dedicated new task was developed: The Mental Rotation Task - Children (MRT-C). This task was applied to a large sample of 729 children.

Exercise of Varying Durations: No Acute Effects on Cognitive Performance in Adolescents.

Participation in structured physical activity is assumed to have a positive effect on cognitive and academic performance. A single bout of moderate to vigorous exercise has been found to have a small acute positive effect on the cognitive performance of children and adolescents. However, the dose-response effects of exercise duration are largely unknown.

Boy-Girl Differences in Pictorial Verbal Learning in Students Aged 8-12 Years and the Influence of Parental Education.

This large-scale cross-sectional study of schoolchildren aged 8-12 years ( = 152) evaluates two factors which potentially determine individual differences in intentional learning: the child's sex and parental education. Intentional learning was assessed with a newly constructed Pictorial Verbal Learning Task (PVLT). This task presents line drawings of concrete objects as to-be-remembered information instead of written or auditory presented words.

Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children and adolescents: a novel combination of a systematic review and recommendations from an expert panel.

Objective: To summarise the current evidence on the effects of physical activity (PA) interventions on cognitive and academic performance in children, and formulate research priorities and recommendations.

Design: Systematic review (following PRISMA guidelines) with a methodological quality assessment and an international expert panel. We based the evaluation of the consistency of the scientific evidence on the findings reported in studies rated as of high methodological quality.

Teacher-Evaluated Self-Regulation Is Related to School Achievement and Influenced by Parental Education in Schoolchildren Aged 8-12: A Case-Control Study.

There are major inter-individual differences in the school achievements of students aged 8-12. The determinants of these differences are not known. This paper investigates two possible factors: the self-regulation of the student and the educational levels obtained by their parents.

Repeatable group differences in the collective behaviour of stickleback shoals across ecological contexts.

Establishing how collective behaviour emerges is central to our understanding of animal societies. Previous research has highlighted how universal interaction rules shape collective behaviour, and that individual differences can drive group functioning. Groups themselves may also differ considerably in their collective behaviour, but little is known about the consistency of such group variation, especially across different ecological contexts that may alter individuals' behavioural responses.

Cognitive functioning in the general population: Factor structure and association with mental disorders-The neuropsychological test battery of the mental health module of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults (DEGS1-MH).

The objective of this study is to obtain population level data about cognitive functions and their association with mental disorders. We here report factor analytic and psychometric findings of a neuropsychological test battery and examine the association of current and past mental disorders with cognitive function in a large nationwide population-based sample of 18- to 79-year-old adults in Germany (n = 3,667) participating in the mental health module of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults 2008-2011. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed verbal memory and executive function factors.

"It's a Battle… You Want to Do It, but How Will You Get It Done?": Teachers' and Principals' Perceptions of Implementing Additional Physical activity in School for Academic Performance.

School is an ideal setting to promote and increase physical activity (PA) in children. However, implementation of school-based PA programmes seems difficult, in particular due to schools' focus on academic performance and a lack of involvement of school staff in program development. The potential cognitive and academic benefits of PA might increase chances of successful implementation.

Consistent Individual Differences Drive Collective Behavior and Group Functioning of Schooling Fish.

The ubiquity of consistent inter-individual differences in behavior ("animal personalities") [1, 2] suggests that they might play a fundamental role in driving the movements and functioning of animal groups [3, 4], including their collective decision-making, foraging performance, and predator avoidance. Despite increasing evidence that highlights their importance [5-16], we still lack a unified mechanistic framework to explain and to predict how consistent inter-individual differences may drive collective behavior. Here we investigate how the structure, leadership, movement dynamics, and foraging performance of groups can emerge from inter-individual differences by high-resolution tracking of known behavioral types in free-swimming stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) shoals.