The goal of this project is to understand the dynamics and the interaction rules of a fish school when it is placed in a complex environment (walls, constriction, constriction, …) in presence of a flow. The results of the experiments will help us understand how hydrodynamics influences the organization within a school of several individuals and how a complex environment can shape this organization. This coupling between hydrodynamic interactions and cognitive interactions is new and has never been proposed in the scientific literature before. It will be a breakthrough in physical models and will serve as an efficient tool for behavioral biology. The construction of the physical model on the basis of experimental observations and analysis will benefit from a direct comparison with ethological inputs to optimize the balance between physical (hydrodynamic) and behavioral forces.
The experimental techniques used are the following: Image and video capture, image processing, use of high speed cameras, software for fish tracking, small fish handling.
Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique MOVE