Signatures of optimal control in pairs of schooling zebrafish

Animals moving in groups coordinate their motion to remain cohesive. A large amount of data and analysis of movement coordination has been obtained in several species, but we are lacking theoretical frameworks that can derive the form of coordination rules. Here, we examine whether optimal control theory can predict the rules underlying social interactions from first principles. We find that a control rule which is designed to minimize the time it would take a pair of schooling fish to form a cohesively moving unit correctly predicts the characteristics of social interactions in fish. Our methodology explains why social attraction is negatively modulated by self-motion velocity and positively modulated by partner motion velocity, and how the biomechanics of fish swimming can shape the form of social forces. Crucially, the values of all parameters in our model can be estimated from independent experiments that need not relate to measurement of social interactions. We test our theory by s...

集群运动的动物会通过协调自身动作维持群体凝聚力。目前学界已针对多个物种种群的运动协调开展了大量研究，积累了丰富的数据与分析成果，但仍缺乏可推导协调规则具体形式的理论框架。本研究旨在探究最优控制理论（optimal control theory）能否从第一性原理（first principles）出发，预测社会互动背后的行为规则。我们发现，以最小化成对集群鱼类（schooling fish）形成协同运动单元（cohesively moving unit）所需时长为优化目标的控制规则，能够准确预测鱼类的社会互动特征。本研究的方法框架阐释了：社会吸引力为何会随自身运动速度呈负向调节、随同伴运动速度呈正向调节，以及鱼类游泳的生物力学（biomechanics）特性如何塑造社会作用力的表现形式。尤为关键的是，本模型中所有参数的取值均可通过无需涉及社会互动测量的独立实验进行估算。我们通过[...]对本理论展开验证。