Experimental analysis and modelling of the behavioural interactions underlying the coordination of collective motion and the propagation of information in fish schools

Collective motion is ubiquitous in fish. Large groups may comprise thousands to millions of individuals. However, it is not yet understood what are the local interaction rules that underlie these collective patterns.

In this thesis, we investigate in a small gregarious fish, the rummy-nose tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus), the mechanisms underlying both the coordination of motion and the propagation of information in their schools. To discover the connection between individual behaviour and patterns at the collective level, we follow an approach that tightly combines experiments and modelling.