Swimming speed of schooling fish controls social interaction strength in open-loop immersive virtual reality
Abstract
Collective motion in fish schools emerges from local social interactions, whose strength may vary with behavioural context. Swimming speed is known to influence manoeuvrability, spatial organization and information flow, yet its causal role in shaping social interaction strength remains poorly understood. Here, we experimentally test whether and how neighbour speed modulates social interactions in schooling fish. Using an immersive open-loop virtual-reality system, we exposed freely swimming rummy-nose tetras Hemigrammus rhodostomus to a single virtual conspecific moving along circular trajectories at different controlled speeds. This approach isolates the effect of partner speed while preserving ecologically relevant sensory cues. Across all speeds, real fish reliably followed the virtual partner and adjusted their own speed accordingly. However, spatial positioning, perception angles and leader–follower configurations changed systematically with partner speed. To interpret these patterns, we combined the experiments with a data-driven three-dimensional model of fish interactions. Model-based reconstructions show that increasing neighbour speed weakens horizontal and vertical attraction while strengthening alignment and wall repulsion. These results demonstrate that fish dynamically tune the strength of their social interactions as a function of swimming speed, identifying speed as a key control parameter governing coordination in minimal groups and transitions between collective regimes.
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BibTeX
@article{escobedo2026swimming,
title = {{Swimming speed of schooling fish controls social interaction strength in open-loop immersive virtual reality}},
author = {Ramón Escobedo and Justine Reynaud and Stephane Sanchez and Clément Sire and Guy Theraulaz},
journal = {Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1098/rspb.2026.0146},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05735826v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Swimming speed of schooling fish controls social interaction strength in open-loop immersive virtual reality
AU - Ramón Escobedo
AU - Justine Reynaud
AU - Stephane Sanchez
AU - Clément Sire
AU - Guy Theraulaz
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/02
JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2026.0146
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05735826v1
AB - Collective motion in fish schools emerges from local social interactions, whose strength may vary with behavioural context. Swimming speed is known to influence manoeuvrability, spatial organization and information flow, yet its causal role in shaping social interaction strength remains poorly understood. Here, we experimentally test whether and how neighbour speed modulates social interactions in schooling fish. Using an immersive open-loop virtual-reality system, we exposed freely swimming rummy-nose tetras Hemigrammus rhodostomus to a single virtual conspecific moving along circular trajectories at different controlled speeds. This approach isolates the effect of partner speed while preserving ecologically relevant sensory cues. Across all speeds, real fish reliably followed the virtual partner and adjusted their own speed accordingly. However, spatial positioning, perception angles and leader–follower configurations changed systematically with partner speed. To interpret these patterns, we combined the experiments with a data-driven three-dimensional model of fish interactions. Model-based reconstructions show that increasing neighbour speed weakens horizontal and vertical attraction while strengthening alignment and wall repulsion. These results demonstrate that fish dynamically tune the strength of their social interactions as a function of swimming speed, identifying speed as a key control parameter governing coordination in minimal groups and transitions between collective regimes.
SN - 0962-8452
SN - 1471-2954
ER -