TY - JOUR
T1 - Information theory and robotics meet to study predator-prey interactions
AU - Neri, Daniele
AU - Ruberto, Tommaso
AU - Cord-Cruz, Gabrielle
AU - Porfiri, Maurizio
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CMMI-1433670 and Grant No. CMMI-1505832. The authors are grateful to Violet Mwaffo for help in the analysis of the data. T.R. and M.P. designed the research; D.N., T.R., and G.C.C. performed the experiments; D.N., T.R., and G.C.C. scored animal behavior; D.N., T.R., and M.P. performed statistical analyses; and D.N., T.R., and M.P. wrote the manuscript. Datasets and codes used in the analyses are stored at the authors' home institution and will be provided on request. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to M.P.
PY - 2017/7/1
Y1 - 2017/7/1
N2 - Transfer entropy holds promise to advance our understanding of animal behavior, by affording the identification of causal relationships that underlie animal interactions. A critical step toward the reliable implementation of this powerful information-theoretic concept entails the design of experiments in which causal relationships could be systematically controlled. Here, we put forward a robotics-based experimental approach to test the validity of transfer entropy in the study of predator-prey interactions. We investigate the behavioral response of zebrafish to a fear-evoking robotic stimulus, designed after the morpho-physiology of the red tiger oscar and actuated along preprogrammed trajectories. From the time series of the positions of the zebrafish and the robotic stimulus, we demonstrate that transfer entropy correctly identifies the influence of the stimulus on the focal subject. Building on this evidence, we apply transfer entropy to study the interactions between zebrafish and a live red tiger oscar. The analysis of transfer entropy reveals a change in the direction of the information flow, suggesting a mutual influence between the predator and the prey, where the predator adapts its strategy as a function of the movement of the prey, which, in turn, adjusts its escape as a function of the predator motion. Through the integration of information theory and robotics, this study posits a new approach to study predator-prey interactions in freshwater fish.
AB - Transfer entropy holds promise to advance our understanding of animal behavior, by affording the identification of causal relationships that underlie animal interactions. A critical step toward the reliable implementation of this powerful information-theoretic concept entails the design of experiments in which causal relationships could be systematically controlled. Here, we put forward a robotics-based experimental approach to test the validity of transfer entropy in the study of predator-prey interactions. We investigate the behavioral response of zebrafish to a fear-evoking robotic stimulus, designed after the morpho-physiology of the red tiger oscar and actuated along preprogrammed trajectories. From the time series of the positions of the zebrafish and the robotic stimulus, we demonstrate that transfer entropy correctly identifies the influence of the stimulus on the focal subject. Building on this evidence, we apply transfer entropy to study the interactions between zebrafish and a live red tiger oscar. The analysis of transfer entropy reveals a change in the direction of the information flow, suggesting a mutual influence between the predator and the prey, where the predator adapts its strategy as a function of the movement of the prey, which, in turn, adjusts its escape as a function of the predator motion. Through the integration of information theory and robotics, this study posits a new approach to study predator-prey interactions in freshwater fish.
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U2 - 10.1063/1.4990051
DO - 10.1063/1.4990051
M3 - Article
C2 - 28764408
AN - SCOPUS:85025174936
SN - 1054-1500
VL - 27
JO - Chaos
JF - Chaos
IS - 7
M1 - 073111
ER -