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Animals
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Fish Cognition and Behaviour
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Fish Cognition and Behaviour

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Aquatic Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 3066

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Asahi Ogi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, San Miniato, Italy
Interests: veterinary physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled “Fish Cognition and Behaviour”, aims to advance our understanding of the cognitive abilities and behavioral strategies of fish, shedding light on their ecological, evolutionary and neurobiological significance. This collection seeks to explore the mechanisms underlying fish cognition, including perception, learning, memory, decision-making, and social interactions, as well as how these behaviors adapt to environmental challenges.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  • Cognitive processes in fish, such as problem-solving, spatial navigation, and tool use.
  • Behavioral adaptations to changing environments (e.g., climate change, habitat loss).
  • Social behavior and communication in fish populations.
  • Neurobiological foundations of cognition and behavior in fish species.
  • Comparative studies between fish and other vertebrates in cognitive or behavioral traits.
  • Applications of fish cognition research in conservation biology and aquaculture.

This Special Issue welcomes the submission of original research articles, reviews, case studies, and methodological advancements that provide novel insights into fish cognition and behavior. By compiling interdisciplinary perspectives from ethology, neurobiology, ecology, evolutionary biology, and biomedical research, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of these fascinating organisms in experimental science.

Dr. Asahi Ogi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cognitive processes
  • behavioral adaptations
  • social behavior
  • neurobiological foundations
  • fish ethology

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 7464 KB  
Article
Enhanced CenterTrack for Robust Underwater Multi-Fish Tracking
by Jinfeng Wang, Mingrun Lin, Zhipeng Cheng, Renyou Yang and Qiong Huang
Animals 2026, 16(2), 156; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16020156 - 6 Jan 2026
Viewed by 140
Abstract
Accurate monitoring of fish movement is essential for understanding behavioral patterns and group dynamics in aquaculture systems. Underwater scenes—characterized by dense populations, frequent occlusions, non-rigid body motion, and visually similar appearances—present substantial challenges for conventional multi-object tracking methods. We propose an improved CenterTrack-based [...] Read more.
Accurate monitoring of fish movement is essential for understanding behavioral patterns and group dynamics in aquaculture systems. Underwater scenes—characterized by dense populations, frequent occlusions, non-rigid body motion, and visually similar appearances—present substantial challenges for conventional multi-object tracking methods. We propose an improved CenterTrack-based framework tailored for multi-fish tracking in such environments. The framework integrates three complementary components: a multi-branch feature extractor that enhances discrimination among visually similar individuals, occlusion-aware output heads that estimate visibility states, and a three-stage cascade association module that improves trajectory continuity under abrupt motion and occlusions. To support systematic evaluation, we introduce a self-built dataset named Multi-Fish 25 (MF25), continuous video sequences of 75 individually annotated fish recorded in aquaculture tanks. The experimental results on MF25 show that the proposed method achieves an IDF1 of 82.5%, MOTA of 85.8%, and IDP of 84.7%. Although this study focuses on tracking performance rather than biological analysis, the produced high-quality trajectories form a solid basis for subsequent behavioral studies. The framework’s modular design and computational efficiency make it suitable for practical, online tracking in aquaculture scenarios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fish Cognition and Behaviour)
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20 pages, 10771 KB  
Article
Dietary Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) Modulates Survival, Growth, Reproductive Behavior, and Spawning Performance in Zebrafish, Danio rerio
by Ferdinando Flagiello, Maria Raggio, Marcello Diano, Serena Esposito, Maddalena Parente, Chiara Attanasio, Elena De Felice, Carla Lucini, Stefano Mazzoleni, Paolo de Girolamo, Livia D’Angelo and Antonio Palladino
Animals 2026, 16(1), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16010098 - 29 Dec 2025
Viewed by 218
Abstract
In aquaculture and in laboratory settings, the development of sustainable and functional feeds is crucial in order to promote fish welfare, growth, and reproductive performance. Among natural dietary supplements, spirulina (Arthrospira platensis), a blue-green microalga rich in proteins, essential fatty acids, [...] Read more.
In aquaculture and in laboratory settings, the development of sustainable and functional feeds is crucial in order to promote fish welfare, growth, and reproductive performance. Among natural dietary supplements, spirulina (Arthrospira platensis), a blue-green microalga rich in proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidant molecules, represents a promising bioactive ingredient capable of influencing both physiological and behavioral traits. A 32-week longitudinal study was conducted on adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) to evaluate the effects of spirulina supplementation (5%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) compared to a standard diet. Parameters related to survival, growth, reproductive fitness, and reproductive behavior were assessed in vivo and supported by a morphometric analysis of the gonads. Supplementation with 5% improved survival rate and the Body Condition Index, while 25% supplementation increased survival, enhanced reproductive behavior and spawning success (140% egg production vs. control), and supported optimal gonadal development and gamete maturation timing. Higher percentages of spirulina (50–100%) seem to cause nutritional imbalance, impairing health and reproductive fitness. This study demonstrates that moderate spirulina supplementation (5–25%) supports health, reproductive physiology, and behavior in zebrafish in a dose-dependent manner. These results highlight the potential of spirulina as a functional supplement for precision nutrition approaches, with implications for fish welfare, reproductive performance, and aquaculture sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fish Cognition and Behaviour)
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18 pages, 2419 KB  
Article
Divergent Embryo Responses to Chemical Cues in Two Freshwater Fishes with Different Parental Care Strategies
by Ning Zhang, Qinlei Li, Minghui Li, Chris K. Elvidge, Chuke Deng, Deshou Wang, Shijian Fu and Jigang Xia
Animals 2025, 15(24), 3511; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15243511 - 5 Dec 2025
Viewed by 339
Abstract
Chemical information is one of the most important modes of communication among aquatic organisms. However, it remains unclear whether fish embryos are innately responsive to ecologically-related chemical cues from the cues of their cohort competitors, potential caring or risky cues from parents, or [...] Read more.
Chemical information is one of the most important modes of communication among aquatic organisms. However, it remains unclear whether fish embryos are innately responsive to ecologically-related chemical cues from the cues of their cohort competitors, potential caring or risky cues from parents, or chemical alarm cues from damaged embryos, and whether these response patterns differ between species that model alternative parental care strategies. Here, we examined embryo responses in heart rate and incubation performance to different conspecific chemical cues (companion embryo odours, maternal odours, maternal + companion odours, embryonic alarm cues, or water controls) in zebrafish (Danio rerio; no parental care) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus; high parental care). Zebrafish embryos did not respond to companion embryo odours but did respond similarly to maternal odours and alarm cues consistent with detecting elevated risk levels. In contrast, Nile tilapia embryos only demonstrated significant risk responses to embryonic alarm cues. These findings indicate that embryos of both species can innately recognize alarm cues but differ in their response patterns to conspecific odours. The results highlight that parental care strategies may influence intergenerational chemical communication in fish embryos. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fish Cognition and Behaviour)
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28 pages, 29419 KB  
Article
Complex Sound Discrimination in Zebrafish: Auditory Learning Within a Novel “Go/Go” Decision-Making Paradigm
by Anna Patel, Sai Mattapalli and Jagmeet S. Kanwal
Animals 2025, 15(23), 3452; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15233452 - 29 Nov 2025
Viewed by 576
Abstract
Previous anatomic and physiologic studies of the peripheral and central auditory system, with rare exceptions, have relied on the use of tonal stimuli. Here, we test the hypothesis that zebrafish, Danio rerio, can detect and discriminate between two 6 s long complex [...] Read more.
Previous anatomic and physiologic studies of the peripheral and central auditory system, with rare exceptions, have relied on the use of tonal stimuli. Here, we test the hypothesis that zebrafish, Danio rerio, can detect and discriminate between two 6 s long complex sounds—a sequence of five multi-harmonic, noise-embedded constant frequency (NCF) tone pips and a chirp sequence consisting of six rapid downward frequency-modulated (DFM) sweeps. To test our hypothesis, we develop an associative conditioning assay, requiring prediction of an unconditioned stimulus (US). A video clip of a shoal of free-swimming zebrafish presented on an LCD screen serves as a desirable or rewarding US and a bullfrog with inflating and deflating vocal sacs serves as an aversive or fearful US. Within our novel “Go-to/Go-away” (or Go/Go) assay, sound discrimination allows an animal to decide to go/swim towards the desirable US and away from the undesirable US within a short time window preceding each US. We use markerless tracking of fish locations following twelve training runs and six test runs to determine if zebrafish can discriminate between the two sounds. We discovered that on average, fish move closer to the LCD screen in response to the sound paired to the rewarding CS and farther away from the screen in response to the sound paired with the aversive US. Differences in locations and longest swim trajectories occur in the 3 s time window between the CS and the US. These differences are largely retained on the second day of testing, suggesting overnight memory consolidation. We conclude that adult zebrafish can both perceive and rapidly learn to discriminate between complex sounds and that our novel assay can be implemented for high throughput screening of drugs targeted for alleviating memory and attention deficits as well as other neurodegenerative disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fish Cognition and Behaviour)
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25 pages, 3837 KB  
Article
Swimming Performance and Behavior of High-Altitude Fish in High-Flow Velocity Environments
by Kaixiao Chen, Guanxi Ding, Yun Li, Gangwei He, Yanteng Zhou and Xiaogang Wang
Animals 2025, 15(22), 3327; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15223327 - 18 Nov 2025
Viewed by 549
Abstract
The optimization of fishway design relies on a deep understanding of fish swimming performance and behavioral traits. Traditional methods often underestimate fish swimming performance and overlook their behavior under high-flow conditions, particularly in the context of high-altitude species. This study, based on an [...] Read more.
The optimization of fishway design relies on a deep understanding of fish swimming performance and behavioral traits. Traditional methods often underestimate fish swimming performance and overlook their behavior under high-flow conditions, particularly in the context of high-altitude species. This study, based on an open-channel flume system and combined with high-speed video tracking and Acoustic Doppler Velocity (ADV) measurements, constructs a Resource Selection Function-Generalized Additive Mixed Models (RSF-GAMMs) to quantify the swimming performance and behavior mechanisms of the high-altitude species, Schizothorax oconnori Lloyd, 1908 (S. oconnori), in high-velocity environments. The results show that S. oconnori significantly outperforms traditional swimming tests and exhibits strong dependence on movement modes. Endurance analysis reveals the breakpoints of endurance models, indicating the species’ high sensitivity to variations in exercise intensity, showcasing the unique physiological and behavioral characteristics of high-altitude fish. In high-velocity conditions, adult S. oconnori primarily aims to optimize energy conservation and stability, selectively choosing water bodies with varying disturbance levels depending on its movement mode and endurance state, thus optimizing path selection. This study presents a systematic method for quantifying the extreme swimming abilities and nonlinear behavioral responses of adult S. oconnori under complex flow conditions, providing scientific guidance for setting hydraulic thresholds and developing protection strategies for fishways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fish Cognition and Behaviour)
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15 pages, 2519 KB  
Article
Genetic Variability Related Behavioral Plasticity in Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca L.) Fingerlings
by Ildikó Benedek, Béla Urbányi, Balázs Kovács, István Lehoczky, Attila Zsolnai and Tamás Molnár
Animals 2025, 15(15), 2229; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15152229 - 29 Jul 2025
Viewed by 618
Abstract
Background: The relationship between genetic diversity and fitness is well understood, but few studies have investigated how behavior influences genetic diversity, or vice versa. We investigated the relationship between feeding behavior (on a pelleted diet) and genetic diversity in pikeperch, a piscivorous species. [...] Read more.
Background: The relationship between genetic diversity and fitness is well understood, but few studies have investigated how behavior influences genetic diversity, or vice versa. We investigated the relationship between feeding behavior (on a pelleted diet) and genetic diversity in pikeperch, a piscivorous species. Methods: A total of 135 juvenile pikeperch from the same stock were grouped into three behavioral groups: pellet consuming, pellet refusing, and cannibalistic. Eighteen microsatellite markers were used to characterize the genetic diversity and structure of individuals. Results: The juveniles were classified into two genetic clusters: one dominated by pellet-consuming individuals and the other by pellet-refusing individuals containing equal proportions of cannibal individuals. Three of the microsatellite markers were under selection, but only one showed significant genetic segregation between the groups. For this marker, the pellet consumption was associated with low fragment length. Individual multilocus heterozygosity was significantly higher in the pellet-refusing group. Conclusions: These results suggest that pellet consumption acts as an uncontrolled selective force during domestication, influencing the genetic variability of domesticated populations. The ability to habituate to pellets has a significant genetic basis. Cannibalism does not affect genetic variability, and the emergence of the trait is independent of the propensity to consume pellets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fish Cognition and Behaviour)
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