Automated quantification of the schooling behaviour of sticklebacks

Abstract

Sticklebacks have long been used as model organisms in behavioural biology. An important anti-predator behaviour in sticklebacks is schooling. We plan to use quantitative trait locus mapping to identify the genetic basis for differences in schooling behaviour between marine and benthic sticklebacks. To do this, we need to quantify the schooling behaviour of thousands of fish. We have developed a robust high-throughput video analysis method that allows us to screen a few thousand individuals automatically. We propose a non-local background modelling approach that allows us to detect and track sticklebacks and obtain the schooling parameters efficiently.