Evol Ecol Res 15: 361-375 (2013)     Full PDF if your library subscribes.

anyFish: an open-source software to generate animated fish models for behavioural studies

Thor Veen¹, Spencer J. Ingley², Rongfeng Cui³, Jon Simpson⁴, Mohammad Rahmani Asl⁴, Ji Zhang⁵, Trisha Butkowski⁴, Wen Li⁵, Chelsea Hash⁶, Jerald B. Johnson², Wei Yan⁴ and Gil G. Rosenthal³

¹Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, ²Evolutionary Ecology Laboratories, Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA,  ³Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA, ⁴College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA, ⁵Department of Computer Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA and  ⁶Lively Disposition, Cohoes, New York, USA

Correspondence: T. Veen, Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 2212 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
e-mail: veen@biodiversity.ubc.ca

ABSTRACT

Problem: Using an experimental approach to study behaviours based on visual signals is severely limited due to the difficulty of combining realistic models (e.g. live fish) with the manipulation of signals in isolation.

Solution: Computer animations allow the manipulation of a single cue while maintaining the rest of the behavioural phenotype of a realistic three-dimensional (3D) model.

Software: We introduce the open-source software anyFish for the creation of 3D-animated fish. Both the animated model and its behaviour can be modified by the end-user to suit specific needs.

Applications: Computer-animated fish facilitate the identification of factors influencing behaviours based on visual cues, and ultimately the way they both drive and respond to selection. For our research, we vary nuptial colour and size and shape of animated male stickleback to quantify female choice for these characters. The software has many other applications, as other fish species can be animated and characters like swimming speed and direction can be manipulated as well.

Keywords: communication, computer animation, Gasterosteus, playback, stickleback, visual signals.

DOWNLOAD A FREE, FULL PDF COPY
IF you are connected using the IP of a subscribing institution (library, laboratory, etc.)
or through its VPN.

 

        © 2013 Thor Veen. All EER articles are copyrighted by their authors. All authors endorse, permit and license Evolutionary Ecology Ltd. to grant its subscribing institutions/libraries the copying privileges specified below without additional consideration or payment to them or to Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. These endorsements, in writing, are on file in the office of Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. Consult authors for permission to use any portion of their work in derivative works, compilations or to distribute their work in any commercial manner.

       Subscribing institutions/libraries may grant individuals the privilege of making a single copy of an EER article for non-commercial educational or non-commercial research purposes. Subscribing institutions/libraries may also use articles for non-commercial educational purposes by making any number of copies for course packs or course reserve collections. Subscribing institutions/libraries may also loan single copies of articles to non-commercial libraries for educational purposes.

       All copies of abstracts and articles must preserve their copyright notice without modification.