No sibling odor preference in juvenile three-spined sticklebacks

Laboratory-bred juvenile three-spined sticklebacks from 11 sibshipsdid notprefer to shoal with their siblings when they were offeredthe choice betweenodor from unfamiliar siblings and non-kinin a fluviarium, although the powerfor finding a significantpreference was very high (0.99). The test fishpreferred theside where odor from the heavier shoal was supplied; this showsthatthey could appreciate odor cues from conspecifics in our apparatusandshould have preferred their siblings if such a preferenceexists. Our resultsare compatible with theoretical predictionsbut are at variance with previousfindings by other authors.We used independent replicates in a blind protocolwith strictrandomization of fish and procedures.