Awakenings in triplicate: in ontogeny, after immobility, and to the presence of a congener. Comments on Ilan Golani’s concept of the mobility gradient

Golani’s concept of the “mobility gradient” describes the unfolding of motor behavior after immobility and in ontogeny. The two processes run parallel and are similar across vertebrates. In both time scales, the trend is for the behavior to progressively become enriched, cover more dimensions (motor expansion) and become less dependent on external stimuli (stimulus-bound). This paper addresses the question whether the gradient extends into social, interactive behavior. Observation of natural groups larger than dyads may help answering that question. As an example, the natural social behavior of a fish, Pethia nigrofasciata is described in some detail. It is concluded that their motor behavior expands in the course of their daily spawning period.