101
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Milligan ND, Radersma R, Cole EF, Sheldon BC. To graze or gorge: consistency and flexibility of individual foraging tactics in tits. J Anim Ecol 2017; 86:826-836. [PMID: 28191628 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 01/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
An individual's foraging behaviour and time allocated to feeding have direct consequences for its fitness. Despite much research on population-level foraging decisions, few studies have investigated individual differences in fine-scale daily foraging patterns among wild animals. Here, we explore the consistency and plasticity of feeding tactics of individual great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), using a grid of 65 automated feeding stations in a 385-ha woodland, during three winters. We use a principal component analysis to describe individual variation in six feeding parameters and examine how these differences covary with dominance-linked attributes (species, age and sex), the personality trait 'exploration behaviour', distance to territory and local competition intensity. Analysis of 933 086 feeder visits by 3134 individuals revealed that the majority of variation in the timing of feeding was explained by two principal components. PC1 ('binge-eating'), accounting for 38% of variation, captured temporal clustering of feeding, with high repeatability both within and between years (r range: 0·42-0·55). PC2 ('transience'), accounting for 27% of variance, described how much individuals used feeders and was also repeatable (r: 0·34-0·62). While exhibiting consistent individual differences, birds also showed flexibility in foraging patterns, binge-eating less and using feeders more when they experienced greater local competition. Individuals in behaviourally dominant states (great tits, males and adults) binged more than subordinate birds (blue tits, females and juveniles) when their territories were distant from feeding stations. Moreover, great tits and males used feeders more than blue tits and females respectively, while birds feeding further from their territory used feeders less than those feeding closer. 'Exploration behaviour' was unrelated to both measures of daily foraging behaviour. This study presents some of the first evidence that birds use consistent alternative foraging tactics at a fine temporal scale. Individuals are consistent in their tactics, and also adjust their foraging behaviour with changes in local competition. Hence, studies of foraging behaviour should consider the extent to which such individual-level variability in foraging behaviour is under selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole D Milligan
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Reinder Radersma
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.,Department of Biology, Lund University, 22100, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ella F Cole
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
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102
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103
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Individual-level behavioral responses of immature green turtles to snorkeler disturbance. Oecologia 2017; 183:909-917. [PMID: 28039527 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3804-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2015] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Despite many positive benefits of ecotourism, increased human encounters with wildlife may have detrimental effects on wild animals. As charismatic megafauna, nesting and foraging sea turtles are increasingly the focus of ecotourism activities. The purpose of our study was to quantify the behavioral responses of immature green turtles (Chelonia mydas) to disturbance by snorkelers, and to investigate whether turtles have individual-level responses to snorkeler disturbance. Using a standardized disturbance stimulus in the field, we recorded turtle behaviors pre- and post-disturbance by snorkelers. Ninety percent of turtles disturbed by snorkeler (n = 192) initiated their flights at distances of ≤3 m. Using principal component analysis, we identified two distinct turtle personality types, 'bold' and 'timid', based upon 145 encounters of 19 individually identified turtles and five disturbance response variables. There was significant intra-individual repeatability in behavioral responses to disturbance, but bolder turtles had more behavioral plasticity and less consistent responses than more timid individuals. Bolder individuals with reduced evasion responses might be at a higher risk of shark predation, while more timid turtles might have greater energetic consequences due to non-lethal predator effects and repeated snorkeler disturbance. Over the longer term, a turtle population with a mix of bold and timid individuals may promote more resilient populations. We recommend that snorkelers maintain >3 m distance from immature green turtles when snorkeling, and that ecotourism activities be temporally and spatially stratified. Further, turtle watching guidelines need to be communicated to both tour operators and independent snorkelers to reduce the disturbance of turtles.
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104
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Arvidsson LK, Adriaensen F, van Dongen S, De Stobbeleere N, Matthysen E. Exploration behaviour in a different light: testing cross-context consistency of a common personality trait. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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105
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Dubuc-Messier G, Réale D, Perret P, Charmantier A. Environmental heterogeneity and population differences in blue tits personality traits. Behav Ecol 2016; 28:448-459. [PMID: 29622919 PMCID: PMC5873839 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental heterogeneity can result in spatial variation in selection pressures that can produce local adaptations. The pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis predicts that habitat-specific selective pressures will favor the coevolution of personality, physiological, and life-history phenotypes. Few studies so far have compared these traits simultaneously across different ecological conditions. In this study, we compared 3 personality traits (handling aggression, exploration speed in a novel environment, and nest defense behavior) and 1 physiological trait (heart rate during manual restraint) across 3 Corsican blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) populations. These populations are located in contrasting habitats (evergreen vs. deciduous) and are situated in 2 different valleys 25 km apart. Birds from these populations are known to differ in life-history characteristics, with birds from the evergreen habitat displaying a slow pace-of-life, and birds from the deciduous habitat a comparatively faster pace-of-life. We expected personality to differ across populations, in line with the differences in pace-of-life documented for life-history traits. As expected, we found behavioral differences among populations. Despite considerable temporal variation, birds exhibited lower handling aggression in the evergreen populations. Exploration speed and male heart rate also differed across populations, although our results for exploration speed were more consistent with a phenotypic difference between the 2 valleys than between habitats. There were no clear differences in nest defense intensity among populations. Our study emphasizes the role of environmental heterogeneity in shaping population divergence in personality traits at a small spatial scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle Dubuc-Messier
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP-8888 Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada and.,Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS 5175, 1919 Route de Mende, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Denis Réale
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP-8888 Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada and
| | - Philippe Perret
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS 5175, 1919 Route de Mende, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Anne Charmantier
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP-8888 Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada and.,Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS 5175, 1919 Route de Mende, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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106
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Quinn JL, Cole EF, Reed TE, Morand-Ferron J. Environmental and genetic determinants of innovativeness in a natural population of birds. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:rstb.2015.0184. [PMID: 26926275 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Much of the evidence for the idea that individuals differ in their propensity to innovate and solve new problems has come from studies on captive primates. Increasingly, behavioural ecologists are studying innovativeness in wild populations, and uncovering links with functional behaviour and fitness-related traits. The relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in driving this variation, however, remains unknown. Here, we present the results of the first large-scale study to examine a range of causal factors underlying innovative problem-solving performance (PSP) among 831 great tits (Parus major) temporarily taken into captivity. Analyses show that PSP in this population: (i) was linked to a variety of individual factors, including age, personality and natal origin (immigrant or local-born); (ii) was influenced by natal environment, because individuals had a lower PSP when born in poor-quality habitat, or where local population density was high, leading to cohort effects. Links with many of the individual and environmental factors were present only in some years. In addition, PSP (iii) had little or no measurable heritability, as estimated by a Bayesian animal model; and (iv) was not influenced by maternal effects. Despite previous reports of links between PSP and a range of functional traits in this population, the analyses here suggest that innovativeness had weak if any evolutionary potential. Instead most individual variation was caused by phenotypic plasticity driven by links with other behavioural traits and by environmentally mediated developmental stress. Heritability estimates are population, time and context specific, however, and more studies are needed to determine the generality of these effects. Our results shed light on the causes of innovativeness within populations, and add to the debate on the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in driving phenotypic variation within populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L Quinn
- School of BEES, University College Cork, North Mall, Cork, T23 N73K, Republic of Ireland Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Ella F Cole
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Thomas E Reed
- School of BEES, University College Cork, North Mall, Cork, T23 N73K, Republic of Ireland
| | - Julie Morand-Ferron
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
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107
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Roche DG, Careau V, Binning SA. Demystifying animal 'personality' (or not): why individual variation matters to experimental biologists. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:3832-3843. [PMID: 27852750 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.146712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Animal 'personality', defined as repeatable inter-individual differences in behaviour, is a concept in biology that faces intense controversy. Critics argue that the field is riddled with terminological and methodological inconsistencies and lacks a sound theoretical framework. Nevertheless, experimental biologists are increasingly studying individual differences in physiology and relating these to differences in behaviour, which can lead to fascinating insights. We encourage this trend, and in this Commentary we highlight some of the benefits of estimating variation in (and covariation among) phenotypic traits at the inter- and intra-individual levels. We focus on behaviour while drawing parallels with physiological and performance-related traits. First, we outline some of the confusion surrounding the terminology used to describe repeatable inter-individual differences in behaviour. Second, we argue that acknowledging individual behavioural differences can help researchers avoid sampling and experimental bias, increase explanatory power and, ultimately, understand how selection acts on physiological traits. Third, we summarize the latest methods to collect, analyse and present data on individual trait variation. We note that, while measuring the repeatability of phenotypic traits is informative in its own right, it is only the first step towards understanding how natural selection and genetic architecture shape intra-specific variation in complex, labile traits. Thus, understanding how and why behavioural traits evolve requires linking repeatable inter-individual behavioural differences with core aspects of physiology (e.g. neurophysiology, endocrinology, energy metabolism) and evolutionary biology (e.g. selection gradients, heritability).
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique G Roche
- Département d'Éco-Éthologie, Institut de Biologie, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel CH 2000, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Careau
- Canada Research Chair in Functional Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Sandra A Binning
- Département d'Éco-Éthologie, Institut de Biologie, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel CH 2000, Switzerland
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108
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Edwards HA, Dugdale HL, Richardson DS, Komdeur J, Burke T. Exploration is dependent on reproductive state, not social state, in a cooperatively breeding bird. Behav Ecol 2016; 27:1889-1896. [PMID: 28028379 PMCID: PMC5181527 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2015] [Revised: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Personality is an intriguing phenomenon in populations because it constrains behavioral flexibility. One theory suggests that personality could be generated and maintained if dependent on asset protection. It is predicted that trade-offs with fitness expectations and survival probability encourage consistent behavioral differences among individuals (personality). Although not mutually exclusive, the social niche specialization hypothesis suggests that a group of individuals that repeatedly interact will develop personality to avoid costly social conflict. The point at which behavioral consistency originates in the social niche hypothesis is still unclear, with predictions for development after a change in social status. In the facultative cooperatively breeding Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis), residing on Cousin Island, breeding vacancies are limited and this forces individuals into different social roles. We used this system to test whether reproductive and social state predicted among-individual differences in exploration. We had 2 predictions. First, that an individual's start in life can predict personality, whereby young individuals with a good start to life (associated with early age reproduction and earlier onset survival senescence) are fast explorers, suggesting reproductive state-dependence. Second, that an individual's social status can predict personality, whereby dominant individuals will be fast explorers, suggesting that the behavior is social state-dependent. Neither of the behaviors was associated with social state and social state did not affect behavioral consistency. However, novel object exploration was associated with a proxy of reproductive state. Our results provide further support for state being a mechanism for generating individual differences in behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah A Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield , Sheffield S10 2TN , UK
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- School of Biology, The Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK,; Behavioural Ecology and Physiological Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103 9700 cc, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - David S Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ, UK, and; Nature Seychelles, PO BOX 1310, Mahe, Republic of Seychelles
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Behavioural Ecology and Physiological Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen , PO Box 11103 9700 cc, Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Terry Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield , Sheffield S10 2TN , UK
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109
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Mathot KJ, Abbey-Lee RN, Kempenaers B, Dingemanse NJ. Do great tits (Parus major) suppress basal metabolic rate in response to increased perceived predation danger? A field experiment. Physiol Behav 2016; 164:400-6. [PMID: 27342428 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Revised: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have shown that individuals with higher metabolic rates (MRs) feed at higher rates and are more willing to forage in the presence of predators. This increases the acquisition of resources, which in turn, may help to sustain a higher MR. Elevated predation danger may be expected to result in reduced MRs, either as a means of allowing for reduced feeding and risk-taking, or as a consequence of adaptively reducing intake rates via reduced feeding and/or risk-taking. We tested this prediction in free-living great tits (Parus major) using a playback experiment to manipulate perceived predation danger. There was evidence that changes in body mass and BMR differed as a function of treatment. In predator treatment plots, great tits tended to reduce their body mass, a commonly observed response in birds to increased predation danger. In contrast, birds from control treatment plots showed no overall changes in body mass. There was also evidence that great tits from control treatment plots increased their basal metabolic rate (BMR) over the course of the experiment, presumably due to decreasing ambient temperatures over the study period. However, there was no evidence for changes in BMR for birds from predator treatment plots. Although the directions of these results are consistent with the predicted directions of effects, the effects sizes and confidence intervals yield inconclusive support for the hypothesis that great tits would adaptively suppress BMR in response to increased perceived predation risk. The effect size observed in the present study was small (~1%) and would not be expected to result in substantive reductions in feeding rate and/or risk-taking. Whether or not ecological conditions that generate greater energetic stress (e.g. lower food availability, lower ambient temperatures) could produce an effect that produces biologically meaningful reductions in feeding activity and/or risk-taking remains an open question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley J Mathot
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.
| | - Robin N Abbey-Lee
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany; Section of Behavioral Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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110
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Han CS, Jäger HY, Dingemanse NJ. Individuality in nutritional preferences: a multi-level approach in field crickets. Sci Rep 2016; 6:29071. [PMID: 27356870 PMCID: PMC4928176 DOI: 10.1038/srep29071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Selection may favour individuals of the same population to differ consistently in nutritional preference, for example, because optimal diets covary with morphology or personality. We provided Southern field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) with two synthetic food sources (carbohydrates and proteins) and quantified repeatedly how much of each macronutrient was consumed by each individual. We then quantified (i) whether individuals were repeatable in carbohydrate and protein intake rate, (ii) whether an individual's average daily intake of carbohydrates was correlated with its average daily intake of protein, and (iii) whether short-term changes in intake of carbohydrates coincided with changes in intake of protein within individuals. Intake rates were individually repeatable for both macronutrients. However, individuals differed in their relative daily intake of carbohydrates versus proteins (i.e., 'nutritional preference'). By contrast, total consumption varied plastically as a function of body weight within individuals. Body weight-but not personality (i.e., aggression, exploration behaviour)-positively predicted nutritional preference at the individual level as large crickets repeatedly consumed a higher carbohydrate to protein ratio compared to small ones. Our finding of level-specific associations between the consumption of distinct nutritional components demonstrates the merit of applying multivariate and multi-level viewpoints to the study of nutritional preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang S Han
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Heidi Y Jäger
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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111
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Nicolaus M, Piault R, Ubels R, Tinbergen JM, Dingemanse NJ. The correlation between coloration and exploration behaviour varies across hierarchical levels in a wild passerine bird. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:1780-92. [PMID: 27234334 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In vertebrates, darker individuals are often found to be more active and willing to take risks (representing characteristics of a 'proactive' coping style), whereas lighter individuals are instead more cautious and less active (representing characteristics of a 'reactive' coping style). It is thus generally expected that melanin-based coloration and proactivity form a suite of positively integrated traits at the among-individual level. Here, we use a multigenerational pedigree of free-living great tits (Parus major) to partition variation in, and the correlation between, melanin-based breast stripe ('tie') size and exploration behaviour (a proxy for coping style) into its among- and within-individual components. We show that both traits harbour heritable variation. Against predictions, tie size and speed of exploration were negatively correlated at the among-individual level due to the combined influences of permanent environmental and additive genetic effects. By contrast, the two traits were weakly positively correlated within individuals (i.e. individuals increasing in tie size after moult tended to become more explorative). The patterns of among-individual covariance were not caused by correlational selection as we found additive and opposite selection pressures acting on the two traits. These findings imply that testing hypotheses regarding the existence of a 'syndrome' at the among-individual level strictly requires variance partitioning to avoid inappropriate interpretations as the negative 'unpartitioned' phenotypic correlation between exploration and tie size resulted from counteracting effects of within- and among-individual correlations. Identifying sources and levels of (co)variation in phenotypic traits is thus critical to our understanding of biological patterns and evolutionary processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Nicolaus
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, University Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain. .,Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany. .,Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - R Piault
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - R Ubels
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - J M Tinbergen
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - N J Dingemanse
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany
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112
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Colchester C, Harrison NM. Personality in Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and its Effect on Their Breeding Success. Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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113
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Finger J, Dhellemmes F, Guttridge T, Kurvers R, Gruber S, Krause J. Rate of movement of juvenile lemon sharks in a novel open field, are we measuring activity or reaction to novelty? Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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114
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Moiron M, Mathot KJ, Dingemanse NJ. A multi-level approach to quantify speed-accuracy trade-offs in great tits (Parus major). Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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115
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Jacquin L, Reader SM, Boniface A, Mateluna J, Patalas I, Pérez-Jvostov F, Hendry AP. Parallel and nonparallel behavioural evolution in response to parasitism and predation in Trinidadian guppies. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:1406-22. [PMID: 27086945 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Revised: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Natural enemies such as predators and parasites are known to shape intraspecific variability of behaviour and personality in natural populations, yet several key questions remain: (i) What is the relative importance of predation vs. parasitism in shaping intraspecific variation of behaviour across generations? (ii) What are the contributions of genetic and plastic effects to this behavioural divergence? (iii) And to what extent are responses to predation and parasitism repeatable across independent evolutionary lineages? We addressed these questions using Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) (i) varying in their exposure to dangerous fish predators and Gyrodactylus ectoparasites for (ii) both wild-caught F0 and laboratory-reared F2 individuals and coming from (iii) multiple independent evolutionary lineages (i.e. independent drainages). Several key findings emerged. First, a population's history of predation and parasitism influenced behavioural profiles, but to different extent depending on the behaviour considered (activity, shoaling or boldness). Second, we had evidence for some genetic effects of predation regime on behaviour, with differences in activity of F2 laboratory-reared individuals, but not for parasitism, which had only plastic effects on the boldness of wild-caught F0 individuals. Third, the two lineages showed a mixture of parallel and nonparallel responses to predation/parasitism, with parallel responses being stronger for predation than for parasitism and for activity and boldness than for shoaling. These findings suggest that different sets of behaviours provide different pay-offs in alternative predation/parasitism environments and that parasitism has more transient effects in shaping intraspecific variation of behaviour than does predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Jacquin
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, ENFA, UPS, Toulouse, France.,Redpath Museum & Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,ECOBIOP, INRA, Univ. Pau & Pays Adou, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, France
| | - S M Reader
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - A Boniface
- Redpath Museum & Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - J Mateluna
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - I Patalas
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - F Pérez-Jvostov
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - A P Hendry
- Redpath Museum & Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
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116
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Arvidsson LK, Matthysen E. Individual differences in foraging decisions: information-gathering strategies or flexibility? Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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117
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Nicolaus M, Tinbergen JM, Ubels R, Both C, Dingemanse NJ. Density fluctuations represent a key process maintaining personality variation in a wild passerine bird. Ecol Lett 2016; 19:478-86. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Revised: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 01/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marion Nicolaus
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse 7 82319 Seewiesen Germany
- Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Science (GELIFES); University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Joost M. Tinbergen
- Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Science (GELIFES); University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Richard Ubels
- Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Science (GELIFES); University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Christiaan Both
- Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Science (GELIFES); University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Niels J. Dingemanse
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse 7 82319 Seewiesen Germany
- Behavioural Ecology; Department of Biology; Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (LMU); Großhadener Str. 2 82152 Planegg-Martinsried Germany
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Distribution and Abundance of Glucocorticoid and Mineralocorticoid Receptors throughout the Brain of the Great Tit (Parus major). PLoS One 2016; 11:e0148516. [PMID: 26867218 PMCID: PMC4750984 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The glucocorticoid stress response, regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, enables individuals to cope with stressors through transcriptional effects in cells expressing the appropriate receptors. The two receptors that bind glucocorticoids—the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR)—are present in a variety of vertebrate tissues, but their expression in the brain is especially important. Neural receptor patterns have the potential to integrate multiple behavioral and physiological traits simultaneously, including self-regulation of glucocorticoid secretion through negative feedback processes. In the present work, we quantified the expression of GR and MR mRNA throughout the brain of a female great tit (Parus major), creating a distribution map encompassing 48 regions. This map, the first of its kind for P. major, demonstrated a widespread but not ubiquitous distribution of both receptor types. In the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and the hippocampus (HP)—the two brain regions that we sampled from a total of 25 birds, we found high GR mRNA expression in the former and, unexpectedly, low MR mRNA in the latter. We examined the covariation of MR and GR levels in these two regions and found a strong, positive relationship between MR in the PVN and MR in the HP and a similar trend for GR across these two regions. This correlation supports the idea that hormone pleiotropy may constrain an individual’s behavioral and physiological phenotype. In the female song system, we found moderate GR in hyperstriatum ventrale, pars caudalis (HVC), and moderate MR in robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA). Understanding intra- and interspecific patterns of glucocorticoid receptor expression can inform us about the behavioral processes (e.g. song learning) that may be sensitive to stress and stimulate future hypotheses concerning the relationships between receptor expression, circulating hormone concentrations and performance traits under selection, including behavior.
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Langenhof MR, Apperloo R, Komdeur J. Small Variations in Early-Life Environment Can Affect Coping Behaviour in Response to Foraging Challenge in the Three-Spined Stickleback. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0147000. [PMID: 26862908 PMCID: PMC4749203 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Accepted: 12/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
CONTEXT An increasing concern in the face of human expansion throughout natural habitats is whether animal populations can respond adaptively when confronted with challenges like environmental change and novelty. Behavioural flexibility is an important factor in estimating the adaptive potential of both individuals and populations, and predicting the degree to which they can cope with change. STUDY DESIGN This study on the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is an empiric illustration of the degree of behavioural variation that can emerge between semi-natural systems within only a single generation. Wild-caught adult sticklebacks (P, N = 400) were randomly distributed in equal densities over 20 standardized semi-natural environments (ponds), and one year later offspring (F1, N = 652) were presented with repeated behavioural assays. Individuals were challenged to reach a food source through a novel transparent obstacle, during which exploration, activity, foraging, sociability and wall-biting behaviours were recorded through video observation. We found that coping responses of individuals from the first generation to this unfamiliar foraging challenge were related to even relatively small, naturally diversified variation in developmental environment. All measured behaviours were correlated with each other. Especially exploration, sociability and wall-biting were found to differ significantly between ponds. These differences could not be explained by stickleback density or the turbidity of the water. FINDINGS Our findings show that a) differences in early-life environment appear to affect stickleback feeding behaviour later in life; b) this is the case even when the environmental differences are only small, within natural parameters and diversified gradually; and c) effects are present despite semi-natural conditions that fluctuate during the year. Therefore, in behaviourally plastic animals like the stickleback, the adaptive response to human-induced habitat disturbance may occur rapidly (within one generation) and vary strongly based on the system's (starting) conditions. This has important implications for the variability in animal behaviour, which may be much larger than expected from studying laboratory systems, as well as for the validity of predictions of population responses to change.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Rohaa Langenhof
- Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Rienk Apperloo
- Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
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120
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Mella VSA, Krucler J, Sunderasan L, Hawkins J, Herath APHM, Johnstone KC, Troxell-Smith SM, Banks PB, McArthur C. Effective field-based methods to quantify personality in brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2016. [DOI: 10.1071/wr15216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
There is growing recognition of the importance of animal personality in wildlife ecology and management. Individuals that differ consistently in their behaviours from others of the same population are considered to exhibit different personalities. Personality can be easily quantified with repeat tests on animals held in captivity. However, captive-based tests may not always be possible for logistical reasons and tests conducted in captivity can alter naturally occurring behaviours. Development of methods to assess personality in the field over short-term capture is an important alternative to long-term captive tests.
Aims
To develop and refine field-based tests that can be used to easily define personality traits of wild common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), eliminating the need to bring individuals into captivity for an extended period of time.
Methods
We developed a series of short-term capture protocols to quantify personality traits of the common brushtail possum in the field, using handling-bag tests, modified open-field tests, trap-behaviour tests and release tests.
Key results
Personality traits of brushtail possums could be measured in several different ways, but refining methods was crucial to reveal traits efficiently. Behaviours related to several personality traits (boldness, docility and activity/exploration) could be measured rapidly in the field with our methods, and were repeatable over time.
Conclusions
Rapid, reliable and easy-to-perform quantification of personality of brushtail possums in the field is possible. This may sometimes be the only available option, and has advantages over long captive trials in terms of animal welfare and cost.
Implications
The present study provides a baseline for future research on the personality of common brushtail possums and its application to management and control strategies for the species.
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121
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Abbey-Lee RN, Mathot KJ, Dingemanse NJ. Behavioral and morphological responses to perceived predation risk: a field experiment in passerines. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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122
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Favati A, Zidar J, Thorpe H, Jensen P, Løvlie H. The ontogeny of personality traits in the red junglefowl,Gallus gallus. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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123
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Edwards HA, Hajduk GK, Durieux G, Burke T, Dugdale HL. No Association between Personality and Candidate Gene Polymorphisms in a Wild Bird Population. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138439. [PMID: 26473495 PMCID: PMC4608812 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 08/31/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Consistency of between-individual differences in behaviour or personality is a phenomenon in populations that can have ecological consequences and evolutionary potential. One way that behaviour can evolve is to have a genetic basis. Identifying the molecular genetic basis of personality could therefore provide insight into how and why such variation is maintained, particularly in natural populations. Previously identified candidate genes for personality in birds include the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4), and serotonin transporter (SERT). Studies of wild bird populations have shown that exploratory and bold behaviours are associated with polymorphisms in both DRD4 and SERT. Here we tested for polymorphisms in DRD4 and SERT in the Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis) population on Cousin Island, Seychelles, and then investigated correlations between personality and polymorphisms in these genes. We found no genetic variation in DRD4, but identified four polymorphisms in SERT that clustered into five haplotypes. There was no correlation between bold or exploratory behaviours and SERT polymorphisms/haplotypes. The null result was not due to lack of power, and indicates that there was no association between these behaviours and variation in the candidate genes tested in this population. These null findings provide important data to facilitate representative future meta-analyses on candidate personality genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah A. Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Gabriela K. Hajduk
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Gillian Durieux
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Terry Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah L. Dugdale
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Nature Seychelles, Mahe, Republic of Seychelles
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124
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Aplin L, Firth J, Farine D, Voelkl B, Crates R, Culina A, Garroway C, Hinde C, Kidd L, Psorakis I, Milligan N, Radersma R, Verhelst B, Sheldon B. Consistent individual differences in the social phenotypes of wild great tits, Parus major. Anim Behav 2015; 108:117-127. [PMID: 26512142 PMCID: PMC4579410 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Revised: 02/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Despite growing interest in animal social networks, surprisingly little is known about whether individuals are consistent in their social network characteristics. Networks are rarely repeatedly sampled; yet an assumption of individual consistency in social behaviour is often made when drawing conclusions about the consequences of social processes and structure. A characterization of such social phenotypes is therefore vital to understanding the significance of social network structure for individual fitness outcomes, and for understanding the evolution and ecology of individual variation in social behaviour more broadly. Here, we measured foraging associations over three winters in a large PIT-tagged population of great tits, and used a range of social network metrics to quantify individual variation in social behaviour. We then examined repeatability in social behaviour over both short (week to week) and long (year to year) timescales, and investigated variation in repeatability across age and sex classes. Social behaviours were significantly repeatable across all timescales, with the highest repeatability observed in group size choice and unweighted degree, a measure of gregariousness. By conducting randomizations to control for the spatial and temporal distribution of individuals, we further show that differences in social phenotypes were not solely explained by within-population variation in local densities, but also reflected fine-scale variation in social decision making. Our results provide rare evidence of stable social phenotypes in a wild population of animals. Such stable social phenotypes can be targets of selection and may have important fitness consequences, both for individuals and for their social-foraging associates.
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Affiliation(s)
- L.M. Aplin
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA, U.S.A
| | - J.A. Firth
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - D.R. Farine
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA, U.S.A
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panama
| | - B. Voelkl
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - R.A. Crates
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - A. Culina
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - C.J. Garroway
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - C.A. Hinde
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - L.R. Kidd
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - I. Psorakis
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - N.D. Milligan
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - R. Radersma
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
- Evolutionary Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - B.L. Verhelst
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
| | - B.C. Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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125
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Kain MP, Bolker BM, McCoy MW. A practical guide and power analysis for GLMMs: detecting among treatment variation in random effects. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1226. [PMID: 26401446 PMCID: PMC4579019 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In ecology and evolution generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) are becoming increasingly used to test for differences in variation by treatment at multiple hierarchical levels. Yet, the specific sampling schemes that optimize the power of an experiment to detect differences in random effects by treatment/group remain unknown. In this paper we develop a blueprint for conducting power analyses for GLMMs focusing on detecting differences in variance by treatment. We present parameterization and power analyses for random-intercepts and random-slopes GLMMs because of their generality as focal parameters for most applications and because of their immediate applicability to emerging questions in the field of behavioral ecology. We focus on the extreme case of hierarchically structured binomial data, though the framework presented here generalizes easily to any error distribution model. First, we determine the optimal ratio of individuals to repeated measures within individuals that maximizes power to detect differences by treatment in among-individual variation in intercept, among-individual variation in slope, and within-individual variation in intercept. Second, we explore how power to detect differences in target variance parameters is affected by total variation. Our results indicate heterogeneity in power across ratios of individuals to repeated measures with an optimal ratio determined by both the target variance parameter and total sample size. Additionally, power to detect each variance parameter was low overall (in most cases >1,000 total observations per treatment needed to achieve 80% power) and decreased with increasing variance in non-target random effects. With growing interest in variance as the parameter of inquiry, these power analyses provide a crucial component for designing experiments focused on detecting differences in variance. We hope to inspire novel experimental designs in ecology and evolution investigating the causes and implications of individual-level phenotypic variance, such as the adaptive significance of within-individual variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan P Kain
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University , Greenville, NC , USA
| | - Ben M Bolker
- Departments of Mathematics & Statistics and Biology, McMaster University , Hamilton, ON , Canada
| | - Michael W McCoy
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University , Greenville, NC , USA
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126
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Stuber E, Dingemanse N, Kempenaers B, Mueller J. Sources of intraspecific variation in sleep behaviour of wild great tits. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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127
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Who started first? Bird species visiting novel birdfeeders. Sci Rep 2015; 5:11858. [PMID: 26150242 PMCID: PMC4493560 DOI: 10.1038/srep11858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Adapting to exploit new food sources may be essential, particularly in winter, when the impact of food limitation on survival of individuals is critical. One of the most important additional sources of food for birds in human settlements is birdfeeders. At a large spatial scale, we experimentally provided birdfeeders with four different kinds of food to analyze exploitation and use of a novel food supply provided by humans. Nine species started foraging at the new birdfeeders. The species that exploited the new feeders the fastest was the great tit. Use of novel food sources was faster in urban habitats and the presence of other feeders reduced the time until a new feeder was located. Urbanization may be associated with behavioural skills, technical innovations and neophilia resulting in faster discovery of new food sources. This process is accelerated by the experience of feeder use in the vicinity, with a strong modifying effect of the number of domestic cats.
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128
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Using repeatability to study physiological and behavioural traits: ignore time-related change at your peril. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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129
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Aplin LM, Farine DR, Mann RP, Sheldon BC. Individual-level personality influences social foraging and collective behaviour in wild birds. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 281:20141016. [PMID: 24990682 PMCID: PMC4100518 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.1016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that animal groups can maintain coordinated behaviour and make collective decisions based on simple interaction rules. Effective collective action may be further facilitated by individual variation within groups, particularly through leader–follower polymorphisms. Recent studies have suggested that individual-level personality traits influence the degree to which individuals use social information, are attracted to conspecifics, or act as leaders/followers. However, evidence is equivocal and largely limited to laboratory studies. We use an automated data-collection system to conduct an experiment testing the relationship between personality and collective decision-making in the wild. First, we report that foraging flocks of great tits (Parus major) show strikingly synchronous behaviour. A predictive model of collective decision-making replicates patterns well, suggesting simple interaction rules are sufficient to explain the observed social behaviour. Second, within groups, individuals with more reactive personalities behave more collectively, moving to within-flock areas of higher density. By contrast, proactive individuals tend to move to and feed at spatial periphery of flocks. Finally, comparing alternative simulations of flocking with empirical data, we demonstrate that variation in personality promotes within-patch movement while maintaining group cohesion. Our results illustrate the importance of incorporating individual variability in models of social behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy M Aplin
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, 2600 Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Damien R Farine
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panama
| | - Richard P Mann
- Department of Mathematics, Uppsala University, Box 480, 75106 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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130
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Personality does not constrain social and behavioural flexibility in African striped mice. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1937-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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131
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Fisher DN, David M, Tregenza T, Rodríguez-Muñoz R. Dynamics of among-individual behavioral variation over adult lifespan in a wild insect. Behav Ecol 2015; 26:975-985. [PMID: 26167097 PMCID: PMC4495759 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2014] [Revised: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigating patterns of among and within-individual trait variation in populations is essential to understanding how selection shapes phenotypes. Behavior is often the most flexible aspect of the phenotype, and to understand how it is affected by selection, we need to examine how consistent individuals are. However, it is not well understood whether among-individual differences tend to remain consistent over lifetimes, or whether the behavior of individuals relative to one another varies over time. We examined the dynamics of 4 behavioral traits (tendency to leave a refuge, shyness, activity, and exploration) in a wild population of field crickets (Gryllus campestris). We tagged individuals and then temporarily removed them from their natural environment and tested them under laboratory conditions. All 4 traits showed among-individual variance in mean levels of expression across the adult lifespan, but no significant differences in how rapidly expression changed with age. For all traits, among-individual variance increased as individuals got older. Our findings reveal seldom examined changes in variance components over the adult lifetime of wild individuals. Such changes will have important implications for the relationship between behavioral traits, life-histories, and fitness and the consequences of selection on wild individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter , Treliever Road, Penryn TR109FE , UK and
| | - Morgan David
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter , Treliever Road, Penryn TR109FE , UK and ; Department of Biology-Ethology, University of Antwerp , Drie Eiken Campus, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk (Antwerpen) , Belgium
| | - Tom Tregenza
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter , Treliever Road, Penryn TR109FE , UK and
| | - Rolando Rodríguez-Muñoz
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter , Treliever Road, Penryn TR109FE , UK and
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132
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Niemela PT, Lattenkamp EZ, Dingemanse NJ. Personality-related survival and sampling bias in wild cricket nymphs. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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133
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Long-term behavioural consistency in prey capture but not in web maintenance in a social spider. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1915-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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134
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Stamps JA. Individual differences in behavioural plasticities. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 91:534-67. [PMID: 25865135 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Revised: 03/14/2015] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Interest in individual differences in animal behavioural plasticities has surged in recent years, but research in this area has been hampered by semantic confusion as different investigators use the same terms (e.g. plasticity, flexibility, responsiveness) to refer to different phenomena. The first goal of this review is to suggest a framework for categorizing the many different types of behavioural plasticities, describe examples of each, and indicate why using reversibility as a criterion for categorizing behavioural plasticities is problematic. This framework is then used to address a number of timely questions about individual differences in behavioural plasticities. One set of questions concerns the experimental designs that can be used to study individual differences in various types of behavioural plasticities. Although within-individual designs are the default option for empirical studies of many types of behavioural plasticities, in some situations (e.g. when experience at an early age affects the behaviour expressed at subsequent ages), 'replicate individual' designs can provide useful insights into individual differences in behavioural plasticities. To date, researchers using within-individual and replicate individual designs have documented individual differences in all of the major categories of behavioural plasticities described herein. Another important question is whether and how different types of behavioural plasticities are related to one another. Currently there is empirical evidence that many behavioural plasticities [e.g. contextual plasticity, learning rates, IIV (intra-individual variability), endogenous plasticities, ontogenetic plasticities) can themselves vary as a function of experiences earlier in life, that is, many types of behavioural plasticity are themselves developmentally plastic. These findings support the assumption that differences among individuals in prior experiences may contribute to individual differences in behavioural plasticities observed at a given age. Several authors have predicted correlations across individuals between different types of behavioural plasticities, i.e. that some individuals will be generally more plastic than others. However, empirical support for most of these predictions, including indirect evidence from studies of relationships between personality traits and plasticities, is currently sparse and equivocal. The final section of this review suggests how an appreciation of the similarities and differences between different types of behavioural plasticities may help theoreticians formulate testable models to explain the evolution of individual differences in behavioural plasticities and the evolutionary and ecological consequences of individual differences in behavioural plasticities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judy A Stamps
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
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135
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Pintor LM, Byers JE. Individual variation in predator behavior and demographics affects consumption of non-native prey. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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136
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Hall ML, van Asten T, Katsis AC, Dingemanse NJ, Magrath MJL, Mulder RA. Animal personality and pace-of-life syndromes: do fast-exploring fairy-wrens die young? Front Ecol Evol 2015. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
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137
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Morand-Ferron J, Cole EF, Quinn JL. Studying the evolutionary ecology of cognition in the wild: a review of practical and conceptual challenges. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 91:367-89. [PMID: 25631282 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2014] [Revised: 12/11/2014] [Accepted: 12/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Cognition is defined as the processes by which animals collect, retain and use information from their environment to guide their behaviour. Thus cognition is essential in a wide range of behaviours, including foraging, avoiding predators and mating. Despite this pivotal role, the evolutionary processes shaping variation in cognitive performance among individuals in wild populations remain very poorly understood. Selection experiments in captivity suggest that cognitive traits can have substantial heritability and can undergo rapid evolution. However only a handful of studies have attempted to explore how cognition influences life-history variation and fitness in the wild, and direct evidence for the action of natural or sexual selection on cognition is still lacking, reasons for which are diverse. Here we review the current literature with a view to: (i) highlighting the key practical and conceptual challenges faced by the field; (ii) describing how to define and measure cognitive traits in natural populations, and suggesting which species, populations and cognitive traits might be examined to greatest effect; emphasis is placed on selecting traits that are linked to functional behaviour; (iii) discussing how to deal with confounding factors such as personality and motivation in field as well as captive studies; (iv) describing how to measure and interpret relationships between cognitive performance, functional behaviour and fitness, offering some suggestions as to when and what kind of selection might be predicted; and (v) showing how an evolutionary ecological framework, more generally, along with innovative technologies has the potential to revolutionise the study of cognition in the wild. We conclude that the evolutionary ecology of cognition in wild populations is a rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field providing many opportunities for advancing the understanding of how cognitive abilities have evolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Morand-Ferron
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Gendron Hall, room 160, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Ella F Cole
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, U.K
| | - John L Quinn
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
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138
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Nicolaus M, Mathot KJ, Araya-Ajoy YG, Mutzel A, Wijmenga JJ, Kempenaers B, Dingemanse NJ. Does coping style predict optimization? An experimental test in a wild passerine bird. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20142405. [PMID: 25473018 PMCID: PMC4286030 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of studies have suggested that avian brood size is individually optimized. Yet, optimal reproductive decisions likely vary owing to among-individual differences in environmental sensitivity. Specifically, 'proactive' individuals who do not track environmental changes may be less able to produce optimal brood sizes than 'reactive' individuals who have more precise local environmental knowledge. To test this, we quantified exploratory behaviour (a proxy for proactivity) in a great tit (Parus major) population, manipulated brood sizes (reduced, control, enlarged) and evaluated whether individuals of dissimilar coping style differed in their level of optimization. If reactive females behaved optimally, any deviation from their original brood size should lower fitness, whereas this should not be the case for proactive females. Reactive females indeed performed best at their natural brood size, whereas proactive females performed best when raising an enlarged brood. These findings imply that proactive females produced sub-optimal brood sizes. We speculate that proactive females might (i) take decisions based on biased perception of their environment, (ii) face energetic constraints in offspring production and/or (iii) be more willing to invest into current reproduction when given the option. Our findings provide experimental evidence for coping style-related differences in optimal reproductive decisions and life-history strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Nicolaus
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany
| | - Kimberley J Mathot
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany
| | - Yimen G Araya-Ajoy
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany
| | - Ariane Mutzel
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany
| | - Jan J Wijmenga
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 7, Seewiesen (Starnberg) 82319, Germany Behavioural Ecology, Department Biologie der LMU, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), Großhadener Straße. 2, Planegg-Martinsried 82152, Germany
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139
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Animal personality and state-behaviour feedbacks: a review and guide for empiricists. Trends Ecol Evol 2014; 30:50-60. [PMID: 25498413 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2014.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 354] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Revised: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 11/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
An exciting area in behavioural ecology focuses on understanding why animals exhibit consistent among-individual differences in behaviour (animal personalities). Animal personality has been proposed to emerge as an adaptation to individual differences in state variables, leading to the question of why individuals differ consistently in state. Recent theory emphasizes the role that positive feedbacks between state and behaviour can play in producing consistent among-individual covariance between state and behaviour, hence state-dependent personality. We review the role of feedbacks in recent models of adaptive personalities, and provide guidelines for empirical testing of model assumptions and predictions. We discuss the importance of the mediating effects of ecology on these feedbacks, and provide a roadmap for including state-behaviour feedbacks in behavioural ecology research.
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140
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Stuber EF, Grobis MM, Abbey-Lee R, Kempenaers B, Mueller JC, Dingemanse NJ. Perceived predation risk affects sleep behaviour in free-living great tits, Parus major. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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141
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Baugh AT, van Oers K, Dingemanse NJ, Hau M. Baseline and stress-induced glucocorticoid concentrations are not repeatable but covary within individual great tits (Parus major). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 208:154-63. [PMID: 25218170 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2014] [Revised: 08/19/2014] [Accepted: 08/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In evolutionary endocrinology, there is a growing interest in the extent and basis of individual variation in endocrine traits, especially circulating concentrations of hormones. This is important because if targeted by selection, such individual differences present the opportunity for an evolutionary response to selection. It is therefore necessary to examine whether hormone traits are repeatable in natural populations. However, research in this area is complicated by the fact that different hormone traits can be correlated. The nature of these trait correlations (i.e., phenotypic, within-, or among-individual) is critically relevant in terms of the evolutionary implications, and these in turn, depend on the repeatability of each hormone trait. By decomposing phenotypic correlations between hormone traits into their within- and among-individual components it is possible to describe the multivariate nature of endocrine traits and generate inferences about their evolution. In the present study, we repeatedly captured individual great tits (Parus major) from a wild population and measured plasma concentrations of corticosterone. Using a mixed-modeling approach, we estimated repeatabilities in both initial (cf. baseline; CORT0) and stress-induced concentrations (CORT30) and the correlations between those traits among- and within-individuals. We found a lack of repeatability in both CORT0 and CORT30. Moreover, we found a strong phenotypic correlation between CORT0 and CORT30, and due to the lack of repeatability for both traits, there was no among-individual correlation between these two traits-i.e., an individual's average concentration of CORT0 was not correlated with its average concentration of CORT30. Instead, the phenotypic correlation was the result of a strong within-individual correlation, which implies that an underlying environmental factor co-modulates changes in initial and stress-induced concentrations within the same individual over time. These results demonstrate that (i) a phenotypic correlation between two hormone traits does not imply that the traits are correlated among individuals; (ii) the importance of repeated sampling to partition within- and among-individual variances and correlations among labile physiological traits; and (iii) that environmental factors explain a considerable fraction of the variation and co-variation in hormone concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA; Evolutionary Physiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
| | - Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), P.O. Box 50, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Evolutionary Ecology of Variation Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str., 82319 Seewiesen, Germany; Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Michaela Hau
- Evolutionary Physiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Evolutionary Physiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str., 82319 Seewiesen, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, Konstanz, Germany.
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142
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No evidence for correlational selection on exploratory behaviour and natal dispersal in the great tit. Evol Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-014-9737-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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143
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Japyassú HF, Malange J. Plasticity, stereotypy, intra-individual variability and personality: handle with care. Behav Processes 2014; 109 Pt A:40-7. [PMID: 25241306 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2014] [Revised: 09/10/2014] [Accepted: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Only recently, variability within individuals has become of importance to evolutionary thinking. The boom in the literature on behavioural variability has led to the emergence of concepts such as behavioural plasticity, stereotypy, imprecision, and intra-individual variability (IIV). The proliferation of new terms has resulted in overlapping concepts, spreading confusion in understanding the origins of variability. Here we provide a critical overview of the concepts related to behavioural variability within the individual. We conclude that although there is no overlapping between behavioural plasticity and IIV, these concepts do overlap with stereotypy; they also face problems with ideas of abnormality and absence of function in stereotyped behaviour. We further provide a critical overview of the sometimes confusing relationship between (1) within individual variability, and (2) consistent variability across individuals (personality). We point out that personality is logically independent of both activational plasticity and IIV, because personality emerges at the population level, whereas plasticity and IIV emerge at the individual level. We conclude that, in personality studies, the failure to acknowledge the existence of either internal variability or consistent between-individual differences in internal variability will result in mixing different phenomena, and inhibit building unified accounts from heterogeneous databases.
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144
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Funghi C, Leitão AV, Ferreira AC, Mota PG, Cardoso GC. Social Dominance in a Gregarious Bird is Related to Body Size But not to Standard Personality Assays. Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Funghi
- CIBIO - Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources; University of Porto; Vairão Portugal
| | - Ana V. Leitão
- CIBIO - Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources; University of Porto; Vairão Portugal
- Department of Life Sciences; University of Coimbra; Coimbra Portugal
| | - André C. Ferreira
- CIBIO - Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources; University of Porto; Vairão Portugal
| | - Paulo G. Mota
- CIBIO - Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources; University of Porto; Vairão Portugal
- Department of Life Sciences; University of Coimbra; Coimbra Portugal
| | - Gonçalo C. Cardoso
- CIBIO - Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources; University of Porto; Vairão Portugal
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145
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Mueller JC, Edelaar P, Carrete M, Serrano D, Potti J, Blas J, Dingemanse NJ, Kempenaers B, Tella JL. Behaviour-related DRD4 polymorphisms in invasive bird populations. Mol Ecol 2014; 23:2876-85. [PMID: 24750181 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2013] [Revised: 04/09/2014] [Accepted: 04/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
It has been suggested that individual behavioural traits influence the potential to successfully colonize new areas. Identifying the genetic basis of behavioural variation in invasive species thus represents an important step towards understanding the evolutionary potential of the invader. Here, we sequenced a candidate region for neophilic/neophobic and activity behaviour - the complete exon 3 of the DRD4 gene - in 100 Yellow-crowned bishops (Euplectes afer) from two invasive populations in Spain and Portugal. The same birds were scored twice for activity behaviour while exposed to novel objects (battery or slice of apple) in captivity. Response to novel objects was repeatable (r = 0.41) within individuals. We identified two synonymous DRD4 SNPs that explained on average between 11% and 15% of the phenotypic variance in both populations, indicating a clear genetic component to the neophilic/neophobic/activity personality axis in this species. This consistently high estimated effect size was mainly due to the repeated measurement design, which excludes part of the within-individual nongenetic variance in the response to different novel objects. We suggest that the alternative alleles of these SNPs are likely introduced from the original population and maintained by weak or antagonistic selection during different stages of the invasion process. The identified genetic variants have not only the potential to serve as genetic markers of the neophobic/neophilic/activity personality axis, but may also help to understand the evolution of behaviour in these invasive bird populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C Mueller
- Department of Behavioural Ecology & Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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146
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Gifford ME, Clay TA, Careau V. Individual (co)variation in standard metabolic rate, feeding rate, and exploratory behavior in wild-caught semiaquatic salamanders. Physiol Biochem Zool 2014; 87:384-96. [PMID: 24769703 DOI: 10.1086/675974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Repeatability is an important concept in evolutionary analyses because it provides information regarding the benefit of repeated measurements and, in most cases, a putative upper limit to heritability estimates. Repeatability (R) of different aspects of energy metabolism and behavior has been demonstrated in a variety of organisms over short and long time intervals. Recent research suggests that consistent individual differences in behavior and energy metabolism might covary. Here we present new data on the repeatability of body mass, standard metabolic rate (SMR), voluntary exploratory behavior, and feeding rate in a semiaquatic salamander and ask whether individual variation in behavioral traits is correlated with individual variation in metabolism on a whole-animal basis and after conditioning on body mass. All measured traits were repeatable, but the repeatability estimates ranged from very high for body mass (R = 0.98), to intermediate for SMR (R = 0.39) and food intake (R = 0.58), to low for exploratory behavior (R = 0.25). Moreover, repeatability estimates for all traits except body mass declined over time (i.e., from 3 to 9 wk), although this pattern could be a consequence of the relatively low sample size used in this study. Despite significant repeatability in all traits, we find little evidence that behaviors are correlated with SMR at the phenotypic and among-individual levels when conditioned on body mass. Specifically, the phenotypic correlations between SMR and exploratory behavior were negative in all trials but significantly so in one trial only. Salamanders in this study showed individual variation in how their exploratory behavior changed across trials (but not body mass, SMR, and feed intake), which might have contributed to observed changing correlations across trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E Gifford
- Department of Biology, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas 72204; 2Department of Applied Science, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas 72204; 3Center for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
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147
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Jacobs CG, van Overveld T, Careau V, Matthysen E, Adriaensen F, Slabbekoorn H. Personality-dependent response to field playback in great tits: slow explorers can be strong responders. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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148
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Genetic integration of local dispersal and exploratory behaviour in a wild bird. Nat Commun 2014; 4:2362. [PMID: 23974327 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2013] [Accepted: 07/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Dispersal is a major determinant of the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of natural populations. Individuals differ greatly in the likelihood and distance of dispersal, but it is generally unclear to what extent intrinsic, possibly genetic, differences contribute. Here we present the first explicit empirical evidence for genetic coupling of local dispersal and exploratory behaviour, a key 'animal personality' trait. Using relatedness data from a multi-generation pedigree of free-living great tits (Parus major), we find quantitative genetic variation for both the distance of local dispersal within our study area and the rate at which individuals explore a novel environment. Moreover, we find a strongly positive genetic correlation between local dispersal distance and exploration rate, despite a weak and non-significant phenotypic correlation. These findings demonstrate a potentially important behavioural mechanism underlying heritable differences in local dispersal and highlight the potential for concerted evolution of dispersal and animal personality in response to selection.
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149
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Garamszegi LZ, Mueller JC, Markó G, Szász E, Zsebők S, Herczeg G, Eens M, Török J. The relationship between DRD4 polymorphisms and phenotypic correlations of behaviors in the collared flycatcher. Ecol Evol 2014; 4:1466-79. [PMID: 24834341 PMCID: PMC4020704 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2014] [Revised: 02/23/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that the genetic architecture of exploration behavior includes the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4). Such a link implies that the within-individual consistency in the same behavior has a genetic basis. Behavioral consistency is also prevalent in the form of between-individual correlation of functionally different behaviors; thus, the relationship between DRD4 polymorphism and exploration may also be manifested for other behaviors. Here, in a Hungarian population of the collared flycatcher, Ficedula albicollis, we investigate how males with distinct DRD4 genotypes differ in the consistent elements of their behavioral displays during the courtship period. In completely natural conditions, we assayed novelty avoidance, aggression and risk-taking, traits that were previously shown repeatable over time and correlate with each other, suggesting that they could have a common mechanistic basis. We identified two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP554 and SNP764) in the exon 3 of the DRD4 gene by sequencing a subsample, then we screened 202 individuals of both sexes for these SNPs. Focusing on the genotypic variation in courting males, we found that “AC” heterozygote individuals at the SNP764 take lower risk than the most common “AA” homozygotes (the “CC” homozygotes were not represented in our subsample of males). We also found a considerable effect size for the relationship between SNP554 polymorphism and novelty avoidance. Therefore, in addition to exploration, DRD4 polymorphisms may also be associated with the regulation of behaviors that may incur fear or stress. Moreover, polymorphisms at the two SNPs were not independent indicating a potential role for genetic constraints or another functional link, which may partially explain behavioral correlations.
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Affiliation(s)
- László Z Garamszegi
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC Seville, Spain
| | - Jakob C Mueller
- Department of Behavioral Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Gábor Markó
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University Budapest, Hungary ; Department of Plant Pathology, Corvinus University of Budapest Budapest, Hungary ; Ecology Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungarian Natural History Museum Budapest, Hungary
| | - Eszter Szász
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University Budapest, Hungary
| | - Sándor Zsebők
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University Budapest, Hungary ; Ecology Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungarian Natural History Museum Budapest, Hungary ; Université Paris-Sud, Centre de Neurosciences Paris-Sud UMR 8195, Orsay, France
| | - Gábor Herczeg
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University Budapest, Hungary
| | - Marcel Eens
- Ethology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - János Török
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University Budapest, Hungary
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150
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How stable are personalities? A multivariate view of behavioural variation over long and short timescales in the sheepshead swordtail, Xiphophorus birchmanni. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1692-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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