1
|
Tchabovsky AV, Surkova EN, Savinetskaya LE. Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296214. [PMID: 38625985 PMCID: PMC11020386 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024] Open
Abstract
We aimed to investigate whether two closely related but socially distinct species of gerbils differ in personality patterns. Using a suit of multivariate repeated assays (docility test, dark-light emergence test, startle test, novel object test, elevated platform test, and stranger test), we assessed contextual and temporal consistency of docility, boldness, exploration, anxiety, and sociability in the solitary midday gerbil, Meriones meridianus, and social Mongolian gerbil, M. unguiculatus. We revealed contextually consistent and highly repeatable sex-independent but species-specific personality traits. Species differed in temporal repeatability of different behaviours, and contextual consistency was more pronounced in solitary M. meridianus than in social M. unguiculatus. This finding contradicts the social niche specialization hypothesis, which suggests that personality traits should be more consistent in more social species. Instead, we hypothesize that social complexity should favour more flexible and less consistent behavioural traits. The habituation effect indicative of learning abilities was weak in both species yet stronger in social M. unguiculatus, supporting the relationship between the sociality level and cognitive skills. In both species, only a few different behavioural traits covaried, and the sets of correlated behaviours were species-specific such that the two species did not share any pair of correlated traits. Between-species differences in personality traits, habituation, and behavioural syndromes may be linked to differences in sociality. The lack of prominent behavioural syndromes is consistent with the idea that context-specific individual behavioural traits might be favoured to allow more flexible and adequate responses to changing environments than syndromes of correlated functionally different behaviours.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrey V. Tchabovsky
- Laboratory for Population Ecology, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena N. Surkova
- Laboratory for Population Ecology, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ludmila E. Savinetskaya
- Laboratory for Population Ecology, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Mentesana L, Casagrande S, Hau M. Baseline glucocorticoids alone do not predict reproductive success across years, but in interaction with enzymatic antioxidants. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11193. [PMID: 38571797 PMCID: PMC10985372 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are known to adjust organismal functions, such as metabolism, in response to environmental conditions. Therefore, these hormones are thought to play a key role in regulating the metabolically demanding aspects of reproduction, especially in variable environments. However, support for the hypothesis that variation in glucocorticoid concentrations predicts reproductive success is decidedly mixed. Two explanations may account for this discrepancy: (i) Glucocorticoids might not act independently but could interact with other physiological traits, jointly influencing reproduction, and (ii) such an association could become apparent primarily in challenging environments when glucocorticoid concentrations increase. To address these two possibilities, we determined natural variation in circulating baseline glucocorticoid concentrations in parental great tits (Parus major) alongside two physiological systems known to be related with an individual's metabolism: oxidative status parameters (i.e., concentrations of pro-oxidants, dietary, and enzymatic antioxidants) and body condition. These systems interact with glucocorticoids and can also influence reproductive success. We measured these variables in two breeding seasons that differed in environmental conditions. When accounting for the interaction of baseline glucocorticoids with other physiological traits, we found a positive relationship between baseline glucocorticoids and the number of fledglings in adult great tits. The strength of this relationship was more pronounced for those individuals who also had high concentrations of the enzymatic antioxidant glutathione peroxidase. When studied independently, glucocorticoids were not related to fitness proxies, even in the year with more challenging environmental conditions. Together, our study lend to support the hypothesis that glucocorticoids do not influence fitness alone, but in association with other physiological systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Mentesana
- Max Planck Institute for Biological IntelligenceSeewiesenGermany
| | | | - Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Biological IntelligenceSeewiesenGermany
- University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Gaona-Gordillo I, Holtmann B, Mouchet A, Hutfluss A, Sánchez-Tójar A, Dingemanse NJ. Are animal personality, body condition, physiology and structural size integrated? A comparison of species, populations and sexes, and the value of study replication. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:1707-1718. [PMID: 37323075 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
A major question in behavioural ecology is why behaviour, physiology and morphology are often integrated into syndromes. In great tits, Parus major, for example, explorative males are larger (vs. smaller) and leaner (vs. heavier) compared to less explorative individuals. Unfortunately, considerable debate exists on whether patterns found in specific studies are replicable. This debate calls for study replication among species, populations and sexes. We measured behavioural (exploration), physiological (breathing rate) and morphological traits (body mass, tarsus length, wing length, bill length) in two species (great vs. blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus), two populations (Forstenrieder Park vs. Starnberg) and two sexes (males vs. females). We then tested whether the same pattern of integration characterized all unique combinations of these three biological categories (hereafter called datasets). We used a multi-year repeated measures set-up to estimate among-individual trait correlation matrices for each dataset. We then used structural equation modelling to test for size-dependent behaviour and physiology, size-corrected (i.e. size-independent) behaviour-physiology correlations and size-corrected body mass-dependent behaviour and physiology. Finally, we used meta-analyses to test which structural paths were generally (vs. conditionally) supported (vs. unsupported). We found general and consistent support for size-dependent physiology and size-corrected body mass-dependent physiology across datasets: faster breathers were smaller but heavier for their size. Unexpectedly, condition-dependent behaviour was not supported: explorative birds were neither leaner, nor was this relationship heterogeneous across datasets. All other hypothesized patterns were dataset-specific: the covariance between size and behaviour, and between behaviour and physiology differed in sign between datasets, and both were, on average, not supported. This heterogeneity was not explained by any of our moderators: species, population or sex. The specific pattern of size- and condition-dependent physiology reported for a unique combination of species, population, and sex, thus generally predicted those in others. Patterns of size- or condition-dependent behaviour (i.e. 'personality'), or behaviour-physiology syndromes reported in specific datasets, by contrast, did not. These findings call for studies revealing the ecological background of this variation and highlight the value of study replication to help understand whether patterns of phenotypic integration reported in one study can be generalized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Gaona-Gordillo
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Benedikt Holtmann
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, Department Management of the Sea, Division Assessment and Monitoring, Section Environmental Assessment, Rostock, Germany
| | - Alexia Mouchet
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- IDEEV UMR EGCE, IRD, CNRS, Paris-Saclay University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Alexander Hutfluss
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Bayerisches Landesamt für Umwelt, Ref. 51 Fachgrundlagen Naturschutz, Augsburg, Germany
| | | | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Courtene-Jones W, Briffa M. Boldness is not associated with dynamic performance capacity in hermit crabs. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230224. [PMID: 37490943 PMCID: PMC10368487 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Boldness, the way an individual reacts to risk, is a commonly studied personality trait in animals. Consistent among-individual differences in startle response durations (latency to recover from a startling stimulus) are frequently assumed to reflect variation in boldness. An alternative explanation is that these latencies are not directly driven by variation in responses to information on risk, but by underlying differences in dynamic performance capacities. Here we investigate this possibility by analysing relationships between locomotory speed, a measure of whole-body dynamic performance capacity in hermit crabs, and startle response duration, a repeatable latency measure used as an index of boldness. Individuals differed in mean startle response duration, in the consistency of their startle responses, in their reaction norms across repeated observations, and mean startle responses increased with crab mass. However, there were no relationships between startle responses and locomotory speed. This indicates that startle responses do not reflect underlying performance capacities and suggests that they provide insight into differences in how individuals respond to risky situations. Since similar latencies are used as measures of boldness in other animals, we suggest that potential relationships between apparent boldness and performance capacity should be tested.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Winne Courtene-Jones
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Mark Briffa
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Delmé C, Jackson N, Class B, Strickland K, Potvin DA, Frère CH. Adaptive significance of affiliative behaviour differs between sexes in a wild reptile population. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230805. [PMID: 37339740 PMCID: PMC10281801 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, we have begun to appreciate that social behaviours might exhibit repeatable among-individual variation. Such behavioural traits may even covary and have critical evolutionary implications. Importantly, some social behaviours such as aggressiveness have been shown to provide fitness benefits, including higher reproductive success and survival. However, fitness consequences of affiliative behaviours, especially between or among sexes, can be more challenging to establish. Using a longitudinal behavioural dataset (2014-2021) collected on eastern water dragons (Intellagama lesueurii), we investigated whether various aspects of affiliative behaviour (i) were repeatable across years, (ii) covaried with each other at the among-individual level, and (iii) influenced individuals' fitness. In particular, we considered affiliative behaviours towards opposite-sex and same-sex conspecifics separately. We found that social traits were repeatable and covaried with each other similarly for both sexes. More notably, we found that male reproductive success was positively correlated with the number of female associates and the proportion of time spent with females, while females' reproductive success was not correlated with any of the measured social behaviour metrics. Overall, these findings suggest that selection may be acting differently on social behaviour of male and female eastern water dragons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C. Delmé
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - N. Jackson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - B. Class
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - K. Strickland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - D. A. Potvin
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - C. H. Frère
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
van Oers K, van den Heuvel K, Sepers B. The Epigenetics of Animal Personality. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 150:105194. [PMID: 37094740 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Animal personality, consistent individual differences in behaviour, is an important concept for understanding how individuals vary in how they cope with environmental challenges. In order to understand the evolutionary significance of animal personality, it is crucial to understand the underlying regulatory mechanisms. Epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation are hypothesised to play a major role in explaining variation in phenotypic changes in response to environmental alterations. Several characteristics of DNA methylation also align well with the concept of animal personality. In this review paper, we summarise the current literature on the role that molecular epigenetic mechanisms may have in explaining personality variation. We elaborate on the potential for epigenetic mechanisms to explain behavioural variation, behavioural development and temporal consistency in behaviour. We then suggest future routes for this emerging field and point to potential pitfalls that may be encountered. We conclude that a more inclusive approach is needed for studying the epigenetics of animal personality and that epigenetic mechanisms cannot be studied without considering the genetic background.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands; Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Krista van den Heuvel
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands; Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Bernice Sepers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands; Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Wageningen, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Behavioural syndrome between boldness and aggressiveness and link with reproductive success in a wild bird population. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
|
8
|
Toscano BJ, Allegue H, Gownaris NJ, Drausnik M, Yung Z, Bauloye D, Gorman F, Ver Pault M. Among‐individual behavioral responses to predation risk are invariant within two species of freshwater snails. Ethology 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Hassen Allegue
- Département des Sciences Biologiques Université du Québec à Montréal Montréal Quebec Canada
| | - Natasha J. Gownaris
- Department of Environmental Studies, Gettysburg College Gettysburg Pennsylvania USA
| | - Marta Drausnik
- Department of Biology Trinity College Hartford Connecticut USA
| | - Zach Yung
- Department of Biology Trinity College Hartford Connecticut USA
| | - Daniel Bauloye
- Department of Biology Trinity College Hartford Connecticut USA
| | - Flynn Gorman
- Department of Biology Trinity College Hartford Connecticut USA
| | - Mia Ver Pault
- Department of Biology Trinity College Hartford Connecticut USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Horváth G, Kerekes K, Nyitrai V, Balázs G, Berisha H, Herczeg G. Exploratory behaviour divergence between surface populations, cave colonists and a cave population in the water louse, Asellus aquaticus. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03288-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Behaviour is considered among the most important factors in colonising new
habitats. While population divergence in behaviour is well-documented, intraspecific
variation in exploratory behaviour in species with populations successfully colonising and
adapting to extreme (compared to the ‘typical’) habitats is less understood. Here, by studying
surface- vs. cave-adapted populations of water louse (Asellus aquaticus), we tested whether (i)
adaptation to the special, ecologically isolated cave habitat includes a decrease in
explorativeness and (ii) recent, surface-type cave colonists are more explorative than their
surface conspecifics from the source population. We repeatedly tested dispersal related novel
area exploration and dispersal speed in both the presence and absence of light. We found that
surface populations showed higher behavioural activity in dark than in light, and they were
more explorative and dispersed faster than their cave conspecifics. Recent colonists showed a
trend of higher dispersal speed compared to their source surface population. We suggest that
extreme and isolated habitats like caves might work as ‘dispersal traps’ following successful
colonisation, because adaptation to these habitats includes the reduction of explorativeness.
Furthermore, we suggest that individuals with higher explorativeness are likely to
colonise markedly new environments. Finally, we provide experimental evidence about
surface A. aquaticus moving more in dark than in light.
Significance statement
Environmental conditions in caves are differing drastically from those of the surface. Consequently, animals colonising subterranean habitats are subject to different selective forces than those experienced by the ancestral surface-living population. Behaviour is believed to be a key factor in successful colonisation to novel habitats; however, intraspecific behavioural variation in species with both surface- and cave-adapted populations is less known. Here, we compared dispersal related novel area exploration and dispersal speed across surface and cave-adapted populations of the freshwater crustacean Asellus aquaticus. Our results show that cave-adapted A. aquaticus are significantly less explorative and disperse slower than surface-type populations, indicating that caves may act as ‘dispersal traps’, where adaptation includes the loss of explorativeness. Also, recent cave colonists show a trend to be faster dispersers than peers from the surface source population, suggesting that individuals with higher explorativeness are likely to colonise markedly different new environments.
Collapse
|
10
|
Trait Covariances in Eastern Box Turtles Do Not Support Pleiotropic Effects of the Melanocortin System on Color, Behavior, and Stress Physiology. J HERPETOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1670/22-010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
|
11
|
Trappes R. Individual differences, uniqueness, and individuality in behavioural ecology. STUDIES IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE 2022; 96:18-26. [PMID: 36150283 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2022.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In this paper I develop a concept of behavioural ecological individuality. Using findings from a case study which employed qualitative methods, I argue that individuality in behavioural ecology should be defined as phenotypic and ecological uniqueness, a concept that is operationalised in terms of individual differences such as animal personality and individual specialisation. This account make sense of how the term "individuality" is used in relation to intrapopulation variation in behavioural ecology. The concept of behavioural ecological individuality can sometimes be used to identify individuals. It also shapes research agendas and methodological choices in behavioural ecology, leading researchers to account for individuals as sources of variation. Overall, this paper draws attention to a field that has been largely overlooked in philosophical discussions of biological individuality and highlights the importance of individual differences and uniqueness for individuality in behavioural ecology.
Collapse
|
12
|
State and physiology behind personality in arthropods: a review. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03259-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn the endeavour to understand the causes and consequences of the variation in animal personality, a wide range of studies were carried out, utilising various aspects to make sense of this biological phenomenon. One such aspect integrated the study of physiological traits, investigating hypothesised physiological correlates of personality. Although many of such studies were carried out on vertebrates (predominantly on birds and mammals), studies using arthropods (mainly insects) as model organisms were also at the forefront of this area of research. In order to review the current state of knowledge on the relationship between personality and the most frequently studied physiological parameters in arthropods, we searched for scientific articles that investigated this relationship. In our review, we only included papers utilising a repeated-measures methodology to be conceptually and formally concordant with the study of animal personality. Based on our literature survey, metabolic rate, thermal physiology, immunophysiology, and endocrine regulation, as well as exogenous agents (such as toxins) were often identified as significant affectors shaping animal personality in arthropods. We found only weak support for state-dependence of personality when the state is approximated by singular elements (or effectors) of condition. We conclude that a more comprehensive integration of physiological parameters with condition may be required for a better understanding of state’s importance in animal personality. Also, a notable knowledge gap persists in arthropods regarding the association between metabolic rate and hormonal regulation, and their combined effects on personality. We discuss the findings published on the physiological correlates of animal personality in arthropods with the aim to summarise current knowledge, putting it into the context of current theory on the origin of animal personality.
Collapse
|
13
|
Westrick SE, Moss JB, Fischer EK. Who cares? An integrative approach to understanding the evolution of behavioural plasticity in parental care. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
|
14
|
Intrinsic individual variation in daily activity onset and plastic responses on temporal but not spatial scales in female great tits. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18022. [PMID: 36289438 PMCID: PMC9605954 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22935-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In a variety of species, individuals appear to be consistent in the daily timing of their activity onset. Such consistent among-individual differences can result from both intrinsic factors, as individuals may e.g. differ genetically, and extrinsic factors, as the environment may vary on spatial and temporal scales. However, previous studies typically did not differentiate between their respective contributions on individual variation in the timing of activities. Here, we repeatedly measured the onset of activity in female great tits (Parus major) on consecutive days during the egg laying phase of the breeding season in four consecutive years. Subsequently, we used a variance partitioning analysis in order to determine which part of the total variation could be attributed to intrinsic (female identity) and extrinsic (nest box identity) factors. Overall, 27% of the total variation could be attributed to female identity. In addition, we found temporal variation in the activity onset, indicating that individuals can plastically adjust their timing. Yet despite their general ability to change the timing of activities over time, spatial environmental factors did not contribute significantly to the observed variation. Individuals may choose a habitat that matches the preferred timing of activities, or might not benefit from adjusting their timing to environmental factors that might vary on spatial scales.
Collapse
|
15
|
Kluen E, Rönkä K, Thorogood R. Prior experience of captivity affects behavioural responses to 'novel' environments. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13905. [PMID: 36061744 PMCID: PMC9438767 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Information ecology theory predicts that prior experience influences current behaviour, even if the information is acquired under a different context. However, when individuals are tested to quantify personality, cognition, or stress, we usually assume that the novelty of the test is consistent among individuals. Surprisingly, this 'gambit of prior experience' has rarely been explored. Therefore, here we make use of a wild population of great tits (Parus major) to test if prior experience of handling and captivity influences common measures of exploration (open field tests in two novel contexts: room and cage arenas), social response (simulated using a mirror), and behavioural stress (breathing rate). We found that birds with prior experience of captivity (caught previously for unrelated learning and foraging experiments) were more exploratory, but this depended on age: exploration and captivity experience (in terms of both absolute binary experience and the length of time spent in captivity) were associated more strongly in young (first-winter) birds than in adults. However, there was no association of prior experience of captivity with social response and breathing rate, and nor did the measures of exploration correlate. Together our results suggest that re-testing of individuals requires careful consideration, particularly for younger birds, and previous experiences can carry over and affect behaviours differently.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edward Kluen
- HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Research Programme in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katja Rönkä
- HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Research Programme in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rose Thorogood
- HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,Research Programme in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Garnham LC, Clarke C, Løvlie H. How Inhibitory Control Relates to Positive and Negative Affective States in Red Junglefowl. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:872487. [PMID: 35464350 PMCID: PMC9024352 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.872487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual differences in inhibitory control, an aspect of cognition, are found in many species. How this variation links to affective states is not much explored, and could be relevant for welfare. As less fearful, more optimistic, individuals may act more impulsively, inhibitory control could link to less negative, more positive, affective states. Alternatively, poorer inhibitory control could associate with more negative, less positive, affective states, as poorer inhibitory control can result in individuals being less able to adapt to changing environments and more likely to show stereotypies. We here explored in three cohorts (N = 209) of captive red junglefowl, the ancestor of domestic chickens, how inhibitory control associated with affective states. Specifically, we measured inhibitory control with a detour task, and negative and positive affective states with a tonic immobility test and a cognitive judgement bias test, respectively. Cognition and behaviour can differ between ages and sexes. Therefore, we investigated how inhibitory control related to affective states in younger chicks (≈2.5 weeks old), older chicks (≈5 weeks old) and sexually mature adults (≈28 weeks old) of both sexes. In younger chicks, poorer inhibitory control associated with less negative, more positive, affective states. We found no relationship between inhibitory control and affective states in older chicks or adults, nor sex differences regarding how inhibitory control related to affective states. Overall, our results suggest that inhibitory control can link to affective states and that the nature of these links can change over ontogeny.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Clare Garnham
- Division of Biology, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Charlie Clarke
- Division of Biology, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Hanne Løvlie
- Division of Biology, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Hanne Løvlie
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Sánchez-Tójar A, Moiron M, Niemelä PT. Terminology use in animal personality research: a self-report questionnaire and a systematic review. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212259. [PMID: 35105238 PMCID: PMC8808088 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Whether animal personality studies provide insights of broader evolutionary and ecological relevance to the field of behavioural ecology is frequently questioned. One of the sources of controversy is the vast, but often vague terminology present in the field. From a statistical perspective, animal personality is defined as among-individual variance in behaviour. However, numerous conceptual definitions of animal personality are available in the literature. Here, we performed (i) a self-report questionnaire and (ii) a systematic literature review to quantify how researchers interpreted conceptual and statistical definitions commonly used in animal personality research. We also compared whether data obtained from the questionnaire matched with data from the literature review. Among the 430 self-reported researchers that participated in our questionnaire, we observed discrepancies in key questions such as the conceptual definition of animal personality or the interpretation of repeatability. Furthermore, our literature review generally confirmed the global patterns revealed by the questionnaire. Overall, we identified common disagreements within the field of animal personality and discussed potential solutions. We advocate for adopting a terminology that avoids ambiguous interpretations and helps to make more explicit the widespread connotations implicit in the label 'animal personality'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Moiron
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France,Life History Biology, Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Petri T. Niemelä
- Behavioral Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximillians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Gunn RL, Hartley IR, Algar AC, Nadiarti N, Keith SA. Variation in the behaviour of an obligate corallivore is influenced by resource availability. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03132-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Marine environments are subject to increasing disturbance events, and coral reef ecosystems are particularly vulnerable. During periods of environmental change, organisms respond initially through rapid behavioural modifications. Whilst mean population level modifications to behaviour are well documented, how these shifts vary between individuals, and the relative trade-offs that are induced, are unknown. We test whether the frequency and time invested in different behaviours varies both between and within individuals with varying resource availability. To do this, we quantify differences in four key behavioural categories (aggression, exploration, feeding and sociability) at two sites of different resource availability, using an obligate corallivore butterflyfish species (Chaetodon lunulatus). Individuals on a low resource site held larger territories, investing more time in exploration, which was traded off with less time invested on aggression, feeding and sociability. Repeatability measures indicated that behavioural differences between sites could plausibly be driven by both plasticity of behaviour within individuals and habitat patchiness within feeding territories. By combining population-level means, co-correlation of different behaviours and individual-level analyses, we reveal potential mechanisms behind behavioural variation in C. lunulatus due to differences in resource availability.
Significance statement
Using observational methods, we identify differences in the behaviour of an obligate corallivorous butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunulatus) between a high and a low resource site. We use a combination of density surveys, territory mapping and behavioural observation methods in a comparative analysis to relate behaviour directly to the environment in which it occurs. Bringing together insights from game theory and optimal foraging, we also use our results to highlight how understanding the correlations of different behaviours can inform our understanding of the extent to which behaviours are plastic or fixed. Furthermore, by considering how multiple behaviours are correlated, we move away from exploring individual behaviours in isolation and provide an in-depth insight into how differences in behaviour both between individuals and at the population level can affect responses to declining resource availability.
Collapse
|
19
|
Rystrom TL, Prawitt RC, Richter SH, Sachser N, Kaiser S. Repeatability of endocrine traits and dominance rank in female guinea pigs. Front Zool 2022; 19:4. [PMID: 35031061 PMCID: PMC8760769 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00449-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisol) are associated with variation in social behavior, and previous studies have linked baseline as well as challenge-induced glucocorticoid concentrations to dominance status. It is known that cortisol response to an acute challenge is repeatable and correlates to social behavior in males of many mammal species. However, it is unclear whether these patterns are also consistent for females. The aim of this study was to investigate whether baseline and response cortisol concentrations are repeatable in female guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus) and whether dominance rank is stable and correlated to baseline cortisol concentration and/or cortisol responsiveness. RESULTS Our results show that cortisol responsiveness (after 1 h: R = 0.635, 95% CI = 0.229, 0.927; after 2 h: R = 0.764, 95% CI = 0.433, 0.951) and dominance rank (R = 0.709, 95% CI = 0.316, 0.935) of females were significantly repeatable after six weeks but not correlated. Baseline cortisol was not repeatable (R = 0, 95% CI = 0, 0.690) and also did not correlate to dominance rank. Furthermore, the difference in repeatability estimates of baseline and response values was due to high within-individual variance of baseline cortisol concentration; the amount of between-individual variance was similar for baseline cortisol and the two measures of cortisol responsiveness. CONCLUSIONS Females occupying different dominance ranks did not have long-term differences in cortisol concentrations, and cortisol responsiveness does not seem to be significantly involved in the maintenance of dominance rank. Overall, this study reveals the remarkable stability of cortisol responsiveness and dominance rank in a female rodent, and it remains an open question whether the magnitude of cortisol responsiveness is adaptive in social contexts for females.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Taylor L Rystrom
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149, Münster, Germany. .,Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149, Münster, Germany.
| | - Romy C Prawitt
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149, Münster, Germany.,Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149, Münster, Germany.,Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149, Münster, Germany.,Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149, Münster, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Allegue H, Guinet C, Patrick SC, Hindell MA, McMahon CR, Réale D. Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8457. [PMID: 35127010 PMCID: PMC8796948 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Selecting foraging habitat is a fundamental behavior in the life of organisms as it directly links resource acquisition to fitness. Differences in habitat selection among individuals may arise from several intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and yet, their interaction has been given little attention in the study of wild populations. We combine sex, body size, and boldness to explain individual differences in the seasonal foraging habitat selection of southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from the Kerguelen Archipelago. We hypothesize that habitat selection is linked to the trade-off between resource acquisition and risk, and that individuals differ in their position along this trade-off because of differences in reproductive strategies, life stages, and metabolic requirements. Before the post-molt foraging trip, we used a novel object approach test to quantify the boldness of 28 subadult and adult females and 42 subadult males and equipped them with data loggers to track their movements at sea. Subadult males selected neritic and oceanic habitats, whereas females mostly selected less productive oceanic habitats. Both sexes showed a seasonal shift from Antarctic habitats in the south in the summer to the free of ice subantarctic and subtropical habitats in the north in the winter. Males avoided oceanic habitats and selected more productive neritic and Antarctic habitats with body size mostly in the winter. Bolder males selected northern warmer waters in winter, while shyer ones selected the Kerguelen plateau and southern colder oceanic waters. Bolder females selected the Kerguelen plateau in the summer when prey profitability is assumed to be the highest. This study not only provides new insights into the spatiotemporal foraging ecology of elephant seals in relation to personality but also emphasizes the relevance of combining several intrinsic and extrinsic factors in understanding among-individual variation in space use essential in wildlife management and conservation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hassen Allegue
- Département des Sciences BiologiquesUniversité du Québec à MontréalMontréalQCCanada
| | | | | | - Mark A. Hindell
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesBattery PointTASAustralia
- Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research CentreUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTASAustralia
| | - Clive R. McMahon
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesBattery PointTASAustralia
- Sydney Institute of Marine ScienceSydneyNSWAustralia
- Department of Biological SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Denis Réale
- Département des Sciences BiologiquesUniversité du Québec à MontréalMontréalQCCanada
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Haave-Audet E, Besson AA, Nakagawa S, Mathot KJ. Differences in resource acquisition, not allocation, mediate the relationship between behaviour and fitness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:708-731. [PMID: 34859575 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Within populations, individuals often show repeatable variation in behaviour, called 'animal personality'. In the last few decades, numerous empirical studies have attempted to elucidate the mechanisms maintaining this variation, such as life-history trade-offs. Theory predicts that among-individual variation in behavioural traits could be maintained if traits that are positively associated with reproduction are simultaneously associated with decreased survival, such that different levels of behavioural expression lead to the same net fitness outcome. However, variation in resource acquisition may also be important in mediating the relationship between individual behaviour and fitness components (survival and reproduction). For example, if certain phenotypes (e.g. dominance or aggressiveness) are associated with higher resource acquisition, those individuals may have both higher reproduction and higher survival, relative to others in the population. When individuals differ in their ability to acquire resources, trade-offs are only expected to be observed at the within-individual level (i.e. for a given amount of resource, if an individual increases its allocation to reproduction, it comes at the cost of allocation to survival, and vice versa), while among individuals traits that are associated with increased survival may also be associated with increased reproduction. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, asking: (i) do among-individual differences in behaviour reflect among-individual differences in resource acquisition and/or allocation, and (ii) is the relationship between behaviour and fitness affected by the type of behaviour and the testing environment? Our meta-analysis consisted of 759 estimates from 193 studies. Our meta-analysis revealed a positive correlation between pairs of estimates using both survival and reproduction as fitness proxies. That is, for a given study, behaviours that were associated with increased reproduction were also associated with increased survival, suggesting that variation in behaviour at the among-individual level largely reflects differences among individuals in resource acquisition. Furthermore, we found the same positive correlation between pairs of estimates using both survival and reproduction as fitness proxies at the phenotypic level. This is significant because we also demonstrated that these phenotypic correlations primarily reflect within-individual correlations. Thus, even when accounting for among-individual differences in resource acquisition, we did not find evidence of trade-offs at the within-individual level. Overall, the relationship between behaviour and fitness proxies was not statistically different from zero at the among-individual, phenotypic, and within-individual levels; this relationship was not affected by behavioural category nor by the testing condition. Our meta-analysis highlights that variation in resource acquisition may be more important in driving the relationship between behaviour and fitness than previously thought, including at the within-individual level. We suggest that this may come about via heterogeneity in resource availability or age-related effects, with higher resource availability and/or age leading to state-dependent shifts in behaviour that simultaneously increase both survival and reproduction. We emphasize that future studies examining the mechanisms maintaining behavioural variation in populations should test the link between behavioural expression and resource acquisition - both within and among individuals. Such work will allow the field of animal personality to develop specific predictions regarding the mediating effect of resource acquisition on the fitness consequences of individual behaviour.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elène Haave-Audet
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Anne A Besson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Kimberley J Mathot
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Canada Research Chair, Integrative Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
O'Dea RE, Noble DWA, Nakagawa S. Unifying individual differences in personality, predictability and plasticity: A practical guide. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rose E. O'Dea
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre School of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Daniel W. A. Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution Research School of Biology The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre School of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney NSW Australia
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Malkoc K, Mentesana L, Casagrande S, Hau M. Quantifying Glucocorticoid Plasticity Using Reaction Norm Approaches: There Still is So Much to Discover! Integr Comp Biol 2021; 62:58-70. [PMID: 34665256 PMCID: PMC9375136 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Hormones are highly responsive internal signals that help organisms adjust their phenotype to fluctuations in environmental and internal conditions. Our knowledge of the causes and consequences of variation in circulating hormone concentrations has improved greatly in the past. However, this knowledge often comes from population-level studies, which generally tend to make the flawed assumption that all individuals respond in the same way to environmental changes. Here, we advocate that we can vastly expand our understanding of the ecology and evolution of hormonal traits once we acknowledge the existence of individual differences by quantifying hormonal plasticity at the individual level, where selection acts. In this review, we use glucocorticoid (GC) hormones as examples of highly plastic endocrine traits that interact intimately with energy metabolism but also with other organismal traits like behavior and physiology. First, we highlight the insights gained by repeatedly assessing an individual's GC concentrations along a gradient of environmental or internal conditions using a “reaction norm approach.” This study design should be followed by a hierarchical statistical partitioning of the total endocrine variance into the among-individual component (individual differences in average hormone concentrations, i.e., in the intercept of the reaction norm) and the residual (within-individual) component. The latter is ideally further partitioned by estimating more precisely hormonal plasticity (i.e., the slope of the reaction norm), which allows to test whether individuals differ in the degree of hormonal change along the gradient. Second, we critically review the published evidence for GC variation, focusing mostly on among- and within-individual levels, finding only a good handful of studies that used repeated-measures designs and random regression statistics to investigate GC plasticity. These studies indicate that individuals can differ in both the intercept and the slope of their GC reaction norm to a known gradient. Third, we suggest rewarding avenues for future work on hormonal reaction norms, for example to uncover potential costs and trade-offs associated with GC plasticity, to test whether GC plasticity varies when an individual's reaction norm is repeatedly assessed along the same gradient, whether reaction norms in GCs covary with those in other traits like behavior and fitness (generating multivariate plasticity), or to quantify GC reaction norms along multiple external and internal gradients that act simultaneously (leading to multidimensional plasticity). Throughout this review, we emphasize the power that reaction norm approaches offer for resolving unanswered questions in ecological and evolutionary endocrinology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kasja Malkoc
- Research Group for Evolutionary Physiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Lucia Mentesana
- Research Group for Evolutionary Physiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Stefania Casagrande
- Research Group for Evolutionary Physiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Michaela Hau
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Dhellemmes F, Smukall MJ, Guttridge TL, Krause J, Hussey NE. Predator abundance drives the association between exploratory personality and foraging habitat risk in a wild marine meso‐predator. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Félicie Dhellemmes
- Leibniz‐Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) Berlin Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences Albrecht Daniel Thaer‐Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin Berlin Germany
- Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation South Bimini Bahamas
| | - Matthew J. Smukall
- Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation South Bimini Bahamas
- College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK USA
| | - Tristan L. Guttridge
- Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation South Bimini Bahamas
- Saving the blue Cooper City FL USA
| | - Jens Krause
- Leibniz‐Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) Berlin Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences Albrecht Daniel Thaer‐Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin Berlin Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Heterogeneous selection on exploration behavior within and among West European populations of a passerine bird. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2024994118. [PMID: 34234017 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2024994118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneous selection is often proposed as a key mechanism maintaining repeatable behavioral variation ("animal personality") in wild populations. Previous studies largely focused on temporal variation in selection within single populations. The relative importance of spatial versus temporal variation remains unexplored, despite these processes having distinct effects on local adaptation. Using data from >3,500 great tits (Parus major) and 35 nest box plots situated within five West-European populations monitored over 4 to 18 y, we show that selection on exploration behavior varies primarily spatially, across populations, and study plots within populations. Exploration was, simultaneously, selectively neutral in the average population and year. These findings imply that spatial variation in selection may represent a primary mechanism maintaining animal personalities, likely promoting the evolution of local adaptation, phenotype-dependent dispersal, and nonrandom settlement. Selection also varied within populations among years, which may counteract local adaptation. Our study underlines the importance of combining multiple spatiotemporal scales in the study of behavioral adaptation.
Collapse
|
26
|
Han CS, Yang G. Reproductive aging and pace-of-life syndromes: more active females age faster. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
A common pattern of reproductive aging is that reproductive performance increases during early life and reaches a peak, followed by a decline with age. Such quadratic reproductive aging patterns can differ among individuals. Moreover, if individual differences in reproductive aging patterns reflect individual-specific life-history trade-off strategies, they are also predicted to be associated with behavior according to the pace-of-life syndrome. For example, more active, aggressive, or bolder individuals may invest more in early reproduction, resulting in more rapid reproductive aging. In this study, we estimated individual differences in quadratic reproductive aging patterns and the relationship between reproductive aging and the activity of the virgin female bean bug (Riptortus pedestris) in the absence of mating costs. We found that the egg production of virgin females followed a parabolic trajectory with age and that individuals varied significantly in their quadratic reproductive aging patterns. In addition, we found that females that were relatively more active during early life invested in egg production more heavily at a young age and suffered from a sharper decline in egg production later in life. Thus, our results indicate that individual reproductive aging patterns may be a key component in the study of pace-of-life syndromes. We suggest that within-individual plastic characteristics of life-history traits such as reproductive aging patterns may explain the mixed results from multiple studies on pace-of-life syndromes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chang S Han
- Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Kyungheedae-ro 26, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea
| | - Gawon Yang
- Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Kyungheedae-ro 26, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Mouchet A, Dingemanse NJ. A quantitative genetics approach to validate lab- versus field-based behavior in novel environments. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Conclusions about the adaptive nature of repeatable variation in behavior (i.e., “personality”) are often derived from laboratory-based assays. However, the expression of genetic variation differs between laboratory and field. Laboratory-based behavior might not predict field-based behavior thus, cross-context validation is required. We estimated the cross-context correlation between behavior expressed by wild great tits (Parus major) in established laboratory versus field novel environment assays. Both assays have been used as proxies for “exploration tendency.” Behavior in both contexts had similar repeatability (R = 0.35 vs. 0.37) but differed in heritability (h2 = 0.06 vs. 0.23), implying differences in selection pressures. Unexpectedly, there was no cross-context correlation. Laboratory- and field-based behavior thus reflected expressions of two distinct underlying characters. Post hoc simulations revealed that sampling bias did not explain the lack of correlation. Laboratory-based behavior may reflect fear and exploration, but field-based behavior may reflect escape behavior instead, though other functional interpretations cannot be excluded. Thus, in great tits, activity expressed in laboratory versus field novel environment assays is modulated by multiple quasi-independent characters. The lack of cross-context correlation shown here may also apply to other setups, other repeatable behaviors, and other taxa. Our study thus implies care should be taken in labeling behaviors prior to firm validation studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexia Mouchet
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Großhaderner Straße, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Großhaderner Straße, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Hermer E, Murphy B, Chaine AS, Morand-Ferron J. Great tits who remember more accurately have difficulty forgetting, but variation is not driven by environmental harshness. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10083. [PMID: 33980907 PMCID: PMC8114932 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89125-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The causes of individual variation in memory are poorly understood in wild animals. Harsh environments with sparse or rapidly changing food resources are hypothesized to favour more accurate spatial memory to allow animals to return to previously visited patches when current patches are depleted. A potential cost of more accurate spatial memory is proactive interference, where accurate memories block the formation of new memories. This relationship between spatial memory, proactive interference, and harsh environments has only been studied in scatter-hoarding animals. We compare spatial memory accuracy and proactive interference performance of non-scatter hoarding great tits (Parus major) from high and low elevations where harshness increases with elevation. In contrast to studies of scatter-hoarders, we did not find a significant difference between high and low elevation birds in their spatial memory accuracy or proactive interference performance. Using a variance partitioning approach, we report the first among-individual trade-off between spatial memory and proactive interference, uncovering variation in memory at the individual level where selection may act. Although we have no evidence of harsh habitats affecting spatial memory, our results suggest that if elevation produced differences in spatial memory between elevations, we could see concurrent changes in how quickly birds can forget.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ethan Hermer
- grid.28046.380000 0001 2182 2255University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON Canada
| | - Ben Murphy
- grid.7836.a0000 0004 1937 1151University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Alexis S. Chaine
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS, Moulis, France ,grid.424401.70000 0004 0384 0611Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse, Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Bergeron P, Pagé A, Trempe M. Integrating humans into pace-of-life studies: The Big Five personality traits and metabolic rate in young adults. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248876. [PMID: 33822789 PMCID: PMC8023493 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) predicts that personality and metabolism should be correlated if they function as an integrated unit along a slow-fast continuum. Over the last decade, this conceptual framework has been tested in several empirical studies over a wide array of non-human animal taxa, across multiple personality traits and using standardized measures of metabolism. However, studies associating metabolic rate and personality in humans have been surprisingly scarce. Here, we tested whether there was covariation among personality scores, measured using the Big Five Inventory test, resting metabolic rate (RMR) and preferred walking speed (PWS) in a cohort of young human adults aged between 18 and 27 years old. We found a significant, negative relationship between RMR and Extraversion; less extraverted individuals had a 30% higher RMR than the most extraverted ones. No other personality traits correlated with RMR and none correlated with PWS. The negative correlation between Extraversion and RMR may suggest an allocation energy trade-off between personality and basal metabolism. Our results yielded equivocal support for the POLS and emphasized the need for more research on human to test the generality of this conceptual framework and further assess its validity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ariane Pagé
- Bishop’s University, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Niederhauser JM, Slevin MC, Noonburg EG, Anderson RC. Body size, habitat quality, and territory defense in Bachman’s sparrow. BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Many wild populations of animals conform to the ideal despotic distribution (IDD) in which more competitive individuals exclude less competitive individuals from high quality resources. Body size and aggressiveness are two important traits for resource defense, and they positively covary so that larger individuals are usually more aggressive. Using Bachman’s sparrows, we tested the hypothesis that larger birds are more aggressive and are thus able to compete for the best quality territories. We found that larger males were more aggressive, and more aggressive birds fledged at least one young. However, we did not find consistent relationships between aggressiveness and habitat characteristics. Our results suggest that Bachman’s sparrows meet most of the predictions of the IDD. Frequent ecological disturbances, such as fires, might disrupt the IDD or make it difficult to detect. Additional studies are needed to test for relationships between ecological disturbances and territorial behaviour.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Morgan C. Slevin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL 33314, USA
| | - Erik G. Noonburg
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL 33314, USA
| | - Rindy C. Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL 33314, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Dahirel M, Gaudu V, Ansart A. Boldness and exploration vary between shell morphs but not environmental contexts in the snail
Cepaea nemoralis. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Dahirel
- Univ Rennes CNRS ECOBIO (Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution) ‐ UMR 6553 Rennes France
- INRAE CNRS ISA Université Côte d’Azur Sophia‐Antipolis France
| | - Valentin Gaudu
- Univ Rennes CNRS ECOBIO (Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution) ‐ UMR 6553 Rennes France
| | - Armelle Ansart
- Univ Rennes CNRS ECOBIO (Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution) ‐ UMR 6553 Rennes France
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
|
33
|
Poirier MA, Kozlovsky DY, Morand-Ferron J, Careau V. How general is cognitive ability in non-human animals? A meta-analytical and multi-level reanalysis approach. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201853. [PMID: 33290683 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
General intelligence has been a topic of high interest for over a century. Traditionally, research on general intelligence was based on principal component analyses and other dimensionality reduction approaches. The advent of high-speed computing has provided alternative statistical tools that have been used to test predictions of human general intelligence. In comparison, research on general intelligence in non-human animals is in its infancy and still relies mostly on factor-analytical procedures. Here, we argue that dimensionality reduction, when incorrectly applied, can lead to spurious results and limit our understanding of ecological and evolutionary causes of variation in animal cognition. Using a meta-analytical approach, we show, based on 555 bivariate correlations, that the average correlation among cognitive abilities is low (r = 0.185; 95% CI: 0.087-0.287), suggesting relatively weak support for general intelligence in animals. We then use a case study with relatedness (genetic) data to demonstrate how analysing traits using mixed models, without dimensionality reduction, provides new insights into the structure of phenotypic variance among cognitive traits, and uncovers genetic associations that would be hidden otherwise. We hope this article will stimulate the use of alternative tools in the study of cognition and its evolution in animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Dovid Y Kozlovsky
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biology, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Vincent Careau
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
|
35
|
Horváth G, Martín J, López P, Herczeg G. Ain’t going down without a fight: state-and environment-dependence of antipredator defensive aggressive personalities in Carpetan rock lizard. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02922-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Aggression is one of the most frequently studied behavioural traits across a wide range of taxa; however, most studies evaluate aggressive behaviour in a social context, in which aggressive interactions between conspecifics are motivated by resource control (offensive or social aggression). However, in an antipredator context, the primary role of aggression is defence (defensive or antipredator aggression). Although the neuroendocrinology of antipredator aggression is often studied in domesticated and laboratory animals, how environment and individual state affect this behavioural trait in the wild is largely unknown. Here, by conducting a manipulative experiment, we tested whether (i) consistent between-individual differences (i.e. animal personality) are present in antipredator aggression in adult male Carpetan rock lizards (Iberolacerta cyreni) and (ii) short-term environmental changes (presence vs. absence of predator cues) and differences in individual state (body length, head size, hind limb length) affect individual mean behaviour (i.e. behavioural type). We found moderate-high repeatability in antipredator aggression (willingness to bite a human), indicating the presence of animal personality in this behavioural trait. Lizards were on average more defensive in the presence of predator cues; furthermore, short-legged males showed higher antipredator aggression than long-legged males in the presence of predator cues, probably as an attempt to balance their decreased escape speed. Larger (~ older) males were more defensive than smaller ones, probably due to their increased fighting ability. We conclude that antipredator aggression is an important part of an individual’s behavioural repertoire and its expression is driven by both environmental situation and individual state.
Significance statement
Antipredator/defensive aggression is not the primary antipredatory response; however, when other ways of escape are not possible, actually hurting the predator could be the only way of survival. While this behaviour obviously has substantial effects on fitness, it is severely understudied compared to social/offensive aggression. In a manipulative experiment, we found that there are consistent between-individual differences in antipredator aggression (i.e. willingness to bite during handling) of adult male Carpetan rock lizards (Iberolacerta cyreni), supporting the presence of animal personality and suggesting that this behavioural trait might respond to natural selection. Furthermore, short-term environmental variation (i.e. presence vs. absence of predator cues) in interaction with individual state affected antipredator aggression of individuals, emphasising the ecological and evolutionary relevance of this behaviour.
Collapse
|
36
|
Sommer NR, Schmitz OJ. Differences in prey personality mediate trophic cascades. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:9538-9551. [PMID: 32953082 PMCID: PMC7487229 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional trait approaches in ecology chiefly assume the mean trait value of a population adequately predicts the outcome of species interactions. Yet this assumption ignores substantial trait variation among individuals within a population, which can have a profound effect on community structure and function. We explored individual trait variation through the lens of animal personality to test whether among-individual variation in prey behavior mediates trophic interactions. We quantified the structure of personalities within a population of generalist grasshoppers and examined, through a number of field and laboratory-based experiments, how personality types could impact tri-trophic interactions in a food chain. Unlike other studies of this nature, we used spatial habitat domains to evaluate how personality types mechanistically map to behaviors relevant in predator-prey dynamics and found shy and bold individuals differed in both their habitat use and foraging strategy under predation risk by a sit-and-wait spider predator. In the field-based mesocosm portion of our study, we found experimental populations of personality types differed in their trophic impact, demonstrating that prey personality can mediate trophic cascades. We found no differences in respiration rates or body size between personality types used in the mesocosm experiment, indicating relative differences in trophic impact were not due to variation in prey physiology but rather variation in behavioral strategies. Our work demonstrates how embracing the complexity of individual trait variation can offer mechanistically richer understanding of the processes underlying trophic interactions.
Collapse
|
37
|
Dingemanse NJ, Wright J. Criteria for acceptable studies of animal personality and behavioural syndromes. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Niels J. Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology Department of Biology Ludwig‐Maximilians University of Munich Planegg‐Martinsried Germany
| | - Jonathan Wright
- Department of Biology Center for Biodiversity Dynamics Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Trondheim Norway
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Fahlman J, Hellström G, Jonsson M, Veenstra A, Klaminder J. Six common behavioral trials and their relevance for perch performance in natural lakes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 732:139101. [PMID: 32422478 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral traits measured in laboratory settings are commonly used when predicting ecological effects and evolutionary outcomes in natural systems. However, uncertainties regarding the relevance of simplified lab-based behavioral tests for complex natural environments have created doubts about the use of these tests within aquatic ecology and ecotoxicology. In this study, we scrutinize the assumption that fish performance in six commonly applied behavioral assays has relevance for in situ behavior, by comparing individual behavior tracked in both artificial laboratory settings as well as in two natural lakes. We show that: i) commonly measured behavioral traits of individual fish (Perca fluviatilis) have low predictive power for within-lake behaviors if interpreted alone, but that; ii) composite variables synthesized from several (six) behavioral assays explain important in situ measures such as swimming activity, dispersion, home-range size, and habitat preference. While our findings support recent criticisms against the use of single behavioral tests for predicting environmental effects, we provide empirical evidences suggesting that fish performances in multiple laboratory assays are highly relevant for fish behavior in nature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Fahlman
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - G Hellström
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, SLU, Umeå, Sweden
| | - M Jonsson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - A Veenstra
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - J Klaminder
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Hertel AG, Niemelä PT, Dingemanse NJ, Mueller T. A guide for studying among-individual behavioral variation from movement data in the wild. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:30. [PMID: 32612837 PMCID: PMC7325061 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-00216-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Animal tracking and biologging devices record large amounts of data on individual movement behaviors in natural environments. In these data, movement ecologists often view unexplained variation around the mean as "noise" when studying patterns at the population level. In the field of behavioral ecology, however, focus has shifted from population means to the biological underpinnings of variation around means. Specifically, behavioral ecologists use repeated measures of individual behavior to partition behavioral variability into intrinsic among-individual variation and reversible behavioral plasticity and to quantify: a) individual variation in behavioral types (i.e. different average behavioral expression), b) individual variation in behavioral plasticity (i.e. different responsiveness of individuals to environmental gradients), c) individual variation in behavioral predictability (i.e. different residual within-individual variability of behavior around the mean), and d) correlations among these components and correlations in suites of behaviors, called 'behavioral syndromes'. We here suggest that partitioning behavioral variability in animal movements will further the integration of movement ecology with other fields of behavioral ecology. We provide a literature review illustrating that individual differences in movement behaviors are insightful for wildlife and conservation studies and give recommendations regarding the data required for addressing such questions. In the accompanying R tutorial we provide a guide to the statistical approaches quantifying the different aspects of among-individual variation. We use movement data from 35 African elephants and show that elephants differ in a) their average behavior for three common movement behaviors, b) the rate at which they adjusted movement over a temporal gradient, and c) their behavioral predictability (ranging from more to less predictable individuals). Finally, two of the three movement behaviors were correlated into a behavioral syndrome (d), with farther moving individuals having shorter mean residence times. Though not explicitly tested here, individual differences in movement and predictability can affect an individual's risk to be hunted or poached and could therefore open new avenues for conservation biologists to assess population viability. We hope that this review, tutorial, and worked example will encourage movement ecologists to examine the biology of individual variation in animal movements hidden behind the population mean.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne G. Hertel
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, University of South-Eastern Norway, 3800 Bø i Telemark, Norway
| | - Petri T. Niemelä
- 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
| | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Class B, Brommer J. Contrasting multilevel relationships between behavior and body mass in blue tit nestlings. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Repeatable behaviors (i.e., animal personality) are pervasive in the animal kingdom and various mechanisms have been proposed to explain their existence. Genetic and nongenetic mechanisms, which can be equally important, predict correlations between behavior and body mass on different levels (e.g., genetic and environmental) of variation. We investigated multilevel relationships between body mass measured on weeks 1, 2, and 3 and three behavioral responses to handling, measured on week 3, which form a behavioral syndrome in wild blue tit nestlings. Using 7 years of data and quantitative genetic models, we find that all behaviors and body mass on week 3 are heritable (h2 = 0.18–0.23) and genetically correlated, whereas earlier body masses are not heritable. We also find evidence for environmental correlations between body masses and behaviors. Interestingly, these environmental correlations have different signs for early and late body masses. Altogether, these findings indicate genetic integration between body mass and behavior and illustrate the impacts of early environmental factors and environmentally mediated growth trajectory on behaviors expressed later in life. This study, therefore, suggests that the relationship between personality and body mass in developing individuals is due to various underlying mechanisms, which can have opposing effects. Future research on the link between behavior and body mass would benefit from considering these multiple mechanisms simultaneously.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Class
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, University Hill, Turku, Finland
| | - Jon Brommer
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, University Hill, Turku, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Thomson HR, Lamb SD, Besson AA, Johnson SL. Long‐term repeatability of behaviours in zebrafish (
Danio rerio
). Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Simon D. Lamb
- Department of Zoology University of Otago Dunedin New Zealand
| | - Anne A. Besson
- Department of Zoology University of Otago Dunedin New Zealand
| | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Rojas-Ferrer I, Morand-Ferron J. The impact of learning opportunities on the development of learning and decision-making: an experiment with passerine birds. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190496. [PMID: 32475329 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental context has been shown to influence learning abilities later in life, namely through experiments with nutritional and/or environmental constraints (i.e. lack of enrichment). However, little is known about the extent to which opportunities for learning affect the development of animal cognition, even though such opportunities are known to influence human cognitive development. We exposed young zebra finches (Taenopygia guttata) (n = 26) to one of three experimental conditions, i.e. an environment where (i) colour cues reliably predicted the presence of food (associative learning), (ii) a combination of two-colour cues reliably predicted the presence of food (conditional learning), or (iii) colour cues were non-informative (control). After conducting two different discrimination tasks, our results showed that experience with predictive cues can cause increased choice accuracy and decision-making speed. Our first learning task showed that individuals in the associative learning treatment outperformed the control treatment, while task 2 showed that individuals in the conditional learning treatment had shorter latencies when making choices compared with the control treatment. We found no support for a speed-accuracy trade-off. This dataset provides a rare longitudinal and experimental examination of the effect of predictive versus non-predictive cues during development on the cognition of adult animals. This article is part of the theme issue 'Life history and learning: how childhood, caregiving and old age shape cognition and culture in humans and other animals'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Rojas-Ferrer
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie Private, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Julie Morand-Ferron
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie Private, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Harada K, Hayashi N, Kagaya K. Individual behavioral type captured by a Bayesian model comparison of cap making by sponge crabs. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9036. [PMID: 32461827 PMCID: PMC7231507 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
'Animal personality' is considered to be developed through complex interactions of an individual with its surrounding environment. How can we quantify the 'personality' of an individual? Quantifying intra- and inter-individual variability of behavior, or individual behavioral type, appears to be a prerequisite in the study of animal personality. We propose a statistical method from a predictive point of view to measure the appropriateness of our assumption of 'individual' behavior in repeatedly measured behavioral data from several individuals. For a model case, we studied the sponge crab Lauridromia dehaani known to make and carry a 'cap' from a natural sponge for camouflage. Because a cap is most likely to be rebuilt and replaced repeatedly, we hypothesized that each individual crab would grow a unique behavioral type and it would be observed under an experimentally controlled environmental condition. To test the hypothesis, we conducted behavioral experiments and employed a new Bayesian model-based comparison method to examine whether crabs have individual behavioral types in the cap making behavior. Crabs were given behavioral choices by using artificial sponges of three different sizes. We modeled the choice of sponges, size of the trimmed part of a cap, size of the cavity of a cap, and the latency to produce a cap, as random variables in 26 models, including hierarchical models specifying the behavioral types. In addition, we calculated the marginal-level widely applicable information criterion (mWAIC) values for hierarchical models to evaluate and compared them with the non-hierarchical models from the predictive point of view. As a result, the crabs of less than about 9 cm in size were found to make caps from the sponges. The body size explained the behavioral variables namely, choice, trimmed cap characteristics, and cavity size, but not latency. Furthermore, we captured the behavioral type as a probabilistic distribution structure of the behavioral data by comparing WAIC. Our statistical approach is not limited to behavioral data but is also applicable to physiological or morphological data when examining whether some group structure exists behind fluctuating empirical data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keita Harada
- Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, Field Science, Education and Reseach Center, Kyoto University, Wakayama, Japan
| | - Naoki Hayashi
- Simulation and Mining Division, NTT DATA Mathematical Systems Inc., Tokyo, Japan
- School of Computing, Department of Mathematical and Computing Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Katsushi Kagaya
- Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, Field Science, Education and Reseach Center, Kyoto University, Wakayama, Japan
- The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Fisher DN, Lichtenstein JLL, Costa-Pereira R, Yeager J, Pruitt JN. Assessing the repeatability, robustness to disturbance, and parent-offspring colony resemblance of collective behavior. J Evol Biol 2019; 33:410-421. [PMID: 31821669 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Groups of animals possess phenotypes such as collective behaviour, which may determine the fitness of group members. However, the stability and robustness to perturbations of collective phenotypes in natural conditions is not established. Furthermore, whether group phenotypes are transmitted from parent to offspring groups with fidelity is required for understanding how selection on group phenotypes contributes to evolution, but parent-offspring resemblance at the group level is rarely estimated. We evaluated the repeatability, robustness to perturbation and parent-offspring resemblance of collective foraging aggressiveness in colonies of the social spider Anelosimus eximius. Among-colony differences in foraging aggressiveness were consistent over time but changed if the colony was perturbed through the removal of individuals or via individuals' removal and subsequent return. Offspring and parent colony behaviour were correlated at the phenotypic level, but only once the offspring colony had settled after being translocated, and the correlation overlapped with zero at the among-colony level. The parent-offspring resemblance was not driven by a shared elevation but could be due to other environmental factors. The behaviour of offspring colonies in a common garden laboratory setting was not correlated with the behaviour of the parent colony nor with the same colony's behaviour once it was returned to the field. The phenotypes of groups represent a potentially important tier of biological organization, and assessing the stability and heritability of such phenotypes helps us better understand their role in evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - James L L Lichtenstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California - Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Raul Costa-Pereira
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Justin Yeager
- Biodiversidad Medio Ambiente y Salud (BIOMAS), Direccion General de Investigacion, Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Jonathan N Pruitt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California - Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Moiron M, Laskowski KL, Niemelä PT. Individual differences in behaviour explain variation in survival: a meta-analysis. Ecol Lett 2019; 23:399-408. [PMID: 31811699 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Research focusing on among-individual differences in behaviour ('animal personality') has been blooming for over a decade. Central theories explaining the maintenance of such behavioural variation posits that individuals expressing greater "risky" behaviours should suffer higher mortality. Here, for the first time, we synthesize the existing empirical evidence for this key prediction. Our results did not support this prediction as there was no directional relationship between riskier behaviour and greater mortality; however there was a significant absolute relationship between behaviour and survival. In total, behaviour explained a significant, but small, portion (5.8%) of the variance in survival. We also found that risky (vs. "shy") behavioural types live significantly longer in the wild, but not in the laboratory. This suggests that individuals expressing risky behaviours might be of overall higher quality but the lack of predation pressure and resource restrictions mask this effect in laboratory environments. Our work demonstrates that individual differences in behaviour explain important differences in survival but not in the direction predicted by theory. Importantly, this suggests that models predicting behaviour to be a mediator of reproduction-survival trade-offs may need revision and/or empiricists may need to reconsider their proxies of risky behaviours when testing such theory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Moiron
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 Campus CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Kate L Laskowski
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Petri T Niemelä
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Pearish S, Bensky MK, Bell AM, Woese CR. Social environment determines the effect of boldness and activity on survival. Ethology 2019; 125:855-862. [PMID: 36590873 PMCID: PMC9798931 DOI: 10.1111/eth.12939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Populations of animals are composed of individuals that differ in ecologically relevant behaviors. Building evidence also suggests that individuals occupy different social niches. Here, in a mark-recapture experiment, we show evidence of an interacting effect of behavior and social niche on survival in the wild: bold individuals had higher survival if they were initially captured in groups while shy, inactive individuals had higher survival if they were initially captured when alone. These findings provide support for the hypothesis that behavioral type-environment correlations can be favored by natural selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Pearish
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL
| | - Miles K. Bensky
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL
| | - Alison M. Bell
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL
| | - Carl R. Woese
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, 1206 W Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
The role of personality, cognition, and affective state in same-sex contests in the red junglefowl. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2762-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Intra-species contests are common in the animal kingdom and can have fitness consequences. Most research on what predicts contest outcome focuses on morphology, although differences in personality and cognition may also be involved. Supporting this, more proactive individuals often have dominant status, although the causality of this relationship is rarely investigated. Contest initiators often win; thus, individuals that are more proactive in their personality (e.g., more aggressive, risk-taking) or cognition (e.g., more optimistic, impulsive) may initiate contests more often. To investigate this, we assayed the behavior and cognition of sexually mature male and female red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), a species in which both sexes contest over social status, before staging intra-sexual contests. We confirm that contest initiators were more likely to win. In males, individuals that behaved more boldly in a novel arena test were more likely to initiate and win contests. Female initiators tended to be less active in novel object test, more aggressive in a restrained opponent test, and respond less optimistically in a cognitive judgement bias test, whereas the main predictor of whether a female would win a contest was whether she initiated it. These results suggest that behaviors attributed to proactive and reactive personalities, and—at least for female red junglefowl—optimism, can affect contest initiation and outcome. Therefore, within species, and depending on sex, different aspects of behavior and cognition may independently affect contest initiation and outcome. The generality of these findings, and their fitness consequences, requires further investigation.
Significance statement
In red junglefowl, we explored how behavior previously shown to describe personality, cognition, and affective state affected initiation and outcome of intra-sexual contests, by staging contests between sexually mature individuals previously assayed in behavioral and cognitive tests. In both sexes, contest initiators usually won. Bolder males were more likely to initiate and win contests. Female contests initiators were less active, more aggressive, and less optimistic. Our results suggest that personality and cognition could affect the initiation and outcome of contests and that how this occurs may differ between sexes.
Collapse
|
48
|
Dingemanse NJ, Moiron M, Araya-Ajoy YG, Mouchet A, Abbey-Lee RN. Individual variation in age-dependent reproduction: Fast explorers live fast but senesce young? J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:601-613. [PMID: 31618450 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive integration of life history and behaviour is expected to result in variation in the pace-of-life. Previous work focused on whether 'risky' phenotypes live fast but die young, but reported conflicting support. We posit that individuals exhibiting risky phenotypes may alternatively invest heavily in early-life reproduction but consequently suffer greater reproductive senescence. We used a 7-year longitudinal dataset with >1,200 breeding records of >800 female great tits assayed annually for exploratory behaviour to test whether within-individual age dependency of reproduction varied with exploratory behaviour. We controlled for biasing effects of selective (dis)appearance and within-individual behavioural plasticity. Slower and faster explorers produced moderate-sized clutches when young; faster explorers subsequently showed an increase in clutch size that diminished with age (with moderate support for declines when old), whereas slower explorers produced moderate-sized clutches throughout their lives. There was some evidence that the same pattern characterized annual fledgling success, if so, unpredictable environmental effects diluted personality-related differences in this downstream reproductive trait. Support for age-related selective appearance was apparent, but only when failing to appreciate within-individual plasticity in reproduction and behaviour. Our study identifies within-individual age-dependent reproduction, and reproductive senescence, as key components of life-history strategies that vary between individuals differing in risky behaviour. Future research should thus incorporate age-dependent reproduction in pace-of-life studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Maria Moiron
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 Campus CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Yimen G Araya-Ajoy
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Center for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Alexia Mouchet
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Robin N Abbey-Lee
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,IFM Biology, AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Evidence of phenotypic correlation between exploration activity and resting metabolic rate among populations across an elevation gradient in a small rodent species. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2740-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
|
50
|
Jolly CJ, Webb JK, Gillespie GR, Hughes NK, Phillips BL. Bias averted: personality may not influence trappability. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2742-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
|