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Caizergues AE, Grégoire A, Choquet R, Perret S, Charmantier A. Are behaviour and stress-related phenotypes in urban birds adaptive? J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1627-1641. [PMID: 35575101 PMCID: PMC9540257 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Urbanisation is a world-wide phenomenon converting natural habitats into new artificial ones. Environmental conditions associated with urbanisation represent great challenges for wildlife. Behaviour and stress tolerance are considered of major importance in the adaptation to novel urban habitats and numerous studies already reported behavioural and stress response phenotypes associated with urbanisation, often suggesting they represented adaptations, while rarely demonstrating it. The main goal of this study was to test the adaptive nature of urban shifts in behavioural and stress-related traits, and by adaptive we mean phenotypic change favouring traits in the same direction as selection. Using 7 years of monitoring of urban and forest great tits, we first tested for differences in exploratory behaviour, aggressiveness and breath rate, between both habitats. Second, we performed habitat-specific analyses of selection on the three former traits using (a) reproductive success and (b) survival estimated via capture-mark-recapture models, as fitness estimates, to determine whether shifts in these behavioural and stress-related traits were aligned with patterns of ongoing selection. We found that urban birds displayed higher exploratory behaviour and aggressiveness, and higher breath rate, compared to forest birds. Selection analyses overall revealed that these shifts were not adaptive and could even be maladaptive. In particular, higher handling aggression and higher breath rate in urban birds was associated with lower fitness. Higher exploration scores were correlated with lower survival in both habitats, but higher reproductive success only in forest males. Overall, differences in patterns of selection between habitats were not consistent with the phenotypic divergence observed. Taken together, these results highlight that phenotypic shifts observed in cities do not necessarily result from new selection pressures and could be maladaptive. We hypothesise that divergences in behavioural traits for urban birds could result from the filtering of individuals settling in cities. We thus encourage urban evolutionary scientists to further explore the adaptive potential of behavioural traits measured in urban habitats (a) by replicating this type of study in multiple cities and species, (b) by implementing studies focusing on immigrant phenotypes and (c) by measuring selection at multiple life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arnaud Grégoire
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Rémi Choquet
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Samuel Perret
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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2
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Harrison LM, Noble DWA, Jennions MD. A meta-analysis of sex differences in animal personality: no evidence for the greater male variability hypothesis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:679-707. [PMID: 34908228 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The notion that men are more variable than women has become embedded into scientific thinking. For mental traits like personality, greater male variability has been partly attributed to biology, underpinned by claims that there is generally greater variation among males than females in non-human animals due to stronger sexual selection on males. However, evidence for greater male variability is limited to morphological traits, and there is little information regarding sex differences in personality-like behaviours for non-human animals. Here, we meta-analysed sex differences in means and variances for over 2100 effects (204 studies) from 220 species (covering five broad taxonomic groups) across five personality traits: boldness, aggression, activity, sociality and exploration. We also tested if sexual size dimorphism, a proxy for sex-specific sexual selection, explains variation in the magnitude of sex differences in personality. We found no significant differences in personality between the sexes. In addition, sexual size dimorphism did not explain variation in the magnitude of the observed sex differences in the mean or variance in personality for any taxonomic group. In sum, we find no evidence for widespread sex differences in variability in non-human animal personality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Harrison
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Daniel W A Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
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3
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Reber SA, Oh J, Janisch J, Stevenson C, Foggett S, Wilkinson A. Early life differences in behavioral predispositions in two Alligatoridae species. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:753-764. [PMID: 33454828 PMCID: PMC8238711 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01461-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral predispositions are innate tendencies of animals to behave in a given way without the input of learning. They increase survival chances and, due to environmental and ecological challenges, may vary substantially even between closely related taxa. These differences are likely to be especially pronounced in long-lived species like crocodilians. This order is particularly relevant for comparative cognition due to its phylogenetic proximity to birds. Here we compared early life behavioral predispositions in two Alligatoridae species. We exposed American alligator and spectacled caiman hatchlings to three different novel situations: a novel object, a novel environment that was open and a novel environment with a shelter. This was then repeated a week later. During exposure to the novel environments, alligators moved around more and explored a larger range of the arena than the caimans. When exposed to the novel object, the alligators reduced the mean distance to the novel object in the second phase, while the caimans further increased it, indicating diametrically opposite ontogenetic development in behavioral predispositions. Although all crocodilian hatchlings face comparable challenges, e.g., high predation pressure, the effectiveness of parental protection might explain the observed pattern. American alligators are apex predators capable of protecting their offspring against most dangers, whereas adult spectacled caimans are frequently predated themselves. Their distancing behavior might be related to increased predator avoidance and also explain the success of invasive spectacled caimans in the natural habitats of other crocodilians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan A Reber
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK.
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Lund University Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Jinook Oh
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Judith Janisch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Anna Wilkinson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK.
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4
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Lamb SD, Chia JHZ, Johnson SL. Paternal exposure to a common herbicide alters the behavior and serotonergic system of zebrafish offspring. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228357. [PMID: 32275662 PMCID: PMC7147785 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasingly, studies are revealing that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can alter animal behavior. Early life exposure to EDCs may permanently alter phenotypes through to adulthood. In addition, the effects of EDCs may not be isolated to a single generation − offspring may indirectly be impacted, via non-genetic processes. Here, we analyzed the effects of paternal atrazine exposure on behavioral traits (distance moved, exploration, bottom-dwelling time, latency to enter the top zone, and interaction with a mirror) and whole-brain mRNA of genes involved in the serotonergic system regulation (slc6a4a, slc6a4b, htr1Aa, htr1B, htr2B) of zebrafish (Danio rerio). F0 male zebraFIsh were exposed to atrazine at 0.3, 3 or 30 part per billion (ppb) during early juvenile development, the behavior of F1 progeny was tested at adulthood, and the effect of 0.3 ppb atrazine treatment on mRNA transcription was quantified. Paternal exposure to atrazine significantly reduced interactions with a mirror (a proxy for aggression) and altered the latency to enter the top zone of a tank in unexposed F1 offspring. Bottom-dwelling time (a proxy for anxiety) also appeared to be somewhat affected, and activity (distance moved) was reduced in the context of aggression. slc6a4a and htr1Aa mRNA transcript levels were found to correlate positively with anxiety levels in controls, but we found that this relationship was disrupted in the 0.3 ppb atrazine treatment group. Overall, paternal atrazine exposure resulted in alterations across a variety of behavioral traits and showed signs of serotonergic system dysregulation, demonstrating intergenerational effects. Further research is needed to explore transgenerational effects on behavior and possible mechanisms underpinning behavioral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon D. Lamb
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
- * E-mail: (SDL); (SLJ)
| | - Jolyn H. Z. Chia
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
| | - Sheri L. Johnson
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
- * E-mail: (SDL); (SLJ)
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Carlson BE, Tetzlaff SJ. Long‐term behavioral repeatability in wild adult and captive juvenile turtles (
Terrapene carolina
): Implications for personality development. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sasha J. Tetzlaff
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana Illinois
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Horváth G, Rodríguez‐Ruiz G, Martín J, López P, Herczeg G. Maternal diet affects juvenile Carpetan rock lizard performance and personality. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:14476-14488. [PMID: 31938534 PMCID: PMC6953655 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Differences in both stable and labile state variables are known to affect the emergence and maintenance of consistent interindividual behavioral variation (animal personality or behavioral syndrome), especially when experienced early in life. Variation in environmental conditions experienced by gestating mothers (viz. nongenetic maternal effects) is known to have significant impact on offspring condition and behavior; yet, their effect on behavioral consistency is not clear. Here, by applying an orthogonal experimental design, we aimed to study whether increased vitamin D3 content in maternal diet during gestation (vitamin-supplemented vs. vitamin control treatments) combined with corticosterone treatment (corticosterone-treated vs. corticosterone control treatments) applied on freshly hatched juveniles had an effect on individual state and behavioral consistency of juvenile Carpetan rock lizards (Iberolacerta cyreni). We tested the effect of our treatments on (a) climbing speed and the following levels of behavioral variation, (b) strength of animal personality (behavioral repeatability), (c) behavioral type (individual mean behavior), and (d) behavioral predictability (within-individual behavioral variation unrelated to environmental change). We found higher locomotor performance of juveniles from the vitamin-supplemented group (42.4% increase), irrespective of corticosterone treatment. While activity personality was present in all treatments, shelter use personality was present only in the vitamin-supplemented × corticosterone-treated treatment and risk-taking personality was present in corticosterone control treatments. Contrary to our expectations, behavioral type was not affected by our treatments, indicating that individual quality can affect behavioral strategies without affecting group-level mean behavior. Behavioral predictability decreased in individuals with low climbing speed, which could be interpreted as a form of antipredator strategy. Our results clearly demonstrate that maternal diet and corticosterone treatment have the potential to induce or hamper between-individual variation in different components of boldness, often in interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergely Horváth
- Behavioural Ecology GroupDepartment of Systematic Zoology and EcologyEötvös Loránd UniversityBudapestHungary
| | | | - José Martín
- Department of Evolutionary EcologyMuseo Nacional de Ciencias NaturalesCSICMadridSpain
| | - Pilar López
- Department of Evolutionary EcologyMuseo Nacional de Ciencias NaturalesCSICMadridSpain
| | - Gábor Herczeg
- Behavioural Ecology GroupDepartment of Systematic Zoology and EcologyEötvös Loránd UniversityBudapestHungary
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White SJ, Wilson AJ. Evolutionary genetics of personality in the Trinidadian guppy I: maternal and additive genetic effects across ontogeny. Heredity (Edinb) 2018; 122:1-14. [PMID: 29773896 PMCID: PMC6288082 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-018-0082-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Among-individual variation in behaviour is a widespread phenomenon, with several frameworks developed to explain its existence. Maternal effects, which can have significant influence over evolutionary processes, are an understudied source of behavioural variation. Maternal effects are not necessarily static, however, since their importance can change over offspring ontogeny, typically declining with age relative to additive genetic effects. Here, using a quantitative genetics approach, we test the prediction that maternal effects will influence age-specific risk-taking behaviour in Trinidadian guppies, Poecilia reticulata. Individuals were subject to a single open-field trial as juveniles and up to four repeat trials as adults, with five traits indicative of risk-taking behaviour measured in each trial. We then partitioned phenotypic variance into additive genetic (VA) and maternal identity (VM) components, in addition to testing brood size and maternal weight as specific sources of maternal effects. We found that VM had significant influence over juvenile traits, with very low VA estimates. Whereas, in adults, all traits were significantly heritable, with little support for VM. We also found a strong influence of maternal traits on juvenile behaviours as predicted, with significant, albeit smaller, effects found in adults. Maternal weight was heritable and itself subject to maternal effects. Thus, maternal weight is a likely source of maternal genetic effects that are expected to alter response to selection on personality in this system. More generally, our study highlights that while maternal effects can be an important source of personality variation, this varies over ontogeny of offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen John White
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK.
| | - Alastair James Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
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8
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Found R. Interactions between cleaner-birds and ungulates are personality dependent. Biol Lett 2018; 13:rsbl.2017.0536. [PMID: 29187607 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
While a growing body of literature explores the ecological implications of consistent individual variation in the behaviour of wildlife, few studies have looked at the reciprocal influences of personality within interspecific interactions, despite the potentially significant impacts on biodiversity. Here I used two species involved in cleaner-bird behaviour-black-billed magpies (Pica pica) and Rocky mountain elk (Cervus canadensis)-to show that the exhibition of mutualistic behaviour can depend on the personality of the individual involved. I recorded suites of correlated behaviours in both elk and magpies to derive personality gradients from 'shy' to 'bold', which I compared with observations of interspecific interactions. I measured each half of this mutualistic relationship separately. I found that bold elk were more likely to aggressively reject magpie landings, while shy elk allowed magpies to land and groom them. Contrastingly, I found it was bold magpies that were willing to risk landings, while shy magpies rarely attempted landings. These results show that the exhibition of interspecific behaviour is predicated on the personality of the individuals, and thus likely contributes to the selection and maintenance of personality variation within populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rob Found
- Parks Canada, Elk Island National Park, Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada T8L 0V3
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10
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Campbell SA, Beck ML, Sewall KB. Hatching asynchrony impacts cognition in male zebra finches. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2017; 327:89-97. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.2074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Revised: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Michelle L. Beck
- Department of Biological Sciences; Virginia Tech; Blacksburg Virginia
| | - Kendra B. Sewall
- Department of Biological Sciences; Virginia Tech; Blacksburg Virginia
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11
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de Boer RA, Eens M, Müller W. A loss of heterozygosity, a loss in competition? The effects of inbreeding, pre- and postnatal conditions on nestling development. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:7921-7930. [PMID: 30128140 PMCID: PMC6093172 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Revised: 08/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The early developmental trajectory is affected by genetic and environmental factors that co‐depend and interact often in a complex way. In order to distinguish their respective roles, we used canaries (Serinus canaria) of different genetic backgrounds (inbred and outbred birds). An artificial size hierarchy was created to provoke within‐nest competition, manipulating postnatal conditions. To this end, inbred birds were weight‐matched with outbred birds into duos, and each nest contained one duo of size‐advantaged, and one duo of size‐disadvantaged inbred and outbred nestlings. Prenatal (maternal) effects were taken into account also, enabling us to study the separate as well as the interactive effects of inbreeding, pre‐ and postnatal conditions on nestling development. We find that postnatal conditions were the most important determinant of early growth, with size‐advantaged nestlings growing faster and obtaining larger size/body mass at fledging in comparison with size‐disadvantaged nestlings. Prenatal conditions were important too, with birds that hatched from eggs that were laid late in the laying order obtaining a larger size at fledging than those hatched from early laid eggs. Inbreeding inhibited growth, but surprisingly this did not depend on (dis)advantageous pre‐ or postnatal conditions. Our findings imply that inbred individuals lose when they are in direct competition with same‐sized outbred individuals regardless of the rearing conditions, and we thus propose that reduced competitiveness is one of the driving forces of inbreeding depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raïssa A de Boer
- Department of Biology Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group - University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Department of Biology Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group - University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Wendt Müller
- Department of Biology Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group - University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
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12
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Siviter H, Charles Deeming D, Rosenberger J, Burman OHP, Moszuti SA, Wilkinson A. The impact of egg incubation temperature on the personality of oviparous reptiles. Anim Cogn 2016; 20:109-116. [PMID: 27599495 PMCID: PMC5274644 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-016-1030-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Revised: 08/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Personality traits, defined as differences in the behavior of individual animals of the same species that are consistent over time and context, such as ‘boldness,’ have been shown to be both heritable and be influenced by external factors, such as predation pressure. Currently, we know very little about the role that early environmental factors have upon personality. Thus, we investigated the impact of incubation temperature upon the boldness on an oviparous reptile, the bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps). Eggs, from one clutch, were incubated at two different average temperatures within the normal range. After hatching the lizards were raised under the same environmental conditions. Novel object and novel environment tests were used to assess personality. Each test was repeated in both the short term and the long term. The results revealed that incubation temperature did impact upon ‘boldness’ but only in the short term and suggests that, rather than influencing personality, incubation temperature may have an effect on the development of behavioral of oviparous reptiles at different stages across ontogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Siviter
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, UK
| | - D Charles Deeming
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, UK
| | - Joanna Rosenberger
- Institute of Animal Breeding, Division of Poultry Breeding, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Oliver H P Burman
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, UK
| | - Sophie A Moszuti
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, UK
| | - Anna Wilkinson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, UK.
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