Evolution of personality and locomotory performance traits during a late Pleistocene island colonization in a tree frog

Expanding through the Emerald Isle: exploration and spatial orientation of non-native bank voles in Ireland

Whether introduced into a completely novel habitat or slowly expanding their current range, the degree to which animals can efficiently explore and navigate new environments can be key to survival, ultimately determining population establishment and colonization success. We tested whether spatial orientation and exploratory behavior are associated with non-native spread in free-living bank voles (Myodes glareolus, N = 43) from a population accidentally introduced to Ireland a century ago. We measured spatial orientation and navigation in a radial arm maze, and behaviors associated to exploratory tendencies and risk-taking in repeated open-field tests, at the expansion edge and in the source population. Bank voles at the expansion edge re-visited unrewarded arms of the maze more, waited longer before leaving it, took longer to start exploring both the radial arm maze and the open field, and were more risk-averse compared to conspecifics in the source population. Taken together, results suggest that for this small mammal under heavy predation pressure, a careful and thorough exploration strategy might be favored when expanding into novel environments.

Different behavioral profiles between invasive and native nudibranchs: means for invasion success?

Behavior is predicted to be a primary determinant of the success of the invasion process during the early phases of colonization. Comparing invaders with sympatric native species may provide a good approach to unravel behavioral traits involved in an invasion process. In this study, we carried out an experimental simulation of the introduction and the acclimatization phase into a new environment and assessed the expression of activity, alertness, and habituation in an invasive Mediterranean population of the South African nudibranch Godiva quadricolor comparing its profiles with those of the sympatric Mediterranean native nudibranchs Cratena peregrina and Caloria quatrefagesi. Individuals of these 3 species were subjected to 3 behavioral tests: spontaneous activity, carried out in the introduction phase (immediately after sampling) and after a week of acclimatization; alert test, in which a potential threat was simulated by means of a tactile stimulus, and habituation test, in which the same alert test stimulus was repeated 5 times at 30-min intervals. The invasive G. quadricolor showed higher levels of exploration activity, thigmotaxis, alertness, and sensitization than the native species. These behavioral traits may represent pivotal drivers of the ongoing invasion process.

Behavioral, physiological, and genetic drivers of coping in a non-human primate

Animals experience stressful situations, from predation to social conflicts, but mostly deal with them successfully. This adaptive mechanism, coping, reduces the adverse effects of stressors, and its failure may result in reduced fitness. Substantial inter-individual variation in coping is observed, yet little is known about how behavioral, physiological and genetic drivers regulate coping holistically and contribute to such variations. We assessed behavioral coping styles (n=30), emotional arousal (n=12), and personalities (n=32) of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and also investigated the association of coping with a valine/methionine polymorphism encoded by a critical human stress regulatory gene, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) (n=26). Personality and the human equivalent COMT Val/Met polymorphism were associated with "nonaggression-based" and "aggression-based" coping styles. Compared to nonaggression-based, aggression-based copers maintained higher average facial temperatures, indicating potentially lower emotional arousal, as measured using infrared thermography. These findings demonstrate a complex interplay of various proximate mechanisms governing coping in a non-human primate.