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Trillmich F, Guenther A. Shifts in energy allocation and reproduction in response to temperature in a small precocial mammal. BMC ZOOL 2023; 8:23. [PMID: 37853483 PMCID: PMC10583357 DOI: 10.1186/s40850-023-00185-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Species adjust to changes in temperature and the accompanying reduction in resource availability during the annual cycle by shifts in energy allocation. As it gets colder, the priority of energy allocation to maintenance increases and reproduction is reduced or abandoned. RESULTS We studied whether and how young female guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) adjust even under ad libitum food conditions growth, storage of fat reserves and reproduction when kept at 5 °C versus 15 °C, and how offspring born into these conditions compensate during development to independence. Reproducing females grew less in the cold. Their lower weight resulted largely from less fat storage whereas growth in fat free mass was about the same for both groups. The increased need for thermoregulation diminished fat storage most likely due to the development of more brown fat tissue. Reproductive activity did not differ between groups in terms of litter frequency, mass and size. However, females in 5 °C weaned pups later (around day 25) than females in 15 °C (around day 21). Later weaning did not make up for the higher energy expenditure of pups in cold conditions leading to slower growth and less fat storage. Female pups born into the cold matured later than those born in 15 °C. Investment in reproduction continued but allocation to individual pups declined. CONCLUSIONS In more thermally demanding conditions female guinea pigs - even under ad libitum food abundance - transfer the higher costs of maintenance and reproduction largely to offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fritz Trillmich
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Anja Guenther
- Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, RG Behavioural Ecology of Individual Differences, Plön, Germany
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Guenther A, Trillmich F. Photoperiod influences the development and the expression of personality traits and social behaviour in wild cavies (
Cavia aperea
). Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13343] [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]
Affiliation(s)
- Anja Guenther
- Research Group Behavioural Ecology of Individual Differences, Department for Evolutionary Genetics Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology Plön Germany
- Animal Behaviour University of Bielefeld Bielefeld Germany
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Finkemeier MA, Krause A, Tuchscherer A, Puppe B, Langbein J. Personality traits affect learning performance in dwarf goats ( Capra hircus). Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:916459. [PMID: 35909682 PMCID: PMC9336648 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.916459] [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: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A wide range of species exhibit time- and context-consistent interindividual variation in a number of specific behaviors related to an individual's personality. Several studies have shown that individual differences in personality-associated behavioral traits have an impact on cognitive abilities. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality traits and learning abilities in dwarf goats. The behavior of 95 goats during a repeated open field (OF) and novel object test (NO) was analyzed, and two main components were identified using principal component analysis: boldness and activity. In parallel, the goats learned a 4-choice visual initial discrimination task (ID) and three subsequent reversal learning (RL) tasks. The number of animals that reached the learning criterion and the number of trials needed (TTC) in each task were calculated. Our results show that goats with the lowest learning performance in ID needed more TTC in RL1 and reached the learning criterion less frequently in RL2 and RL3 compared to animals with better learning performance in ID. This suggests a close relationship between initial learning and flexibility in learning behavior. To study the link between personality and learning, we conducted two analyses, one using only data from the first OF- and NO-test (momentary personality traits), while the other included both tests integrating only animals that were stable for their specific trait (stable personality traits). No relationship between personality and learning was found using data from only the first OF- and NO-test. However, stability in the trait boldness was found to have an effect on learning. Unbold goats outperformed bold goats in RL1. This finding supports the general hypothesis that bold animals tend to develop routines and show less flexibility in the context of learning than unbold individuals. Understanding how individual personality traits can affect cognitive abilities will help us gain insight into mechanisms that can constrain cognitive processing and adaptive behavioral responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Antonine Finkemeier
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Annika Krause
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Armin Tuchscherer
- Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Birger Puppe
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
- Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Jan Langbein
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
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4
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Novelty at second glance: a critical appraisal of the novel object paradigm based on meta-analysis. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Guenther A, Eweleit L, Trillmich F. Fitness consequences of seasonally different life histories? A match–mismatch experiment. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
To survive and reproduce successfully, animals have to find the optimal time of breeding. Species living in nontropical environments often adjust their reproduction plastically according to seasonal changes of the environment. Information about the prevailing season can be transmitted in utero, leading to the adaptation of the offspring to the prevailing season. After birth, animals acquire additional personal information about the environment, which allows them to adjust their reproductive investment. Here, we tested in a full-factorial match–mismatch experiment the influence of reproductive adjustments according to maternal and personal information. We bred wild cavies (Cavia aperea), a precocial rodent, either into increasing (spring) or decreasing (autumn) photoperiod and, subsequently, after weaning, transferred female offspring to the matching or mismatching season. We measured growth, specific metabolic rate (sRMR) and reproductive events across six months. Although sRMR was elevated for females primed for good (spring) conditions when transferred to the mismatching autumn condition, we found no maternal effects on reproduction. Females adjusted their reproductive decisions according to the season they personally experienced, thereby implying a potentially high level of plasticity. Females reproducing in spring started reproduction earlier with a lower reproductive effort than females reproducing in autumn but, ultimately, the two groups did not differ in survival, growth, or reproduction. These data suggest important developmental plasticity, highlight the use of personal information acquired after weaning over early information provided until weaning, and point out the potential value of multiple cues, such as food abundance and quality and temperature besides photoperiod.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Guenther
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, Bielefeld, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, Plön, Germany
| | - Lucienne Eweleit
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Fritz Trillmich
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, Bielefeld, Germany
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Tüzün N, Savaşçı BB, Stoks R. Seasonal time constraints shape life history, physiology and behaviour independently, and decouple a behavioural syndrome in a damselfly. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nedim Tüzün
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, Univ. of Leuven Leuven Belgium
| | | | - Robby Stoks
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, Univ. of Leuven Leuven Belgium
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Kraus S, Trillmich F, Guenther A. Within-Family Environment and Cross-Fostering Stress Affect Behavior and Physiology in Wild Cavies ( Cavia aperea). Front Psychol 2020; 11:178. [PMID: 32116966 PMCID: PMC7026460 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00178] [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: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Stability of personality traits is well-documented for a wide variety of animals. However, previous results also suggest that behavioral phenotypes are plastic during early ontogeny and can be adaptively shaped to the social environment. In cavies (Cavia aperea), it has already been documented that the size at birth relative to siblings (size rank) greatly influences various behavioral and physiological traits that last at least until independence. The aim of the current study was (1) to investigate if behavioral and physiological differences between pups of the same litter persist until after independence and influence development long-lasting, (2) to determine the potential plasticity in response to changes in the early within-family environment by cross-fostering pups either to the same, a lower, or a higher size rank in a foster-family. We measured three behavioral traits (number of interactions with a novel object, distance moved in an open field, struggle docility) and two physiological traits (resting metabolic rate and basal cortisol levels). We predicted that cross-fostering into a litter where pups occupy the same size rank would not change the expression of traits. Cross-fostering to a different size rank should not influence the expression of traits if repeatability measures indicate low plasticity. Alternatively, if the traits are plastic, animals should adjust trait expression to fit with the size rank occupied in the foster litter. Initial differences in struggle docility, distance moved in an open field and in baseline cortisol concentration between pups of different size-ranks did not remain stable beyond independence. In addition, we found remarkable plasticity of the measured traits in response to cross-fostering to the same, a smaller or larger size-rank, suggesting that differences between pups are more the result of social constraints leading to adaptive shaping of individual phenotypes within a family. We also found a significant influence of the cross-fostering procedure itself. Cross-fostered individuals were less bold, grew slower and showed elevated resting metabolic rates. This finding suggests a cautious interpretation of previous cross-fostering studies and stresses the need for proper control groups to reliably separate the effect of cross-fostering per se from those induced by an experimental treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Kraus
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Fritz Trillmich
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Anja Guenther
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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Finkemeier MA, Oesterwind S, Nürnberg G, Puppe B, Langbein J. Assessment of personality types in Nigerian dwarf goats (Capra hircus) and cross-context correlations to behavioural and physiological responses. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Mathot KJ, Dingemanse NJ, Nakagawa S. The covariance between metabolic rate and behaviour varies across behaviours and thermal types: meta‐analytic insights. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:1056-1074. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley J. Mathot
- Canada Research Chair in Integrative Ecology, Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Alberta CW405 Biological Sciences Building, T6G 2E9 Edmonton Alberta Canada
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea ResearchDepartment of Coastal Systems and Utrecht University 1790 AB, den Burg, Texel The Netherlands
| | - Niels J. Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department Biology IILudwig‐Maximilians University of Munich Grosshadener Strasse 2, DE‐82152, Planegg‐Martinsried, Munich Germany
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales 2052 Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney New South Wales 2010 Australia
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10
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Seasonal effects on behavior and immunity in a precocial rodent. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2513-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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11
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Finkemeier MA, Langbein J, Puppe B. Personality Research in Mammalian Farm Animals: Concepts, Measures, and Relationship to Welfare. Front Vet Sci 2018; 5:131. [PMID: 30003083 PMCID: PMC6031753 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Measuring and understanding personality in animals is a rising scientific field. Much research has been conducted to assess distinctive individual differences in behavior in a large number of species in the past few decades, and increasing numbers of studies include farm animals. Nevertheless, the terminology and definitions used in this broad scientific field are often confusing because different concepts and methods are used to explain often synonymously applied terms, such as personality, temperament and coping style. In the present review we give a comprehensive overview of the concepts and terms currently used in animal personality research and critically reveal how they are defined and what they measure. First, we shortly introduce concepts describing human personality and how these concepts are used to explain animal personality. Second, we present which concepts, methods and measures are applied in farm animal personality research and show that the terminology used seems to be somehow species-related. Finally, we discuss some findings on the possible impact of personality on the welfare of farm animals. The assessment of personality in farm animals is of growing scientific and practical interest. Differences in theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches may also entail the diverse use of the different concepts between basic and applied research approaches. We conclude that more consistency is needed in using different theoretical concepts, terms and measures, especially in farm animal personality research. The terms coping style and temperament, which are used in different ways, should not be examined as independent concepts, but rather should be considered as different aspects of the whole personality concept. Farm animal personality should be increasingly considered for the improvement of animal housing, management, breeding and welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Antonine Finkemeier
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany.,Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Jan Langbein
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Birger Puppe
- Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany.,Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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Huang P, Kimball RT, St. Mary CM. Does the use of a multi-trait, multi-test approach to measure animal personality yield different behavioural syndrome results? BEHAVIOUR 2018. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
A multi-trait, multi-test approach to investigate the convergence or discrimination between behavioural tests putatively targeting the same or different animal personality traits has been recommended, yet whether and how the approaches affect the identification of behavioural syndrome(s), the suite of correlated personality traits, requires investigation. Here, we used behavioural measures collected from five commonly used behavioural tests targeting three personality traits, evaluated their convergence/discrimination through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and then explored whether the identification of syndrome changed based on the approach we used to quantify personality traits. Our results indicated that tests presumably targeting the same personality trait actually measured distinct behavioural aspects. Syndrome defined using correlation changed due to how we identified personality traits, but not when using structural equation models (SEMs). Overall, this study emphasizes that it is critical to clarify the approach and terms we use for ‘personality traits’ in the field of animal personality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Huang
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Houslay TM, Wilson AJ. Avoiding the misuse of BLUP in behavioural ecology. Behav Ecol 2017; 28:948-952. [PMID: 29622923 PMCID: PMC5873244 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Revised: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Having recognized that variation around the population-level "Golden Mean" of labile traits contains biologically meaningful information, behavioural ecologists have focused increasingly on exploring the causes and consequences of individual variation in behaviour. These are exciting new directions for the field, assisted in no small part by the adoption of mixed-effects modelling techniques that enable the partitioning of among- and within-individual behavioural variation. It has become commonplace to extract predictions of individual random effects from such models for use in subsequent analyses (for example, between a personality trait and other individual traits such as cognition, physiology, or fitness-related measures). However, these predictions are made with large amounts of error that is not carried forward, rendering further tests susceptible to spurious P values from these individual-level point estimates. We briefly summarize the problems with such statistical methods that are used regularly by behavioural ecologists, and highlight the robust solutions that exist within the mixed model framework, providing tutorials to aid in their implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M Houslay
- Centre of Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Conrwall, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Alastair J Wilson
- Centre of Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Conrwall, TR10 9FE, UK
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15
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Tank size alters mean behaviours and individual rank orders in personality traits of fish depending on their life stage. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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