1
|
Beyts C, Cella M, Colegrave N, Downie R, Martin JGA, Walsh P. The effect of heterospecific and conspecific competition on inter-individual differences in tungara frog tadpole ( Engystomops pustulosus) behavior. Behav Ecol 2023; 34:210-222. [PMID: 36998994 PMCID: PMC10047633 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Repeated social interactions with conspecifics and/or heterospecifics during early development may drive the differentiation of behavior among individuals. Competition is a major form of social interaction and its impacts can depend on whether interactions occur between conspecifics or heterospecifics and the directionality of a response could be specific to the ecological context that they are measured in. To test this, we reared tungara frog tadpoles (Engystomops pustulosus) either in isolation, with a conspecific tadpole or with an aggressive heterospecific tadpole, the whistling frog tadpole (Leptodactylus fuscus). In each treatment, we measured the body size and distance focal E. pustulosus tadpoles swam in familiar, novel and predator risk contexts six times during development. We used univariate and multivariate hierarchical mixed effect models to investigate the effect of treatment on mean behavior, variance among and within individuals, behavioral repeatability and covariance among individuals in their behavior between contexts. There was a strong effect of competition on behavior, with different population and individual level responses across social treatments. Within a familiar context, the variance in the distance swam within individuals decreased under conspecific competition but heterospecific competition caused more variance in the average distance swam among individuals. Behavioral responses were also context specific as conspecific competition caused an increase in the distance swam within individuals in novel and predator risk contexts. The results highlight that the impact of competition on among and within individual variance in behavior is dependent on both competitor species identity and context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cammy Beyts
- The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, Easter Bush Campus, University of Edinburgh , Easter Bush , Midlothian, EH25 9RG , UK
| | - Maddalena Cella
- Digital Futures, Warnford Court , 29 Throngmorton Street, London, EC2N 2AT , UK
| | - Nick Colegrave
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh , West Mains Road, EH9 3JT , UK
| | - Roger Downie
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, R205A Level 2, The University of Glasgow , G12 8QQ , UK
| | - Julien G A Martin
- Department of Biology, Marie-Curie Private, University of Ottawa , Ontario, K1N 9A7 , Canada
| | - Patrick Walsh
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh , West Mains Road, EH9 3JT , UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Clarke GS, Shine R, Phillips BL. May the (selective) force be with you: Spatial sorting and natural selection exert opposing forces on limb length in an invasive amphibian. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:994-1001. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory S. Clarke
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Richard Shine
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | | |
Collapse
|