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Stamps JA, Biro PA. Time-specific convergence and divergence in individual differences in behavior: Theory, protocols and analyzes. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10615. [PMID: 38034332 PMCID: PMC10682899 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10615] [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: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the years, theoreticians and empiricists working in a wide range of disciplines, including physiology, ethology, psychology, and behavioral ecology, have suggested a variety of reasons why individual differences in behavior might change over time, such that different individuals become more similar (convergence) or less similar (divergence) to one another. Virtually none of these investigators have suggested that convergence or divergence will continue forever, instead proposing that these patterns will be restricted to particular periods over the course of a longer study. However, to date, few empiricists have documented time-specific convergence or divergence, in part because the experimental designs and statistical methods suitable for describing these patterns are not widely known. Here, we begin by reviewing an array of influential hypotheses that predict convergence or divergence in individual differences over timescales ranging from minutes to years, and that suggest how and why such patterns are likely to change over time (e.g., divergence followed by maintenance). Then, we describe experimental designs and statistical methods that can be used to determine if (and when) individual differences converged, diverged, or were maintained at the same level at specific periods during a longitudinal study. Finally, we describe why the concepts described herein help explain the discrepancy between what theoreticians and empiricists mean when they describe the "emergence" of individual differences or personality, how they might be used to study situations in which convergence and divergence patterns alternate over time, and how they might be used to study time-specific changes in other attributes of behavior, including individual differences in intraindividual variability (predictability), or genotypic differences in behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judy A. Stamps
- Department of Evolution and EcologyUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Peter A. Biro
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityGeelongVictoriaAustralia
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2
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Urrutia A, Bánszegi O, Szenczi P, Hudson R. Development of "personality" in the domestic cat: A longitudinal study. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22427. [PMID: 37860897 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22427] [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: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Although individual differences in the behavior of animals, sometimes referred to as personality, have recently received considerable attention, the development of such differences remains understudied. We previously found consistent individual differences in behavior in four tests simulating everyday contexts in 74 preweaning age kittens from 16 litters of the domestic cat. To study the development of consistent among-individual differences in four behavioral traits in cats, we followed a subset of these same individuals and repeated the same tests at 6 and 12 months of age. Some individual differences in behavior became increasingly repeatable with age due to a combination of decreased individual-level variance (canalization) and increased among-individual variance; these changes in variance and repeatability continued into adulthood (12 months). We did not observe behavioral syndromes at any age, in contrast to our previous reports in a different population of adult cats. The mechanisms that underlie increased repeatability with age and the possibility of personality structure differing between populations in this species remain to be studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Urrutia
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Edificio A, 1er Piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Oxána Bánszegi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Péter Szenczi
- CONACYT-Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Unidad Psicopatología y Desarrollo, Ciudad, de México, Mexico
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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3
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Duckworth RA, Chenard KC, Meza L, Beiriz MC. Coping styles vary with species' sociality and life history: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 151:105241. [PMID: 37216998 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Despite a long history of animal studies investigating coping styles, the causal connections between behavior and stress physiology remain unclear. Consistency across taxa in effect sizes would support the idea of a direct causal link maintained by either functional or developmental dependencies. Alternatively, lack of consistency would suggest coping styles are evolutionarily labile. Here, we investigated correlations between personality traits and baseline and stress-induced glucocorticoid levels using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Most personality traits did not consistently vary with either baseline or stress-induced glucocorticoids. Only aggression and sociability showed a consistent negative correlation with baseline glucocorticoids. We found that life history variation affected the relationship between stress-induced glucocorticoid levels and personality traits, especially anxiety and aggression. The relationship between anxiety and baseline glucocorticoids depended on species' sociality with solitary species showing more positive effect sizes. Thus, integration between behavioral and physiological traits depends on species' sociality and life history and suggests high evolutionary lability of coping styles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renée A Duckworth
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Kathryn C Chenard
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Lexis Meza
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Maria Carolina Beiriz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Ecology and Natural Resources, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE 60440-900, Brazil
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4
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Stamps JA, Luttbeg B. Sensitive Period Diversity: Insights From Evolutionary Models. THE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1086/722637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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5
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Walasek N, Frankenhuis WE, Panchanathan K. Sensitive periods, but not critical periods, evolve in a fluctuating environment: a model of incremental development. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212623. [PMID: 35168396 PMCID: PMC8848242 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensitive periods, during which the impact of experience on phenotype is larger than in other periods, exist in all classes of organisms, yet little is known about their evolution. Recent mathematical modelling has explored the conditions in which natural selection favours sensitive periods. These models have assumed that the environment is stable across ontogeny or that organisms can develop phenotypes instantaneously at any age. Neither assumption generally holds. Here, we present a model in which organisms gradually tailor their phenotypes to an environment that fluctuates across ontogeny, while receiving cost-free, imperfect cues to the current environmental state. We vary the rate of environmental change, the reliability of cues and the duration of adulthood relative to ontogeny. We use stochastic dynamic programming to compute optimal policies. From these policies, we simulate levels of plasticity across ontogeny and obtain mature phenotypes. Our results show that sensitive periods can occur at the onset, midway through and even towards the end of ontogeny. In contrast with models assuming stable environments, organisms always retain residual plasticity late in ontogeny. We conclude that critical periods, after which plasticity is zero, are unlikely to be favoured in environments that fluctuate across ontogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Walasek
- Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University, 6525 GD Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Willem E Frankenhuis
- Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University, 6525 GD Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, 79100 Freiburg, Germany
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Colombelli-Négrel D, Katsis AC. Little penguins are more aggressive on islands that experience greater unregulated human disturbance. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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7
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Martinig AR, Mathot KJ, Lane JE, Dantzer B, Boutin S. Selective disappearance does not underlie age-related changes in trait repeatability in red squirrels. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Understanding the causes and consequences of repeatable among-individual differences in behavior (i.e., animal personality) is a major area of research in behavioral and evolutionary ecology. Recently, attention has turned to understanding the processes behind changes in repeatability through ontogeny because of their implications for populations. We evaluated the relative importance of selective disappearance (i.e., differential mortality), an among-individual mechanism, in generating age-related changes in the repeatability of aggression and activity in juvenile North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). We observed age-related decreases in the repeatability of aggression across ages, arising from lower among-individual variance. Although we found evidence for directional selection on aggressiveness, it was insufficient to erode among-individual variance. Thus, ontogenetic decreases in the repeatability of aggression do not appear to be due to selective disappearance. In contrast, the repeatability of activity was higher across ages due to higher among-individual variance in activity, but there was no support for selective disappearance based on activity. Taken together, our results suggest that age-related changes in trait repeatability in red squirrels are not the result of selective disappearance and instead may be the result of within-individual developmental processes, such as individual differences in developmental trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kimberley J Mathot
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Science Pl, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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The information provided by the absence of cues: insights from Bayesian models of within and transgenerational plasticity. Oecologia 2020; 194:585-596. [PMID: 33128089 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04792-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Empirical studies of phenotypic plasticity often use an experimental design in which the subjects in experimental treatments are exposed to cues, while the subjects in control treatments are maintained in the absence of those cues. However, researchers have virtually ignored the question of what, if any, information might be provided to subjects by the absence of the cues in control treatments. We apply basic principles of information-updating to several experimental protocols used to study phenotypic plasticity in response to cues from predators to show why the reliability of the information provided by the absence of those cues in a control treatment might vary as a function of the subjects' experiences in the experimental treatment. We then analyze Bayesian models designed to mimic fully factorial experimental studies of trans and within-generational plasticity, in which parents, offspring, both or neither are exposed to cues from predators, and the information-states of the offspring in the different groups are compared at the end of the experiment. The models predict that the pattern of differences in offspring information-state across the four treatment groups will vary among experiments, depending on the reliability of the information provided by the control treatment, and the parent's initial estimate of the value of the state (the parental Prior). We suggest that variation among experiments in the reliability of the information provided by the absence of particular cues in the control treatment may be a general phenomenon, and that Bayesian approaches can be useful in interpreting the results of such experiments.
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Passos MFDO, Beirão MV, Midamegbe A, Duarte RHL, Young RJ, de Azevedo CS. Impacts of noise pollution on the agonistic interactions of the saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola Linnaeus, 1766). Behav Processes 2020; 180:104222. [PMID: 32828808 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Impacts of noise pollution are recognized as a source of stress for animals and as a form of environmental degradation. Behavioural changes associated with noise, such as reduction of reproductive success, reduction in feeding behaviour, increase in vigilance behaviours and inability to detect environment acoustic signals, are observed. The aim of the present study was to evaluate how noise influences aggressive behaviour of the saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola). We conducted tests of territoriality-aggressiveness against conspecifics. Seven individuals were tested, with six tests per individual being conducted in two treatments (traffic pollution and ambient noise), totalling 84 tests. The noise treatment significantly altered the agonistic interactions of the saffron finches, with territorial males exhibiting less aggressive behaviours towards intruders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Fortes de Oliveira Passos
- Departamento de Evolução, Biodiversidade e Meio Ambiente, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Campus Morro do Cruzeiro, s/n, Bauxita, Cep: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil.
| | - Marina Vale Beirão
- Departamento de Evolução, Biodiversidade e Meio Ambiente, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Campus Morro do Cruzeiro, s/n, Bauxita, Cep: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil.
| | - Afiwa Midamegbe
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais. Avenida Dom José Gaspar, 500, Coração Eucarístico. Cep: 30535-901, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
| | - Renan Henriques Lage Duarte
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais. Avenida Dom José Gaspar, 500, Coração Eucarístico. Cep: 30535-901, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
| | - Robert John Young
- University of Salford Manchester, Peel Building - Room G51, Salford, M5 4WT, United Kingdom.
| | - Cristiano Schetini de Azevedo
- Departamento de Evolução, Biodiversidade e Meio Ambiente, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Campus Morro do Cruzeiro, s/n, Bauxita, Cep: 35400-000, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brasil.
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10
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Do female zebra finches prefer males exhibiting greater plasticity in foraging tactic use? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02886-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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11
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Fanjul MS, Zenuto RR. Personality underground: evidence of behavioral types in the solitary subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8490. [PMID: 32110481 PMCID: PMC7034374 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal personalities have been studied in a wide variety of taxa, but among rodents, available studies are relatively scarce and have focused mainly on social species. In this study, we evaluated the existence of personality in the solitary subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. Specifically, we aimed to test individual differences in behavior that are stable over time and context in males of C. talarum captured in the wild. METHODS Our experimental design included two series of three behavioral tests each, carried out with a 35 day time interval. Each series included an Open Field test, a Social Encounter test, and an Open Field test with a predator stimulus. RESULTS Of the total recorded behaviors, 55.55% showed temporal consistency. Principal component analysis of consistent behaviors grouped them into four dimensions that explain inter individual behavioral variability, in order of importance: activity, socioaversion, boldness and exploration. Therefore, our results suggest that the concept of animal personality is applicable to C. talarum and the dimensions found are in accordance with the ecological and behavioral characteristics of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Sol Fanjul
- Grupo ‘Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento’, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Roxana R. Zenuto
- Grupo ‘Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento’, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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12
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Frankenhuis WE, Walasek N. Modeling the evolution of sensitive periods. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 41:100715. [PMID: 31999568 PMCID: PMC6994616 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past decade, there has been monumental progress in our understanding of the neurobiological basis of sensitive periods. Little is known, however, about the evolution of sensitive periods. Recent studies have started to address this gap. Biologists have built mathematical models exploring the environmental conditions in which sensitive periods are likely to evolve. These models investigate how mechanisms of plasticity can respond optimally to experience during an individual's lifetime. This paper discusses the central tenets, insights, and predictions of these models, in relation to empirical work on humans and other animals. We also discuss which future models are needed to improve the bridge between theory and data, advancing their synergy. Our paper is written in an accessible manner and for a broad audience. We hope our work will contribute to recently emerging connections between the fields of developmental neuroscience and evolutionary biology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicole Walasek
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, the Netherlands
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13
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Kok EMA, Burant JB, Dekinga A, Manche P, Saintonge D, Piersma T, Mathot KJ. Within-Individual Canalization Contributes to Age-Related Increases in Trait Repeatability: A Longitudinal Experiment in Red Knots. Am Nat 2019; 194:455-469. [DOI: 10.1086/704593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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14
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Wilson V, Guenther A, Øverli Ø, Seltmann MW, Altschul D. Future Directions for Personality Research: Contributing New Insights to the Understanding of Animal Behavior. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:E240. [PMID: 31096599 PMCID: PMC6562689 DOI: 10.3390/ani9050240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
As part of the European Conference on Behavioral Biology 2018, we organized a symposium entitled, "Animal personality: providing new insights into behavior?" The aims of this symposium were to address current research in the personality field, spanning both behavioral ecology and psychology, to highlight the future directions for this research, and to consider whether differential approaches to studying behavior contribute something new to the understanding of animal behavior. In this paper, we discuss the study of endocrinology and ontogeny in understanding how behavioral variation is generated and maintained, despite selection pressures assumed to reduce this variation. We consider the potential mechanisms that could link certain traits to fitness outcomes through longevity and cognition. We also address the role of individual differences in stress coping, mortality, and health risk, and how the study of these relationships could be applied to improve animal welfare. From the insights provided by these topics, we assert that studying individual differences through the lens of personality has provided new directions in behavioral research, and we encourage further research in these directions, across this interdisciplinary field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Wilson
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göettingen, Germany.
- Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University, 37077 Göettingen, Germany.
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Anja Guenther
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306 Plön, Germany.
| | - Øyvind Øverli
- Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, NO-0508 Oslo, Norway.
| | | | - Drew Altschul
- Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
- Center for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
- Scottish Primate Research Group.
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15
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Stamps JA, Biro PA, Mitchell DJ, Saltz JB. Bayesian updating during development predicts genotypic differences in plasticity. Evolution 2018; 72:2167-2180. [PMID: 30133698 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Interactions between genotypes and environments are central to evolutionary genetics, but such interactions are typically described, rather than predicted from theory. Recent Bayesian models of development generate specific predictions about genotypic differences in developmental plasticity (changes in the value of a given trait as a result of a given experience) based on genotypic differences in the value of the trait that is expressed by naïve subjects. We used these models to make a priori predictions about the effects of an aversive olfactory conditioning regime on the response of Drosophila melanogaster larvae to the odor of ethyl acetate. As predicted, across 116 genotypes initial trait values were related to plasticity. Genotypes most strongly attracted to the odor of ethyl acetate when naïve reduced their attraction scores more as a result of the aversive training regime than those less attracted to the same odor when naïve. Thus, as predicted, the variance across genotypes in attraction scores was higher before than after the shared experience. These results support predictions generated by Bayesian models of development and indicate that such models can be successfully used to investigate how variation across genotypes in information derived from ancestors combines with personal experience to differentially affect developmental plasticity in response to specific types of experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judy A Stamps
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California 95616
| | - Peter A Biro
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia
| | - David J Mitchell
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia
| | - Julia B Saltz
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005
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Gibelli J, Aubin-Horth N, Dubois F. Are some individuals generally more behaviorally plastic than others? An experiment with sailfin mollies. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5454. [PMID: 30123722 PMCID: PMC6086093 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals within the same population generally differ among each other not only in their behavioral traits but also in their level of behavioral plasticity (i.e., in their propensity to modify their behavior in response to changing conditions). If the proximate factors underlying individual differences in behavioral plasticity were the same for any measure of plasticity, as commonly assumed, one would expect plasticity to be repeatable across behaviors and contexts. However, this assumption remains largely untested. Here, we conducted an experiment with sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) whose behavioral plasticity was estimated both as the change in their personality traits or mating behavior across a social gradient and using their performance on a reversal-learning task. We found that the correlations between pairwise measures of plasticity were weak and non-significant, thus indicating that the most plastic individuals were not the same in all the tests. This finding might arise because either individuals adjust the magnitude of their behavioral responses depending on the benefits of plasticity, and/or individuals expressing high behavioral plasticity in one context are limited by neural and/or physiological constraints in the amount of plasticity they can express in other contexts. Because the repeatability of behavioral plasticity may have important evolutionary consequences, additional studies are needed to assess the importance of trade-offs between conflicting selection pressures on the maintenance of intra-individual variation in behavioral plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Gibelli
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Nadia Aubin-Horth
- Département de Biologie et Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Frédérique Dubois
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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17
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Frankenhuis WE, Fraley RC. What Do Evolutionary Models Teach Us About Sensitive Periods in Psychological Development? EUROPEAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2017. [DOI: 10.1027/1016-9040/a000265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Sensitive periods in development are widespread in nature. Many psychologists and biologists regard sensitive periods as byproducts of developmental processes. Although this view may be correct in some cases, it is unlikely to be the whole story. There is large variation in sensitive periods (a) between species in the same trait ( Beecher & Brenowitz, 2005 ), (b) between individuals of the same species ( Frankenhuis, Panchanathan, & Belsky, 2016 ), and (c) between different traits within a single individual ( Zeanah, Gunnar, McCall, Kreppner, & Fox, 2011 ). In this article, we discuss recent insights provided by formal models of the evolution of sensitive periods. These models help to identify the conditions in which sensitive periods are likely to evolve, and make predictions about the factors that affect their development. We conclude by discussing future directions for empirical research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - R. Chris Fraley
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
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18
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Stamps JA, Frankenhuis WE. Bayesian Models of Development. Trends Ecol Evol 2016; 31:260-268. [PMID: 26896042 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Revised: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Until recently, biology lacked a framework for studying how information from genes, parental effects, and different personal experiences is combined across the lifetime to affect phenotypic development. Over the past few years, researchers have begun to build such a framework, using models that incorporate Bayesian updating to study the evolution of developmental plasticity and developmental trajectories. Here, we describe the merits of a Bayesian approach to development, review the main findings and implications of the current set of models, and describe predictions that can be tested using protocols already used by empiricists. We suggest that a Bayesian perspective affords a simple and tractable way to conceptualize, explain, and predict how information combines across the lifetime to affect development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judy A Stamps
- Section of Evolution and Ecology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Willem E Frankenhuis
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Montessorilaan 3, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Stamps JA. Individual differences in behavioural plasticities. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 91:534-67. [PMID: 25865135 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Revised: 03/14/2015] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Interest in individual differences in animal behavioural plasticities has surged in recent years, but research in this area has been hampered by semantic confusion as different investigators use the same terms (e.g. plasticity, flexibility, responsiveness) to refer to different phenomena. The first goal of this review is to suggest a framework for categorizing the many different types of behavioural plasticities, describe examples of each, and indicate why using reversibility as a criterion for categorizing behavioural plasticities is problematic. This framework is then used to address a number of timely questions about individual differences in behavioural plasticities. One set of questions concerns the experimental designs that can be used to study individual differences in various types of behavioural plasticities. Although within-individual designs are the default option for empirical studies of many types of behavioural plasticities, in some situations (e.g. when experience at an early age affects the behaviour expressed at subsequent ages), 'replicate individual' designs can provide useful insights into individual differences in behavioural plasticities. To date, researchers using within-individual and replicate individual designs have documented individual differences in all of the major categories of behavioural plasticities described herein. Another important question is whether and how different types of behavioural plasticities are related to one another. Currently there is empirical evidence that many behavioural plasticities [e.g. contextual plasticity, learning rates, IIV (intra-individual variability), endogenous plasticities, ontogenetic plasticities) can themselves vary as a function of experiences earlier in life, that is, many types of behavioural plasticity are themselves developmentally plastic. These findings support the assumption that differences among individuals in prior experiences may contribute to individual differences in behavioural plasticities observed at a given age. Several authors have predicted correlations across individuals between different types of behavioural plasticities, i.e. that some individuals will be generally more plastic than others. However, empirical support for most of these predictions, including indirect evidence from studies of relationships between personality traits and plasticities, is currently sparse and equivocal. The final section of this review suggests how an appreciation of the similarities and differences between different types of behavioural plasticities may help theoreticians formulate testable models to explain the evolution of individual differences in behavioural plasticities and the evolutionary and ecological consequences of individual differences in behavioural plasticities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judy A Stamps
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
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