Adaptive individual differences within single populations

Wilson, David Sloan

doi:10.1098/rstb.1998.0202

Cited by 439 publications

(353 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Over trials, HR pigs showed a decrease in locomotion and alertness, whereas LR pigs were more constant in their locomotor behaviour over the three trials and even showed an increase in standing alert. This divergence in 'explorative strategy' has been identiWed as a major distinguishing factor between individuals diVering in behavioural style in many species (Verbeek et al 1994;Cools and Gingras 1998;Wilson 1998;Benus 2001).…”

Section: Exploration Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial learning in pigs: effects of environmental enrichment and individual characteristics on behaviour and performance

et al. 2008

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This study investigated the eVects of both environmental enrichment and individual behavioural characteristics on spatial cognitive capabilities of pigs, using a novel latent spatial learning paradigm based on Tolman's detour experiments (1948). Pigs were housed either in 'barren' pens or in pens enriched with straw bedding from birth. Pigs were restrained in a Backtest at 10 and 17 days postpartum. Based on their escape behaviour in this test, which has been shown to reXect their behavioural style, six 'high-resisting'(HR) and six 'low-resisting' (LR) pigs were selected from each housing environment (n = 24 in total). At 12 weeks of age, pairs of pen mates (LR and HR) were exposed to a maze three times (exploration trials). Pigs were then placed individually in the maze, and social reinstatement proved to be a strong incentive to Wnd the exit leading to the home pen. We subsequently blocked the direct route to the exit, forcing animals to Wnd a detour (memory test 1, MT1). This test was repeated once to investigate the relative improvement, i.e. detour learning (memory test 2, MT2). Housing condition and Backtest response strongly aVected exploration patterns. In spite of this, no eVects on performance during the subsequent memory tests were found. Performance was substantially improved in MT2, indicating that once a goal is apparent, pigs are able to solve a complex spatial memory task easily. In conclusion, social reinstatement provided a good incentive to complete a spatial task, and the substantial improvement in performance between MT1 and MT2 stresses the need for task complexity when testing spatial memory in pigs. Housing conditions or individual behavioural style did not aVect spatial memory during MT1 or MT2. However, housing environment and behavioural style strongly aVected explorative behaviour of pigs in an unfamiliar maze during both exploration trials and memory tests. This implicates that apparent eVects of environmental enrichment on spatial learning and memory in pigs might reXect diVerences in explorative patterns rather than in cognitive processes.

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Section: Exploration Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial learning in pigs: effects of environmental enrichment and individual characteristics on behaviour and performance

et al. 2008

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“…Within the last decade, several influential publications have promoted the recognition of individual differences within a population as biologically meaningful adaptive traits (Koolhaas et al 1999;Wilson 1998), and the emerging conceptual framework for individuality has had important consequences to both evolutionary ecology, animal husbandry, and biomedicine (Sih et al 2004;Cavigelli 2005;Huntingford and Adams 2005;Korte et al, 2005;Reale et al 2007). Individuals differ in the way they react towards stressful situations and novelties, and selection studies in several species show that physiological and behavioural responses to stress are often correlated in a coherent and heritable pattern van Oers et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melanin-based skin spots reflect stress responsiveness in salmonid fish

Kittilsen

Schjolden

Beitnes-Johansen

et al. 2009

Hormones and Behavior

134

122

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This version available http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/7671/ NERC has developed NORA to enable users to access research outputs wholly or partially funded by NERC. Copyright and other rights for material on this site are retained by the authors and/or other rights owners. Users should read the terms and conditions of use of this material at http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/policies.html#access This document is the author's final manuscript version of the journal article, incorporating any revisions agreed during the peer review process. Some differences between this and the publisher's version remain. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from this article. www.elsevier.comContact CEH NORA team at nora@ceh.ac.ukThe NERC and CEH trade marks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner. Wilson et al. 1994;Réale et al. 2007). Notwithstanding a certain lack of consensus in terminology, the evolution of these analogues of human personality has evoked considerable scientific interest. Among the questions raised are by which mechanisms behavioural syndromes are inherited, how the variation is maintained, which circumstances benefit different complex phenotypes, and what are the costs and benefits of limited plasticity imposed by more or less fixed trait associations (DeWitt et al. 1998;Koolhaas et al. 1999;Sih et al. 2004; Dingemanse and Réale 2005;McElreath et al. 2007;Réale et al. 2007;Wolf et al. 2007). Furthermore, in the barn owl (Tyto Alba) melanin-based colouration is associated with several behavioural, morphological and physiological characteristics that have been linked to stress coping ability (Almasi et al. 2008).Based on observations that HR and LR trout differed in melanin pigmentation our hypothesis was that spotted fish, in the closely related specie Atlantic salmon (Salmo Salar), 5 would show a lower cortisol reponse to stress when compared to a non-spotted group of individuals. Furthermore, several documented changes in the behaviour of the two trout lines made us predict that also behaviour would differ between groups of spotted and non-spotted fish. The main focus of this study was therefore to test the hypothesis that there exist an association between melanin-based pigmentation and hypothalamus-pituitary-interrenal (HPIaxis) reactivity in salmonid fish. Furthermore, we tested the prediction that behavioural differences are present in two groups of fish chosen divergently on melanin pigmentation. Materials and methods Quantification of melanin-based colorationIn the studies described below, photographs of experimental fish were captured with a Canon EOS 450D digital camera and transferred to a computer for further analyses of melanin-based coloration. Prior to photography, each fish were sedated in 200 mg/l MS-222 and placed adjacent to a measuring tape with millimetre resolution, allowing for an accurate estimation of the area where spots were counted. The d...

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“…Ariyomo et 49 al., 2012; Dingemanse et al, 2005;Smith et al, 2008), suggesting they are not merely non-50 adaptive noise that surrounds an adaptive optimum (Wilson, 1998). Nevertheless, 51 underlying mechanisms that generate and maintain behavioural polymorphism are largely 52 unclear and many aspects of the growing body of theoretical frameworks still remain to be 53 empirically tested (reviewed in e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Different or alike? Female rainbow kribs choose males of similar consistency and dissimilar level of boldness

Scherer¹,

Kuhnhardt²,

Schuett³

2017

Animal Behaviour

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to different conditions. However, sheer costs of flexibility cannot explain the polymorphism 22 created by personality variation. In a correlative approach, we here tested whether mate 23 choice might act as a major driving force maintaining personality variation in the 24 monogamous, biparental rainbow krib, Pelvicachromis pulcher. We personality-typed all 25 males and females for their boldness (activity under simulated predation risk) and allowed 26 females to choose between two males that differed in their boldness (behavioural level and 27 consistency). Prior to the choice, females were allowed to observe both males, expressing 28 their natural boldness towards a video animated natural predator. Both sexes showed 29 personality differences in boldness over the short-and long-term. Furthermore, when 30 removing side-biased females, we found a dis-assortative mating preference for the 31 behavioural level and an assortative preference for behavioural consistency in boldness. 32Such preference patterns might facilitate effective parental role allocation during offspring 33 care and/or provide genetic benefits. Our results suggest that sexual selection plays an 34 important role in the evolution of personality differences. 35 36 Keywords: anti-predator behaviour, assortative, behavioural compatibility, cichlid, mate 37 choice, Pelvicachromis pulcher, personality, risk-taking, sexual selection, side bias 38 39 3 Individuals have to cope with a wide array of environmental challenges. Therefore, 40 flexibility in the expression of behavioural responses towards different and changing 41 conditions should be favoured by selection ). Yet, individuals often show 42 considerable consistent between-individual differences in behaviour over time and/or 43 contexts (Boissy, 1995). Such personality differences are common throughout the animal 44 kingdom (reviewed in Gosling, 2001; Kralj-Fišer et al., 2014) and have been shown for 45 various behavioural traits, such as activity pattern, aggressiveness, exploratory tendencies, 46 boldness and fearfulness (reviewed in Dall et al., 2004; Gosling, 2001;. 47Personality traits are moderately heritable (Ariyomo, Carter, et al., 2013; Patrick et al., 48 2013;Reif et al., 2003;van Oers et al., 2005) and have fitness consequences (e.g. Ariyomo et 49 al., 2012; Dingemanse et al., 2005;Smith et al., 2008), suggesting they are not merely non-50 adaptive noise that surrounds an adaptive optimum (Wilson, 1998). Nevertheless, 51 underlying mechanisms that generate and maintain behavioural polymorphism are largely 52 unclear and many aspects of the growing body of theoretical frameworks still remain to be 53 empirically tested (reviewed in e.g. Schuett et al., 2010;Wolf et al., 2010). 54 55 Recently, Schuett et al. (2010) pointed out that sexual selection may be important in 56 generating and maintaining personality variation though this possibility has rarely been 57 tested (but see e.g. Montiglio et al., 2016;. According to the proposed 58 framework , personalities are expected to p...

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Adaptive individual differences within single populations

Cited by 439 publications

References 21 publications

Spatial learning in pigs: effects of environmental enrichment and individual characteristics on behaviour and performance

Spatial learning in pigs: effects of environmental enrichment and individual characteristics on behaviour and performance

Melanin-based skin spots reflect stress responsiveness in salmonid fish

Different or alike? Female rainbow kribs choose males of similar consistency and dissimilar level of boldness

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