Animal personality and state–behaviour feedbacks: a review and guide for empiricists

Sih, Andrew; Mathot, Kimberley J.; Moiron, Maria; Montiglio, Pierre‐Olivier; Wolf, Max; Dingemanse, Niels Jeroen

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2014.11.004

Cited by 536 publications

(489 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…As a state variable, telomeres may further fill the requirements of positive statebehaviour feedback loops required in state-dependent models of personality behaviour if state variables are not inherently stable [2,4]. Such feedback loops are thought to be…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The cause of consistent behaviour in most animals despite the absence of obvious constraints on flexible behaviour continues to be an evolutionary puzzle [1][2][3]. Statedependent models have taken a central role in our efforts to understand the adaptive nature of these so-called personality differences and suggest that individual behavioural differences result from underlying differences in stable state variables that affect optimal strategies in the face of life-history tradeoffs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Telomere length covaries with personality in wild brown trout

Adriaenssens

Pauliny

Blomqvist

et al. 2016

Physiology & Behavior

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The prevalence of consistent among-individual differences in behaviour, or personality, makes adaptive sense if individuals differ in stable state variables that shift the balance between the costs and benefits of their behavioural decisions. These differences may give rise to both individual differences in, and covariance amongst, behaviours that influence an individual's exposure to risks. We here study the link between behaviour and a candidate state variable previously overlooked in the study of state-dependent personality variation:telomere length. Telomeres are the protective endcaps of chromosomes and their erosion with age is thought to play a crucial role in regulating organismal senescence and intrinsic lifespan. Following evidence that shorter telomeres may reduce the lifespan of animals in a wide range of taxa, we predict individuals with shorter telomeres to behave more boldly and aggressively. In order to test this, we measured telomere length and behaviour in wild juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta). We found individuals with shorter fin telomeres to behave consistently more boldly and aggressively under controlled conditions in the laboratory. No such relationship was found with muscle telomere length 3-4 months after the behavioural assays. We suggest that telomere dynamics are an important factor integrating personality traits with other state variables thought to be important in the regulation of behaviour, such as metabolism, disease resistance and growth.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telomere length covaries with personality in wild brown trout

Adriaenssens

Pauliny

Blomqvist

et al. 2016

Physiology & Behavior

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“…Integrating this statement and the quote above, suggests Skinner (partially by semantic accident) was well ahead of his time in assessment of behavior and its origin. A common ideology among behaviorists, juxtaposed to Skinner, is that animals are solely in control of their own behavior (Sih et al, 2015), with the mind being viewed as the "last bastion of freedom." However, considering parasites make up over 40% of the Earth's biodiversity, being prevalent in a vast taxonomic range of hosts from insects to humans (Poulin, 2010(Poulin, , 2011bThomas et al, 2010;Houte et al, 2013;Poulin and Maure, 2015) and their apparent control over host behavior, it is clear that this ideology has not anticipated the numerous parasite species that began raiding this supposed "last bastion" a long time ago.…”

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confidence: 99%

Lessons in Mind Control: Trends in Research on the Molecular Mechanisms behind Parasite-Host Behavioral Manipulation

Herbison

2017

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Scientific and public interest in host manipulation by parasites has surged over the past few decades, resulting in an exponential growth of cases where potential behavioral manipulation has been identified. However, these studies dwarf the number of genuine attempts to elucidate the mechanistic processes behind this behavioral manipulation. Ultimately, this imbalance has slowed progress in the study of the mechanisms underlying host manipulation. As it stands, research suggests that the mechanisms of host manipulation fall into three categories: immunological, genomic/proteomic and neuropharmacological, and forth potential category: symbioant-mediated manipulation. After exploration of the literature pertaining to these four pathways, four major trends become evident. First and foremost, there is a severe disconnect between the observed molecular and behavioral shifts in a parasitized host. Indeed, very rarely a study demonstrates that molecular changes observed in a host are the result of active manipulation by the resident parasite, or that these molecular changes directly result in behavioral manipulation that increases the parasite's fitness. Secondly, parasites may often employ multiple pathways in unison to achieve control over their hosts. Despite this, current scientific approaches usually focus on each manipulation pathway in isolation rather than integrating them. Thirdly, the relative amount of host-parasite systems yet to be investigated in terms of molecular manipulation is staggering. Finally, as a result of the aforementioned trends, guiding mechanisms or principles for the multiple types of behavioral manipulation are yet to be found. Researchers should look to identify the manipulative factors required to generate the molecular changes seen in hosts, while also considering the "multi-pronged" approach parasites are taking to manipulate behavior. Assessing gene expression and its products during transitional periods in parasites may be a key methodological approach for tackling these recent trends in the host manipulation literature.

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“…The effects of food restriction on behavior are generally thought to be linked to the production-mortality trade-off hypothesis where behavior adjusts the foraging intensity optimally to minimize mortality risk (Gilliam and Fraser 1987;Fiksen and Jørgensen 2011). This trade-off incorporates two main feedback systems (Luttbeg and Sih 2010;Sih et al 2015). On the one hand there is the negative 'starvation-threshold' feedback system consisting of starvation avoidance (SA) at the one end, and asset protection (AP) at the other (Sih 1980;Lima 1986;Pettersson and Brönmark 1993;Clark 1994;Heithaus et al 2007;Luttbeg and Sih 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Supplemental Information 1: Supplementary Material

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PrePrintsAbstract Animals generally adjust their behavior in response to bodily state (e.g. size and energy reserves) to optimize energy intake in relation to mortality risk, weighing predation probability against starvation. Here we investigated whether brown trout adjust their behavior in relation to feeding history (energetic status) and body size during a major early-life selection bottleneck, when fast growth also appear to be important. We manipulated growth using different food ration schemes over two consecutive time periods (P1 = 12 days, P2 = 23 days), excluding social effects through individual isolation. During these experimental periods the fish were fed either high or low food rations in a crossed design. In behavioral trials following the treatment, where acute hunger levels were standardized among all treatments, fish that were initially fed high rations (P1) and thereafter low rations (P2) had on average 15-21% higher swimming activity than the other groups, but large within-treatment variation rendered only weak statistical support for the effect. Furthermore, fish on low ration during P2 tended to be more aggressive than fish on high ration. Size was related to behavioral expression, with larger fish being more active and aggressive. Swimming activity and active aggression were positively correlated, forming a behavioral syndrome in the studied population. Based on these behavioral traits we could also distinguish two behavioral clusters, one consisting of more active and aggressive individuals, and the other consisting of less active and aggressive individuals. This indicates that two behavioral strategies may exist in young brown trout.

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Animal personality and state–behaviour feedbacks: a review and guide for empiricists

Cited by 536 publications

References 74 publications

Telomere length covaries with personality in wild brown trout

Telomere length covaries with personality in wild brown trout

Lessons in Mind Control: Trends in Research on the Molecular Mechanisms behind Parasite-Host Behavioral Manipulation

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