Exploring behavioral traits over different contexts in four species of Australian funnel-web spiders

Duran, Linda Hernández; Wilson, David T.; Rymer, Tasmin L.

doi:10.1093/cz/zoac080

Cited by 4 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Intra- and interspecies variation in individual behavioural traits is the key to understanding the ecological and evolutionary relevance of personality [ 12 , 40 ]. Individual responses to the same test situation may vary between species or populations [ 34 , 40 , 41 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Tchabovsky,

Surkova,

Savinetskaya

2024

PLoS ONE

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We aimed to investigate whether two closely related but socially distinct species of gerbils differ in personality patterns. Using a suit of multivariate repeated assays (docility test, dark-light emergence test, startle test, novel object test, elevated platform test, and stranger test), we assessed contextual and temporal consistency of docility, boldness, exploration, anxiety, and sociability in the solitary midday gerbil, Meriones meridianus, and social Mongolian gerbil, M. unguiculatus. We revealed contextually consistent and highly repeatable sex-independent but species-specific personality traits. Species differed in temporal repeatability of different behaviours, and contextual consistency was more pronounced in solitary M. meridianus than in social M. unguiculatus. This finding contradicts the social niche specialization hypothesis, which suggests that personality traits should be more consistent in more social species. Instead, we hypothesize that social complexity should favour more flexible and less consistent behavioural traits. The habituation effect indicative of learning abilities was weak in both species yet stronger in social M. unguiculatus, supporting the relationship between the sociality level and cognitive skills. In both species, only a few different behavioural traits covaried, and the sets of correlated behaviours were species-specific such that the two species did not share any pair of correlated traits. Between-species differences in personality traits, habituation, and behavioural syndromes may be linked to differences in sociality. The lack of prominent behavioural syndromes is consistent with the idea that context-specific individual behavioural traits might be favoured to allow more flexible and adequate responses to changing environments than syndromes of correlated functionally different behaviours.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Tchabovsky,

Surkova,

Savinetskaya

2024

PLoS ONE

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“…We failed to identify prominent behavioural syndromes – only a few behaviours covaried, and the sets of correlated behaviours were species-specific. These findings question the existence of universal behavioural syndromes, consistent with the idea that context-specific individual behavioural traits might be favoured to allow more flexible and adequate responses to the changing environment than syndromes of correlated functionally distinct and context-independent behaviours [40,88].…”

Section: Conclussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Comparative studies show that behavioural consistency may be trait-, context-, and(or) species-specific [27,29,40,43]. Gerbil species differed in only one behaviour – docility/social shyness, with M. unguiculatus being more docile and shy in contacts with a stranger, which corresponds to species-specific social behaviour: Mongolian gerbils, unlike midday gerbils, exhibit individual and group territoriality and stranger-directed aggression [56,57].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Tchabovsky,

Surkova,

Savinetskaya

2023

Preprint

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We aimed to investigate whether two closely related but socially distinct species of gerbils differ in personality patterns. Using a suit of multivariate repeated assays (docility test, dark-light emergence test, startle test, novel object test, elevated platform test, and stranger test), we assessed contextual and temporal consistency of docility, boldness, exploration, anxiety, and sociability in the solitary midday gerbil,Meriones meridianus, and social Mongolian gerbil,M. unguiculatus. We revealed contextually consistent and highly repeatable sex-independent but species-specific personality traits. Species differed in temporal repeatability of different behaviours, and contextual consistency was more pronounced in solitaryM. meridianusthan in socialM. unguiculatus. This finding contradicts the social niche specialization hypothesis, which suggests that personality traits should be more consistent in more social species. Instead, we hypothesize that social complexity should favour more flexible and less consistent behavioural traits. The habituation effect indicative of learning abilities was weak in both species yet stronger in socialM. unguiculatus, supporting the relationship between the sociality level and cognitive skills. In both species, only a few different behavioural traits covaried, and the sets of correlated behaviours were species-specific such that the two species did not share any pair of correlated traits. Between-species differences in personality traits, habituation, and behavioural syndromes may be linked to differences in sociality. The lack of prominent behavioural syndromes is consistent with the idea that context-specific individual behavioural traits might be favoured to allow more flexible and adequate responses to changing environments than syndromes of correlated functionally different behaviours.

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“…Multiple behavioural traits (defence, huddling, defence towards conspecifics, and activity) were measured across three ecological contexts namely predation, conspecific tolerance, and exploration of new territory for each species. The methods are described and discussed in [ 41 , 45 ], which we summarise here briefly. The number of fang movements produced in response to a prod stimulus (using blunt tweezers to touch the first pair of legs) was quantified as a measure of defence.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The average value of each behavioural trait measured across different ecological contexts and over time (three repetitions with one month between each repetition) were obtained. We previously assessed repeatability and behavioural flexibility in all four species [ 46 ], so do not discuss this here. The behaviours from both adults and juveniles for H .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between physiology and behaviour provide insights into the ecological role of venom in Australian funnel-web spiders: Interspecies comparison

et al. 2023

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Australian funnel-web spiders are iconic species, characterized as being the most venomous spiders in the world. They are also valued for the therapeutics and natural bioinsecticides potentially hidden in their venom molecules. Although numerous biochemical and molecular structural approaches have tried to determine the factors driving venom complexity, these approaches have not considered behaviour, physiology and environmental conditions collectively, which can play a role in the evolution, complexity, and function of venom components in funnel-webs. This study used a novel interdisciplinary approach to understand the relationships between different behaviours (assessed in different ecological contexts) and morphophysiological variables (body condition, heart rate) that may affect venom composition in four species of Australian funnel-web spiders. We tested defensiveness, huddling behaviour, frequency of climbing, and activity for all species in three ecological contexts: i) predation using both indirect (puff of air) and direct (prodding) stimuli; ii) conspecific tolerance; and iii) exploration of a new territory. We also assessed morphophysiological variables and venom composition of all species. For Hadronyche valida, the expression of some venom components was associated with heart rate and defensiveness during the predation context. However, we did not find any associations between behavioural traits and morphophysiological variables in the other species, suggesting that particular associations may be species-specific. When we assessed differences between species, we found that the species separated out based on the venom profiles, while activity and heart rate are likely more affected by individual responses and microhabitat conditions. This study demonstrates how behavioural and morphophysiological traits are correlated with venom composition and contributes to a broader understanding of the function and evolution of venoms in funnel-web spiders.

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Exploring behavioral traits over different contexts in four species of Australian funnel-web spiders

Cited by 4 publications

References 78 publications

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

Interactions between physiology and behaviour provide insights into the ecological role of venom in Australian funnel-web spiders: Interspecies comparison

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