Sex differences in the predictability of risk-taking behavior

Abstract

Recent research has found that individuals often vary in how consistently they express their behavior over time (i.e., behavioral predictability) and suggested that these individual differences may be heritable. However, little is known about the intrinsic factors that drive variation in the predictability of behavior. Indeed, whether variation in behavioral predictability is sex-specific is not clear. This is important, as behavioral predictability has been associated with vulnerability to predation, suggesting that the predictability of behavioral traits may have key fitness implications. We investigated whether male and female eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) differed in the predictability of their risk-taking behavior. Specifically, over a total of 954 behavioral trials, we repeatedly measured risk-taking behavior with three commonly used assays—refuge-use, thigmotaxis, and foraging latency. We predicted that there would be consistent sex differences in both mean-level risk-taking behavior and behavioral predictability across the assays. We found that risk-taking behavior was repeatable within each assay, and that some individuals were consistently bolder than others across all three assays. There were also consistent sex differences in mean-level risk-taking behavior, with males being bolder across all three assays compared to females. In contrast, both the magnitude and direction of sex differences in behavioral predictability were assay-specific. Taken together, these results highlight that behavioral predictability may be independent from underlying mean-level behavioral traits and suggest that males and females may differentially adjust the consistency of their risk-taking behavior in response to subtle changes in environmental conditions.

Reasons, Form of Ingestion and Side Effects Associated with Consumption of Amanita muscaria

“…In a study of 954 behavioural trials, risk behaviour was measured repeatedly using three tests, namely refuge-use, thigmotaxis, and foraging latency. Men were found to be more adventurous in each of these tests compared to women [20]. The preparation of the tincture requires a more precise procedure, the use of which may reduce in women the anxiety associated with consuming another form of Amanita muscaria.…”

Phylogenetic meta-analysis reveals system-specific behavioural type–behavioural predictability correlations

“…[ 49 ] Lampropholis delicata delicate skink Reptilia Brand et al . [ 50 ] Gambusia holbrooki eastern mosquitofish Actinopterygii Bridger et al . [ 51 ] Pagurus bernhardus marine hermit crab Malacostraca Briffa [ 18 ] Pagurus bernhardus marine hermit crab Malacostraca Bucklaew and Dochtermann [ 52 ] Gryllodes sigillatus tropical house cricket Insecta a Carter et al .…”

Temperature change exerts sex-specific effects on behavioural variation

“…= 1), while the chamber in which behavioural trials were conducted in (1 or 2) was centred (i.e. chamber 1 = –0.5; chamber 2 = 0.5) prior to analysis to aid in model fitting and interpretation (see [ 42 ]). In all analyses, we used the brms package [ 43 ] to fit Bayesian linear mixed-effects models to investigate sex differences in locomotor activity and metabolic rate.…”