Dispersal is one of the most fundamental components of ecology, and affects processes as diverse as population growth, metapopulation dynamics, gene flow and adaptation. Although the act of moving ...from one habitat to another entails major costs to the disperser, empirical and theoretical studies suggest that these costs can be reduced by having morphological, physiological or behavioural specializations for dispersal. A few recent studies on different systems showed that individuals exhibit personality-dependent dispersal, meaning that dispersal tendency is associated with boldness, sociability or aggressiveness. Indeed, in several species, dispersers not only develop behavioural differences at the onset of dispersal, but display these behavioural characteristics through their life cycle. While personality-dependent dispersal has been demonstrated in only a few species, we believe that it is a widespread phenomenon with important ecological consequences. Here, we review the evidence for behavioural differences between dispersers and residents, to what extent they constitute personalities. We also examine how a link between personality traits and dispersal behaviours can be produced and how personality-dependent dispersal affects the dynamics of metapopulations and biological invasions. Finally, we suggest future research directions for population biologists, behavioural ecologists and conservation biologists such as how the direction and the strength of the relationship between personality traits and dispersal vary with ecological contexts.
Abstract
Studies of eusocial insects have extensively investigated two components of task allocation: how individuals distribute themselves among different tasks in a colony and how the distribution ...of labor changes to meet fluctuating task demand. While discrete age- and morphologically-based task allocation systems explain much of the social order in these colonies, the basis for task allocation in non-eusocial organisms and within eusocial castes remains unknown. Building from recent advances in the study of among-individual variation in behavior (i.e., animal personalities), we explore a potential mechanism by which individuality in behaviors unrelated to tasks can guide the developmental trajectories that lead to task specialization. We refer to the task-based behavioral syndrome that results from the correlation between the antecedent behavioral tendencies and task participation as a task syndrome. In this review, we present a framework that integrates concepts from a long history of task allocation research in eusocial organisms with recent findings from animal personality research to elucidate how task syndromes and resulting task allocation might manifest in animal groups. By drawing upon an extensive and diverse literature to evaluate the hypothesized framework, this review identifies future areas for study at the intersection of social behavior and animal personality.
Consistent individual differences in seemingly task-independent behavioral tendencies can potentially drive task allocation in animal groups. Recent studies have found that animal groups containing behaviorally diverse individuals can outperform less diverse groups. In reviewing the literature, we find support for the hypothesis that efficient task allocation driven by variation among groupmates in task-independent behavior contributes to the success of diverse groups, and we generate predictions for future exploration of this phenomenon.
This review examines the contribution of research on fishes to the growing field of behavioural syndromes. Current knowledge of behavioural syndromes in fishes is reviewed with respect to five main ...axes of animal personality: (1) shyness–boldness, (2) exploration–avoidance, (3) activity, (4) aggressiveness and (5) sociability. Compared with other taxa, research on fishes has played a leading role in describing the shy–bold personality axis and has made innovative contributions to the study of the sociability dimension by incorporating social network theory. Fishes are virtually the only major taxon in which behavioural correlations have been compared between populations. This research has guided the field in examining how variation in selection regime may shape personality. Recent research on fishes has also made important strides in understanding genetic and neuroendocrine bases for behavioural syndromes using approaches involving artificial selection, genetic mapping, candidate gene and functional genomics. This work has illustrated consistent individual variation in highly complex neuroendocrine and gene expression pathways. In contrast, relatively little work on fishes has examined the ontogenetic stability of behavioural syndromes or their fitness consequences. Finally, adopting a behavioural syndrome framework in fisheries management issues including artificial propagation, habitat restoration and invasive species, may promote restoration success. Few studies, however, have examined the ecological relevance of behavioural syndromes in the field. Knowledge of how behavioural syndromes play out in the wild will be crucial to incorporating such a framework into management practices.
How an invader responds to the novel biotic elements of a new community will affect its ability to invade. Species that are able to cope well with novel competitors might be expected to achieve ...greater establishment success. We compared the population-level responses of two mosquitofish species, the widespread invader
Gambusia affinis
and non-invasive
G. geiseri
to competition from each other and a non-invasive competitor. We simulated the invasion of a simplified pond community by introducing different combinations of the
Gambusia
spp. into communities already inhabited by a novel competitor, the red shiner
Cyprenella lutrensis.
We measured the effect of competition on establishment success by comparing population abundances achieved by each
Gambusia
species in all treatments, and examined whether the invasive and non-invasive
Gambusia
differed in their community impact by comparing their effects on the abundances of pond fauna. We also used N and C stable isotope analysis to compare their trophic roles. Both novel and intrageneric competition negatively affected both
Gambusia
spp.’s abundances, but the invasive
G. affinis
managed to remain more abundant than
G. geiseri
regardless of competition treatment. Stable isotope analysis revealed the
Gambusia
spp. to have similar trophic placement and showed competition to cause significant trophic shifts only in
G. geiseri
. A cascading effect (reduced phytoplankton abundances) was detected only when
G. affinis
was present. These results suggest that a higher vulnerability to novel competition along with life history traits contributes to the limited spread of
G. geiseri
in comparison to the widespread
G. affinis.
Parasitism, personality and cognition in fish Barber, I.; Mora, A.B.; Payne, E.M. ...
Behavioural processes,
August 2017, 2017-Aug, 2017-08-00, 20170801, Letnik:
141, Številka:
Pt 2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
•We describe the many interactions between fish behaviour and parasite infection.•We discuss studies revealing the proximate mechanisms underlying these interactions.•We review the interactive roles ...of the neuro-, immune, and physiological systems.•We outline the implications of – and consequences for – fish personality on parasite interactions.•Possible interactions between cognition, personality & parasitism are introduced.
It is well established that parasites can have profound effects on the behaviour of host organisms, and that individual differences in behaviour can influence susceptibility to parasite infections. Recently, two major themes of research have developed. First, there has been a growing interest in the proximate, mechanistic processes underpinning parasite-associated behaviour change, and the interactive roles of the neuro-, immune, and other physiological systems in determining relationships between behaviour and infection susceptibility. Secondly, as the study of behaviour has shifted away from one-off measurements of single behaviours and towards a behavioural syndromes/personality framework, research is starting to focus on the consequences of parasite infection for temporal and contextual consistency of behaviour, and on the implications of different personality types for infection susceptibility. In addition, there is increasing interest in the potential for relationships between cognition and personality to also have implications for host-parasite interactions. As models well-suited to both the laboratory study of behaviour and experimental parasitology, teleost fish have been used as hosts in many of these studies. In this review we provide a broad overview of the range of mechanisms that potentially generate links between fish behaviour, personality, and parasitism, and illustrate these using examples drawn from the recent literature. In addition, we examine the potential interactions between cognition, personality and parasitism, and identify questions that may be usefully investigated with fish models.
Successful invasive species are often closely related to other invasive species, suggesting that shared traits contribute to their invasion success. Alternatively, related species can differ in ...invasiveness, where some are highly invasive yet congeners seem unable to invade. Here, we compared the traits and establishment abilities of two highly successful invasive species, Gambusia affinis and G. holbrooki, to those of two close relatives, G. geiseri and G. hispaniolae. Using laboratory experiments, we compared low‐temperature tolerances and life histories of the four species. In a semi‐natural mesocosm experiment, we simulated the invasion of standardized, simple pond communities and examined the effects of these traits on each species’ ability to become established. The invasive species, G. affinis and G. holbrooki, were more tolerant of low‐temperature stress, had greater fecundities, higher growth rates, and reached maturity sooner than G. geiseri and G. hispaniolae. In mesocosms, the invasive Gambusia exhibited higher intrinsic growth rates and carrying capacities and thus achieved and maintained larger populations than the two congeners. Only G. affinis and G. holbrooki successfully established long‐term populations in these experimental communities. G. geiseri and G. hispaniolae failed to establish as a result of 100% overwintering mortality. These results support the notion that the ability of invaders to cope with the abiotic conditions of target communities has a major effect on whether establishment occurs, while life histories play an important secondary role. Our results showed that invasiveness is likely not a trait of the entire genus Gambusia.
Objective
To compare primiparous and multiparous women who develop obstetric fistula (OF) and to assess predictors of fistula location.
Design
Cross‐sectional study.
Setting
Fistula Care Centre at ...Bwaila Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi.
Population
Women with OF who presented between September 2011 and July 2014 with a complete obstetric history were eligible for the study.
Methods
Women with OF were surveyed for their obstetric history. Women were classified as multiparous if prior vaginal or caesarean delivery was reported. The location of the fistula was determined at operation: OF involving the urethra, bladder neck, and midvagina were classified as low; OF involving the vaginal apex, cervix, uterus, and ureters were classified as high.
Main outcome measures
Demographic information was compared between primiparous and multiparous women using chi‐squared and Mann–Whitney U‐tests. Multivariate logistic regression models were implemented to assess the relationship between variables of interest and fistula location.
Results
During the study period, 533 women presented for repair, of which 452 (84.8%) were included in the analysis. The majority (56.6%) were multiparous when the fistula formed. Multiparous women were more likely to have laboured <1 day (62.4 versus 44.5%, P < 0.001), delivered a live‐born infant (26.8 versus 17.9%, P = 0.026), and have a high fistula location (37.5 versus 11.2%, P < 0.001). Multiparity adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 4.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.27–9.12) and history of caesarean delivery (aOR = 4.11, 95% CI 2.45–6.89) were associated with development of a high fistula.
Conclusions
Multiparity was common in our cohort, and these women were more likely to have a high fistula. Additional research is needed to understand the aetiology of high fistula including potential iatrogenic causes.
Tweetable
Multiparity and caesarean delivery were associated with a high tract fistula in our Malawian cohort.
Tweetable
Multiparity and caesarean delivery were associated with a high tract fistula in our Malawian cohort.
This article includes Author Insights, a video available at https://vimeo.com/rcog/authorinsights13901
Background: Most pregnancies run a normal course, ending in a healthy mother–infant relationship, but sometimes, it can also be a life-threatening and stressful condition. The stress levels of ...mothers are more aggravated when they deliver preterm babies.Objectives: To explore the coping strategies of mothers of preterm babies with the stress of preterm delivery and subsequent admission of the preterm neonate to a neonatal care unit.Method: A qualitative research approach applying an exploratory and descriptive design was applied to explore the coping strategies of mothers with preterm babies admitted in a neonatal care unit. The study applied a purposive sampling technique to select mothers with preterm babies. The population for this study included women who delivered preterm babies and whose babies were admitted in the neonatal care unit at a public hospital in Cape Town. Semistructured interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached, and 11 mothers with preterm babies in the selected public hospital participated in the study. Data were analysed manually using thematic content analysis with an inductive approach.Results: Results were deductively interpreted and supported by the Brief COPE model. The main themes that emerged from data analysis included praying, attachment with baby and acceptance of the situation. Under praying the following subthemes emerged, namely praying for God’s strength, God’s grace, babies’ survival and thanksgiving to God for babies’ health and preferred gender. The theme of attachment with the baby emerged with the following subthemes: bonding with the baby and seeing the baby. The last theme that was acceptance of the situation emerged with the following subtheme: perseverance in the situation and mother’s awareness of her responsibility.Conclusion: Even though the mothers of preterm babies cope differently after delivery, their coping abilities, which included praying, attachment to baby and acceptance of the situation, were greatly determined by the condition of their babies as well as the support they receive from significant others.
This study validated a technique for non‐invasive hormone measurements in California killifish Fundulus parvipinnis, and looked for associations between cortisol (a stress hormone) and ...11‐ketotestosterone (KT, an androgen) release rates and the density or intensity of the trematode parasites Euhaplorchis californiensis (EUHA) and Renicola buchanani (RENB) in wild‐caught, naturally infected F. parvipinnis. In experiment 1, F. parvipinnis were exposed to an acute stressor by lowering water levels to dorsal‐fin height and repeatedly handling the fish over the course of an hour. Neither parasite was found to influence cortisol release rates in response to this acute stressor. In experiment 2, different F. parvipinnis were exposed on four consecutive days to the procedure for collecting water‐borne hormone levels and release rates of 11‐KT and cortisol were quantified. This design examined whether F. parvipinnis perceived the water‐borne collection procedure to be a stressor, while also exploring how parasites influenced hormone release rates under conditions less stressful than those in experiment 1. No association was found between RENB and hormone release rates, or between EUHA and 11‐KT release rates. The interaction between EUHA density and handling time, however, was an important predictor of cortisol release rates. The relationship between handling time and cortisol release rates was negative for F. parvipinnis harbouring low or intermediate density infections, and became positive for fish harbouring high densities of EUHA.
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