Individual behavioural variation does not affect social organization or reproductive success in a cooperative small mammal
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Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that individual behavioural variation in animals, defined as consistent individual differences in behaviour across contexts and time, influence ecological and evolutionary processes, and a growing number of studies demonstrate that individual behavioural variation can play a large role in shaping grouping dynamics among social animals. We studied the common degu, Octodon degus, a social rodent, to evaluate whether individual behavioural variation underlies social organization and the reproductive success of individuals within groups. We examined social groups in a population in central-north Chile during one breeding season, tested 67 adults in an open field test (i.e., the propensity to explore an unfamiliar environment) and 62 adults in a poke test (i.e., the propensity to charge an object) to quantify individual behavioural variation, determined assortment based on individual behavioural differences across 19 social groups, and performed genetic analyses to assess reproductive success. We found that the response to the poke test was repeatable, while none of the behaviours from an open field test were. The repeatable behaviour during the poke test was not associated to components of social organization (group composition), or to reproductive success. These findings imply that individual behavioural variation did not affect grouping patterns or direct fitness in this degu population.
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Individual behavioural variation does not affect social organization or reproductive success in a cooperative small mammal
In: BehaviourSearch for other papers by Annemarie van der Marel in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Nicholas E. Johnson in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Sara Grillo in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Juan Riquelme in
Current site
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PubMed
Cape Horn International Center (CHIC), Puerto Williams, Magallanes, Chile
Search for other papers by Rodrigo A. Vásquez in
Current site
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PubMed
Search for other papers by Erin H. Gillam in
Current site
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PubMed
Search for other papers by Luis A. Ebensperger in
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PubMed
Search for other papers by Loren D. Hayes in
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PubMed
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that individual behavioural variation in animals, defined as consistent individual differences in behaviour across contexts and time, influence ecological and evolutionary processes, and a growing number of studies demonstrate that individual behavioural variation can play a large role in shaping grouping dynamics among social animals. We studied the common degu, Octodon degus, a social rodent, to evaluate whether individual behavioural variation underlies social organization and the reproductive success of individuals within groups. We examined social groups in a population in central-north Chile during one breeding season, tested 67 adults in an open field test (i.e., the propensity to explore an unfamiliar environment) and 62 adults in a poke test (i.e., the propensity to charge an object) to quantify individual behavioural variation, determined assortment based on individual behavioural differences across 19 social groups, and performed genetic analyses to assess reproductive success. We found that the response to the poke test was repeatable, while none of the behaviours from an open field test were. The repeatable behaviour during the poke test was not associated to components of social organization (group composition), or to reproductive success. These findings imply that individual behavioural variation did not affect grouping patterns or direct fitness in this degu population.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 757 | 152 | 21 |
| Full Text Views | 36 | 6 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 73 | 14 | 0 |
