Evidence of high individual variability in seed management by scatter-hoarding rodents : does 'personality' matter?
| Autor: | Feldman, Mariano, Ferrandiz-Rovira, Mariona, Espelta Morral, Josep Maria, Muñoz, Alberto, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Individual variation Seed dispersal Population Context (language use) Biology Acorn 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Predation 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences 050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology education Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics education.field_of_study Ecology 05 social sciences biology.organism_classification Scatter-hoarding rodent Wood mouse Biological dispersal Animal Science and Zoology Predation risk Hoarding (animal behavior) Personality |
| Zdroj: | Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Recercat: Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya instname |
| Popis: | The predation and dispersal of seeds by scatter-hoarding animals is one of the most studied processes in the context of animal–plant interactions. Seed management by these animals has been traditionally approached at the population level: the patterns documented in the field are assumed to be similar for all individuals of the population and the variability within the population is considered to be random noise. However, little is known about to what extent this variability responds to different and consistent behaviours between individuals. The aim of this study was to analyse the individual variation and consistency in behaviour of scatter-hoarding rodents within a population. As our model we used the wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus, a key disperser of holm oak acorns, Quercus ilex, which, in turn, suffers high predation pressure by the common genet, Genetta genetta. In two sets of laboratory experiments, we compared the variance and consistency in behaviours and acorn management due to individual differences with that due to manipulation, using genet scents, of the perceived predation risk. Genet scents reduced the activity (i.e. time out of the refuge) in all wood mice, but the differences and consistency in activity between individuals accounted for most of the variance. Also, mice showed different and consistent stress or relaxed behaviours. Most of the variance in seed management variables, such as dispersal distance and seed size selection, was explained by consistent differences between individuals across scent treatments. The increase in stress behaviours and decrease in relaxed behaviours were positively related to dispersal ability (i.e. longer distances and larger acorns). Our study highlights the importance of considering the individual component of behaviour in scatter-hoarding rodents. This fine-scale level, largely overlooked in the ecological framework, will help to increase our understanding of seed management by scatter-hoarding animals. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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