In the past decade there has been a profusion of studies highlighting covariation between individual differences in stress physiology and behavioural profiles, here called personalities. Such individual differences in...In the past decade there has been a profusion of studies highlighting covariation between individual differences in stress physiology and behavioural profiles, here called personalities. Such individual differences in ways of coping with stress are relevant both in biomedicine, since different personalities may experience a different stress and disease vulnerability, and in behavioural ecology, since their adaptive value and evolutionary maintenance are the subject of debate. However, the precise way in which individual stress differences and personalities are linked is unclear. Here we provide an updated overview of this covariation across different species and taxa, consider its functional significance and present working hypotheses for how behavioural and physiological responses to stress might be causally linked, affecting life-history traits such as dispersal and life-span [Current Zoology 56 (6): 728-740, 2010].展开更多
Recently-developed capabilities for tracking the movements of individual birds over the course of a year or longer has provided increasing evidence for consistent individual differences in migration schedules and dest...Recently-developed capabilities for tracking the movements of individual birds over the course of a year or longer has provided increasing evidence for consistent individual differences in migration schedules and destinations. This raises questions about the relative importance of individual consistency versus flexibility in the evolution of migration strategies, and has implications for the ability of populations to respond to climatic change. Using geolocators, we tracked the migrations of Scopoli's shearwaters Calonectris diomedea breeding in Linosa (Italy) across three years, and analysed timing and spatial aspects of their movements. Birds showed remarkable variation in their main wintering destination along the western coast of Africa. We found significant individual consistency in the total distance traveled, time spent in transit, and time that individuals spent in the win- tering areas. We found extensive sex differences in scheduling, duration, distances and destinations of migratory journeys. We also found sex differences in the degree of individual consistency in aspects of migration behaviour. Despite strong evidence for individual consistency, which indicates that migration journeys from the same bird tended to be more similar than those of dif- ferent birds, there remained substantial intra-individual variation between years. Indeed, we also found clear annual differences in departure dates, return dates, wintering period, the total distance traveled and re^rn routes from wintering grounds back to the colony. These findings show that this population flexibly shifts migration schedules as well as routes between years in response to direct or indirect effects of heterogeneity in the environment, while maintaining consistent individual migration strategies [Current Zoology 60 (5): 631-641, 2014].展开更多
文摘In the past decade there has been a profusion of studies highlighting covariation between individual differences in stress physiology and behavioural profiles, here called personalities. Such individual differences in ways of coping with stress are relevant both in biomedicine, since different personalities may experience a different stress and disease vulnerability, and in behavioural ecology, since their adaptive value and evolutionary maintenance are the subject of debate. However, the precise way in which individual stress differences and personalities are linked is unclear. Here we provide an updated overview of this covariation across different species and taxa, consider its functional significance and present working hypotheses for how behavioural and physiological responses to stress might be causally linked, affecting life-history traits such as dispersal and life-span [Current Zoology 56 (6): 728-740, 2010].
文摘Recently-developed capabilities for tracking the movements of individual birds over the course of a year or longer has provided increasing evidence for consistent individual differences in migration schedules and destinations. This raises questions about the relative importance of individual consistency versus flexibility in the evolution of migration strategies, and has implications for the ability of populations to respond to climatic change. Using geolocators, we tracked the migrations of Scopoli's shearwaters Calonectris diomedea breeding in Linosa (Italy) across three years, and analysed timing and spatial aspects of their movements. Birds showed remarkable variation in their main wintering destination along the western coast of Africa. We found significant individual consistency in the total distance traveled, time spent in transit, and time that individuals spent in the win- tering areas. We found extensive sex differences in scheduling, duration, distances and destinations of migratory journeys. We also found sex differences in the degree of individual consistency in aspects of migration behaviour. Despite strong evidence for individual consistency, which indicates that migration journeys from the same bird tended to be more similar than those of dif- ferent birds, there remained substantial intra-individual variation between years. Indeed, we also found clear annual differences in departure dates, return dates, wintering period, the total distance traveled and re^rn routes from wintering grounds back to the colony. These findings show that this population flexibly shifts migration schedules as well as routes between years in response to direct or indirect effects of heterogeneity in the environment, while maintaining consistent individual migration strategies [Current Zoology 60 (5): 631-641, 2014].