Behavioural Ecology and Pace-of-life syndrome

Flashcards about the concepts of behavioural ecology, behavioural syndromes, and pace-of-life syndromes.

What is a behavioural syndrome?

A set of correlated personality traits that is a property of a population.

What is a behavioural type?

A particular configuration of personality traits that an individual expresses, which is a property of an individual. It can also refer to one personality trait across contexts.

Give examples of personality traits.

Activity, boldness, exploration, aggressiveness, and sociability.

What can behavioral types represent?

Limited plasticity, where individuals have a 'tendency' to behave a certain way, potentially leading to suboptimal behavior.

How can genetic correlations among traits act?

As evolutionary constraints, causing a correlated response to selection on non-target traits, potentially hindering the achievement of new optima.

Name a mechanistic explanation for behavioural syndromes.

Certain behaviors are correlated due to a common causal connection between traits, which relates to Tinbergen's four questions (physiological pleiotropy and genetic pleiotropy).

What is physiological pleiotropy?

When one hormone affects multiple personality traits.

What is genetic pleiotropy?

When one gene affects multiple personality traits.

Give a developmental explanation for behavioural syndromes.

Early differences in environmental conditions can set individuals on different trajectories, shaping entire suites of behaviors.

Give a functional explanation for behavioural syndromes.

Certain combinations of behaviors are favored by selection.

Give an evolutionary explanation for behavioural syndromes.

The syndrome is inherited from an ancestor, reflecting shared evolutionary history.

What are the two conditions that have to be met when analyzing behavioural syndromes?

Behavioural variation and individuals need to be measured more than once

What is the basic procedure for analysing behavioural syndromes?

Provide individuals with a set of standardized challenges, and then determine whether individual differences are consistent across challenges.

What is the Pace-of-life syndrome?

Integrated set of personality traits, life history and physiology @ level of individuals, populations and species

What traits can be included in Pace-of-life syndromes?

Activity, boldness, aggressiveness, sociability, exploration, metabolic rate, immune response, sensitivity to oxidative stress, growth rate, lifespan, early/late reproduction

What are the benefits to a fast Pace-of-life syndrome?

Faster growth, Higher activity, More explorative, Bolder, Higher antiox defense, Higher oxidative damage, More fat, Lower immune function, More melanin

What are the ecological costs of faster POL?

More sensitive to zinc and predation

What is the link between faster POL and thermal performance?

Lower thermal performance (lower Topt for swimming speed, metabolic rate, activity and boldness)