Quantifying individual variation in behaviour: mixed-effect modelling approaches
TLDR
An overview of how mixed-effect models can be used to partition variation in, and correlations among, phenotypic attributes into between- and within-individual variance components is provided.Abstract:
Growing interest in proximate and ultimate causes and consequences of between- and within-individual variation in labile components of the phenotype - such as behaviour or physiology - characterizes current research in evolutionary ecology. The study of individual variation requires tools for quantification and decomposition of phenotypic variation into between- and within-individual components. This is essential as variance components differ in their ecological and evolutionary implications. We provide an overview of how mixed-effect models can be used to partition variation in, and correlations among, phenotypic attributes into between- and within-individual variance components. Optimal sampling schemes to accurately estimate (with sufficient power) a wide range of repeatabilities and key (co)variance components, such as between- and within-individual correlations, are detailed. Mixed-effect models enable the usage of unambiguous terminology for patterns of biological variation that currently lack a formal statistical definition (e.g. 'animal personality' or 'behavioural syndromes'), and facilitate cross-fertilisation between disciplines such as behavioural ecology, ecological physiology and quantitative genetics.read more
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Behavioural Flexibility and Personality in Zebra Finches
TL;DR: The linkage between personality and cognition documented here could suggest that cognitive traits are indeed part of an overall pace-of-life syndrome and it seems likely that a more general and personality-related cognitive ability might improve performance across different tasks.
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Baseline And Stress-Induced Glucocorticoid Concentrations Are Not Repeatable But Covary Within Individual Great Tits (Parus Major)
TL;DR: A phenotypic correlation between two hormone traits does not imply that the traits are correlated among individuals; the importance of repeated sampling to partition within- and among-individual variances and correlations among labile physiological traits is demonstrated; and environmental factors explain a considerable fraction of the variation and co-variation in hormone concentrations.
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Does metabolic rate predict risk-taking behaviour? : A field experiment in a wild passerine bird
Kimberley J. Mathot,Marion Nicolaus,Yimen G. Araya-Ajoy,Niels Jeroen Dingemanse,Niels Jeroen Dingemanse,Bart Kempenaers +5 more
TL;DR: Variation in risk-taking is associated with differences in energetic constraints, including BMR and temperature, but that the relationship is context-specific, here high vs. low perceived predation risk.
Journal ArticleDOI
Repeatable group differences in the collective behaviour of stickleback shoals across ecological contexts
TL;DR: Results suggest that among-group heterogeneity could be a widespread feature in animal societies, and future work that considers group-level variation in collective behaviour may help understand the selective pressures that shape how animal collectives form and function.
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Interacting with the enemy: Indirect effects of personality on conspecific aggression in crickets
Francesca Santostefano,Alastair J. Wilson,Yimen G. Araya-Ajoy,Niels Jeroen Dingemanse,Niels Jeroen Dingemanse +4 more
TL;DR: Assayed aggressiveness of wild-caught adult male field crickets Gryllus campestris in staged dyadic fights and found activity, exploration, and aggressiveness were positively associated into a behavioral syndrome eliciting aggressiveness in conspecifics, providing direct evidence for the role of personality in causing indirect effects.
References
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