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Context-specific repeatability of personality traits in a wild bird: a reaction-norm perspective

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  • Edward Kluen
  • Jon E. Brommer

Abstract

Animal personality is defined as behavior that is consistent across time and context. We here applied a reaction-norm perspective implemented as a random regression phenotypic model (RRPM) to behaviors measured on blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus. During 3 consecutive breeding and winter seasons (2007–2009), a total of 508 wild-caught blue tits were assayed in a standard, artificial setup (a bird cage) for 1) activity, 2) time to escape, and 3) neophobia-related behavior. Activity was found to be repeatable both within and across seasonal contexts, but escape time and neophobia-related behavior were repeatable only in winter. Our RRPM confirmed that this latter finding was due to crossing of the individual-specific reaction norms between the 2 seasonal contexts. Our work illustrates how a behavior measured in a standardized manner may or may not be repeatable across time within a context but not between contexts, depending on the interindividual variation in reaction-norm properties. Our findings suggest that research on animal behavior plasticity can benefit from taking onboard context-specific analyses in a more explicit manner than what is typically done.

Suggested Citation

  • Edward Kluen & Jon E. Brommer, 2013. "Context-specific repeatability of personality traits in a wild bird: a reaction-norm perspective," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 24(3), pages 650-658.
  • Handle: RePEc:oup:beheco:v:24:y:2013:i:3:p:650-658.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/ars221
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    Cited by:

    1. Katherine A. Herborn & Britt J. Heidinger & Lucille Alexander & Kathryn E. Arnold, 2014. "Personality predicts behavioral flexibility in a fluctuating, natural environment," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 25(6), pages 1374-1379.
    2. Vianey Leos-Barajas & Eric J. Gangloff & Timo Adam & Roland Langrock & Floris M. Beest & Jacob Nabe-Nielsen & Juan M. Morales, 2017. "Multi-scale Modeling of Animal Movement and General Behavior Data Using Hidden Markov Models with Hierarchical Structures," Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, Springer;The International Biometric Society;American Statistical Association, vol. 22(3), pages 232-248, September.

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