Context-dependent effects of complex environments on behavioral plasticity

Although individual environmental factors influence behavioral plasticity, animals live in complex environments wherein multiple environmental factors vary simultaneously. Here, we investigated whether temperature and food intake independently or interactively affected the boldness and feeding behavior of juvenile corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus, Linnaeus). Because thermal environments in which animals can behaviorally thermoregulate by moving among microclimates are likely more realistic and ecologically relevant than fluctuating or constant temperature regimes, we manipulated the availability of preferred thermal microclimates (control vs. warm regimes) for 8 weeks and allowed individuals to move among microclimates. By also manipulating food intake and controlling for phenotypic repeatability of behavior, we demonstrate context-specific effects of temperature and food intake on behavioral plasticity. Temperature and food intake independently affected feeding behavior (i.e., unidimensional plasticity), but these factors interactively affected boldness in an open arena (i.e., multidimensional plasticity). Clearly, complex environments can exert multifaceted effects on behavior. Therefore, examining the effects of individual environmental factors (e.g., temperature or food availability) may be an overly simplistic approach to understanding how animals respond to rapidly changing environments.