It’s a trap: sampling bias due to animal personality is not always inevitable

Within a population, individuals can often exhibit consistent differences in a range of behaviors across time and context (behavioral type) that are also correlated (behavioral syndrome). Recently, it has been suggested that an individual’s behavioral type can influence its probability of detection and capture during sampling. As a result, certain trapping methods may be inherently biased toward targeting a non-random sample of the population with wide ranging implications—from the way we conduct ecological research to the management and conservation of species. But is sampling bias always inevitable? Currently, studies have focused almost exclusively on the efficacy of passive trapping methods (e.g., baited traps) that rely on the arrival and inspection of animals, where bold, explorative individuals are typically oversampled. Whether more active search strategies result in similar bias remains unclear. In this study, we compared 3 different trapping methods (hand capture, pitfall trapping, and mealworm fishing) in their ability to capture a range of behavioral types within a population of the delicate skink (Lampropholis delicata). We also tested whether a behavioral syndrome was present. Although significant behavioral variation existed within the population, we found no difference between individuals caught in the 3 trapping methods among 5 behavioral traits. However, we did find the presence of a behavioral syndrome, where skinks that were consistently more active, explored an environment faster and were more likely to bask with other skinks. We suggest that trapping bias is not ubiquitous but instead might only be associated with passive trapping methods that involve the response of animals to novelty.