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The effect of heterospecific and conspecific competition on inter-individual differences in tungara frog tadpole (Engystomops pustulosus) behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Cammy Beyts
  • Maddalena Cella
  • Nick Colegrave
  • Roger Downie
  • Julien G A Martin
  • Patrick Walsh

Abstract

Repeated social interactions with conspecifics and/or heterospecifics during early development may drive the differentiation of behavior among individuals. Competition is a major form of social interaction and its impacts can depend on whether interactions occur between conspecifics or heterospecifics and the directionality of a response could be specific to the ecological context that they are measured in. To test this, we reared tungara frog tadpoles (Engystomops pustulosus) either in isolation, with a conspecific tadpole or with an aggressive heterospecific tadpole, the whistling frog tadpole (Leptodactylus fuscus). In each treatment, we measured the body size and distance focal E. pustulosus tadpoles swam in familiar, novel and predator risk contexts six times during development. We used univariate and multivariate hierarchical mixed effect models to investigate the effect of treatment on mean behavior, variance among and within individuals, behavioral repeatability and covariance among individuals in their behavior between contexts. There was a strong effect of competition on behavior, with different population and individual level responses across social treatments. Within a familiar context, the variance in the distance swam within individuals decreased under conspecific competition but heterospecific competition caused more variance in the average distance swam among individuals. Behavioral responses were also context specific as conspecific competition caused an increase in the distance swam within individuals in novel and predator risk contexts. The results highlight that the impact of competition on among and within individual variance in behavior is dependent on both competitor species identity and context.

Suggested Citation

  • Cammy Beyts & Maddalena Cella & Nick Colegrave & Roger Downie & Julien G A Martin & Patrick Walsh, 2023. "The effect of heterospecific and conspecific competition on inter-individual differences in tungara frog tadpole (Engystomops pustulosus) behavior," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 34(2), pages 210-222.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:beheco:v:34:y:2023:i:2:p:210-222.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/arac109
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David J Mitchell & Thomas M Houslay & Leigh Simmons, 2021. "Context-dependent trait covariances: how plasticity shapes behavioral syndromes," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 32(1), pages 25-29.
    2. Alison Bell, 2013. "Randomized or fixed order for studies of behavioral syndromes?," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 24(1), pages 16-20.
    3. Heidi Y Jäger & Chang S Han & Niels J Dingemanse, 2019. "Social experiences shape behavioral individuality and within-individual stability," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 30(4), pages 1012-1019.
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