Behavioural individuality in clonal fish arises despite near-identical rearing conditions

Bierbach, David; Laskowski, Kate L.; Wolf, Max

doi:10.1038/ncomms15361

Cited by 153 publications

(162 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…However, more research is needed to establish the general importance of environmental triggers. For instance, Bierbach, Laskowski, and Wolf () found consistent between‐individual behavioural variation in clonal Amazon mollies ( Poecilia formosa ) reared in isolation under standardized settings and concluded that “individuality might be an inevitable and potentially unpredictable outcome of development.”…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experience during development triggers between‐individual variation in behavioural plasticity

Urszán

Garamszegi

Nagy

et al. 2018

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Behavioural consistency within and across behaviours (animal personality and behavioural syndrome, respectively) has been vigorously studied in the last decade, leading to the emergence of "animal personality" research. It has been proposed recently that not only mean behaviour (behavioural type), but the environmentally induced behavioural change (behavioural plasticity) might also differ between individuals within populations. While case studies presenting between-individual variation in behavioural plasticity have started to accumulate, the mechanisms behind its emergence are virtually unknown. We have recently demonstrated that ecologically relevant environmental stimuli during ontogeny are necessary for the development of animal personality and behavioural syndromes. However, it is unknown whether between-individual variation in behavioural plasticity is hard-wired or induced. Here, we tested whether experience with predation during development affected predator-induced behavioural plasticity in Rana dalmatina tadpoles. We ran a common garden experiment with two ontogenetic predation treatments: tadpoles developed from hatching in either the presence or absence of olfactory predator stimuli. Then, we assayed all tadpoles repeatedly for activity and risk-taking both in the absence and presence of olfactory predator stimuli. We found that (a) between-individual variation in predator-induced behavioural plasticity was present only in the group that developed in the presence of olfactory stimuli from predators and (b) previous experience with predatory stimuli resulted in lower plastic response at the group level. The latter pattern resulted from increased between-individual variation and not from universally lower individual responses. We also found that experience with predation during development increased the predictability (i.e. decreased the within-individual variation unrelated to environmental change) of activity, but not risk-taking. In line with this, tadpoles developing under perceived predatory risk expressed their activity with higher repeatability. We suggest that ecologically relevant environmental stimuli are not only fundamental for the development of animal personality and behavioural syndromes, but also for individual variation in behavioural plasticity. Thus, experience is of central importance for the emergence of individual behavioural variation at many levels.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experience during development triggers between‐individual variation in behavioural plasticity

Urszán

Garamszegi

Nagy

et al. 2018

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…For example, playback experiments in birds can provide a controlled way of simulating social interactions, such as territorial intrusions (Nowicki et al, 2002); but even this approach is imperfect for detecting and interpreting individual variation (McGregor, 2000). In addition, genetically identical fish reared under seemingly identical environments in the laboratory can still develop highly repeatable, radically different behaviors (Bierbach, Laskowski, & Wolf, 2017).…”

Section: Hypothesis 4: Preference-performance Correlations Derive Fmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why does the magnitude of genotype‐by‐environment interaction vary?

Saltz

Bell

Flint

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Genotype‐by‐environment interaction (G × E), that is, genetic variation in phenotypic plasticity, is a central concept in ecology and evolutionary biology. G×E has wide‐ranging implications for trait development and for understanding how organisms will respond to environmental change. Although G × E has been extensively documented, its presence and magnitude vary dramatically across populations and traits. Despite this, we still know little about why G × E is so evident in some traits and populations, but minimal or absent in others. To encourage synthetic research in this area, we review diverse hypotheses for the underlying biological causes of variation in G × E. We extract common themes from these hypotheses to develop a more synthetic understanding of variation in G × E and suggest some important next steps.

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“…Permanent environmental effects such as maternal effects, epigenetic effects, and other effects that influence development already before hatching can be the cause for this variation (Dochtermann et al 2015). For example, clonal Amazon mollies (Poecilia formosa) consistently showed individual variation in behavior among isogenic individuals reared in isolation, and social experience during ontogeny had no effect on individual behavioral variation (Bierbach et al 2017). In marbled crayfish, developmental variation probably explains much of the variation in coloration, growth, lifespan, reproduction, number of sense organs, and behavior, even when they are reared under identical conditions (Vogt et al 2008).…”

Section: Behavioral Syndromesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral differences in an over‐invasion scenario: marbled vs. spiny‐cheek crayfish

et al. 2018

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New species often invade ecosystems already dominated by previous invaders. Ornamental freshwater crayfish, particularly parthenogenetic marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis), increasingly establish in European water bodies where they interact with resident native and non‐native species. Behavioral traits and behavioral syndromes can influence the outcome of these species interactions. The behavior of non‐native crayfish is often studied in notorious invaders but rarely in new and emerging species, although those provide the best opportunity for management. Activity, aggressiveness, and boldness have repeatedly been associated with invasion success and species displacement. Further, crayfish can adapt their behavior after they have established in the new range. We investigated whether marbled crayfish can displace the widely established spiny‐cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus). Specifically, we compared their behavioral traits and evaluated whether these traits differ, using marbled crayfish populations from aquaria and the field and spiny‐cheek crayfish from the field. We staged agonistic encounters, measured activity levels, and recorded the response to a simulated threat of both species and both origins (field and aquarium) in laboratory trials. We found that in agonistic encounters, marbled crayfish were on average more aggressive than spiny‐cheek crayfish, even against larger opponents. Aggressiveness and activity were positively correlated, which is indicative for an aggression syndrome. Marbled crayfish from the field were less active than those from aquaria, but there was no difference in aggressiveness. Marbled crayfish often froze in response to a simulated threat, whereas spiny‐cheek crayfish reacted either offensively or defensively. These results from the laboratory illustrate potentially important behavioral mechanisms behind crayfish over‐invasions and show behavioral plasticity in a species where all known individuals are genetically identical. To better understand the invasion process in nature, the species’ reproductive biology and interactions with other members of the community should be considered. We conclude that the recent success of marbled crayfish in establishing new populations could be influenced by their behavioral flexibility and their potential to competitively persist in the presence of established invasive crayfish.

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Behavioural individuality in clonal fish arises despite near-identical rearing conditions

Cited by 153 publications

References 53 publications

Experience during development triggers between‐individual variation in behavioural plasticity

Experience during development triggers between‐individual variation in behavioural plasticity

Why does the magnitude of genotype‐by‐environment interaction vary?

Behavioral differences in an over‐invasion scenario: marbled vs. spiny‐cheek crayfish

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