Risk taking not foraging behavior predicts dispersal of recently emerged stream brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Abstract

Abstract. Several hypotheses predict that individual differences in migration and dispersal are related to individual differences in routine behavior associated with foraging and risk taking. We tested whether short-term dispersal of recently emerged brook charr Salvelinus fontinalis was correlated with differences in activity during prey search in the field (a measure of foraging tactic) or in the time taken to exit a dark tube into an unfamiliar field environment (a measure of risk taking). For one sample of fish, we tested whether an individual's propensity to disperse in a standardized dispersal test in the lab was correlated with its activity during prey search and its exit times in the field. For another sample of marked, released and recaptured fish, we tested whether an individual's minimum displacement distance over 6 days in the field (a measure of dispersal in the field) was related to its propensity to disperse in the lab. For the first sample, an individual's propensity to disperse in the lab was correlated with risk taking only, but, contrary to expectation, individuals with long exit times (risk-avoiders) dispersed farther than those with short exit times (risk-takers). For the second sample, dispersal in the field was also correlated with propensity to disperse in the lab, but, contrary to expectation, individuals with greater displacements in the field displayed lower propensities to disperse in the lab. Our findings demonstrate that individual differences in juvenile dispersal are related to differences in risk taking behavior, but not in foraging tactic, and that the nature of this relationship can depend on environmental context. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that individuals differing in risk taking behavior can contribute disproportionately to ecological processes involving long-distance movement.

Personality-dependent spatial ecology occurs independently from dispersal in wild burbot (Lota lota)

“…We found no evidence for a dispersal syndrome, with the lack of correlation between dispersal from release and other behavioral traits at the between-individual level, indicating that individuals that dispersed further from the release site did not have consistently larger HRs, higher vertical activity and movement rates, or reduced site fidelity on a long-term basis. Although our data are not directly comparable to other authors who found dispersal correlated with other behavioral traits (Fraser et al 2001;Edelsparre et al 2013), our data suggest that simple linear dispersal from release measures, which are quite frequently used to interpret the spatial ecology of fishes, may be too simple to capture much of the within-population diversity in spatial behaviors. Our detection of significant phenotypic correlations (Table 4) between dispersal and movement, dispersal and HR, and dispersal and site fidelity reduction might historically have been interpreted as evidence of behavioral syndrome.…”

Natural selection for body shape in resource polymorphic Icelandic Arctic charr

“…The shape‐dependent use of Copepoda, and subsequent parasite exposure, appears not to result from biomechanical limitations involving prey capture: Thingvallavatn planktivore charr frequently consume Daphnia which are less parasitized and more easily captured than Copepoda (Malmquist, ; Malmquist et al ., ; Franklin, ). Alternative explanations for shape‐dependent resource use may involve hydrodynamic demands associated with behaviours such as increased search behaviours, and/or boldness in foraging farther from the shoal (Ehlinger, ; Mikheev et al ., ; Adams, ; Edelsparre et al ., ). Shape‐dependent parasitism was also evident in small benthic and brown charr, but without subsequent effects on growth.…”

Alleles underlying larval foraging behaviour influence adult dispersal in nature

“…Several researchers have proposed that variation in dispersal patterns may be driven by intrinsic differences in the behaviour of individuals (i.e. personalities, R eale et al 2007;Cote et al 2010) such as sociability (R eale et al 2007;Seyfarth et al 2012), shy-bold (Fraser et al 2001;Edelsparre et al 2013), and foraging phenotypes (Grinnell 1931;O'Riain et al 1996;Meylan et al 2009). Over 80 years ago Grinnell (1931) proposed that large-scale animal movements could arise from variation in routine behaviours such as foraging.…”