State-dependent changes in risk-taking behaviour as a result of age and residual reproductive value

Moschilla, Joe A.; Tomkins, Joseph L.; Simmons, Leigh W.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.06.011

Cited by 19 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Empirically, studies across taxa report evidence for relationships between asset and risk‐taking behaviour that are in line with theory (e.g. bird: Hall et al., 2015; mammal: Dammhahn, 2012; insect: Moschilla et al., 2018; crustacean: Ory et al., 2015). Specifically, differences in offspring defence behaviours of parents have been attributed to variation in state variables such as breeding experience, age, body condition, reproductive stage and timing, reproductive value and food abundance (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

State dependence explains individual variation in nest defence behaviour in a long‐lived bird

Jong

Nicolaus

Fokkema

et al. 2021

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Parental care, such as nest or offspring defence, is crucial for offspring survival in many species. Yet, despite its obvious fitness benefits, the level of defence can consistently vary between individuals of the same species. One prominent adaptive explanation for consistent individual differences in behaviours involves state dependency: relatively stable differences in individual state should lead to the emergence of repeatable behavioural variation whereas changes in state should lead to a readjustment of behaviour. Therefore, empirical testing of adaptive state dependence requires longitudinal data where behaviour and state of individuals of the same population are repeatedly measured. Here, we test if variation in states predicts nest defence behaviour (a ‘risky’ behaviour) in a long‐lived species, the barnacle goose Branta leucopsis. Adaptive models have predicted that an individual's residual reproductive value or ‘asset’ is an important state variable underlying variation in risk‐taking behaviour. Hence, we investigate how nest defence varies as a function of time of the season and individual age, two state variables that can vary between and within individuals and determine asset. Repeated measures of nest defence towards a human intruder (flight initiation distance or FID) of females of known age were collected during 15 breeding seasons. Increasing values of FID represent increasing shyness. We found that females strongly and consistently differed in FID within‐ and between‐years. As predicted by theory, females adjusted their behaviour to state by decreasing their FID with season and age. Decomposing these population patterns into within‐ and between‐individual effects showed that the state‐dependent change in FID was driven by individual plasticity in FID and that bolder females were more plastic than shyer females. This study shows that nest defence behaviour differs consistently among individuals and is adjusted to individual state in a direction predicted by adaptive personality theory.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

State dependence explains individual variation in nest defence behaviour in a long‐lived bird

Jong

Nicolaus

Fokkema

et al. 2021

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…Furthermore, greater activity or exploration increases the likelihood of both finding new resources or habitat patches, and encountering predators (Réale et al ., 2007; Wohlfahrt et al ., 2007). Risk taking is therefore often quantified in assays involving the presence of predators directly or via predation cues, which emphasise the risk of mortality (Moschilla, Tomkins, & Simmons, 2018). Furthermore, some studies manipulate the outcome variance of foraging‐related behaviour directly (Andrews et al ., 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poor nutritional condition promotes high‐risk behaviours: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

et al. 2020

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Animal behaviour can lead to varying levels of risk, and an individual's physical condition can alter the potential costs and benefits of undertaking risky behaviours. How risk‐taking behaviour depends on condition is subject to contrasting hypotheses. The asset protection principle proposes that individuals in better condition should be more risk averse, as they have higher future reproductive potential (i.e. more to lose). The state‐dependent safety hypothesis proposes that high‐condition individuals that are more likely to survive and maximise the benefits of risky situations may make apparently riskier choices, as their individual risk is in fact lower. We systematically searched for studies that experimentally manipulated animals’ nutritional or energetic condition through diet treatments, and subsequently measured risk‐taking behaviour in contexts relating to predation, novelty and exploration. Our meta‐analysis quantified condition effects on risk‐taking behaviour at both the mean and variance level. We preregistered our methods and hypotheses prior to conducting the study. Phylogenetic multilevel meta‐analysis revealed that the lower‐nutritional‐condition individuals showed on average ca. 26% greater tendency towards risk than high‐condition individuals (95% confidence interval: 15–38%; N = 126 studies, 1297 effect sizes). Meta‐regressions revealed several factors influencing the overall effect, such as the experimental context used to measure risk‐taking behaviour, and the life stage when condition was manipulated. Meta‐analysis of variance revealed no clear overall effect of condition on behavioural variance (on average ca. 3% decrease in variance in low‐ versus high‐condition groups; 95% confidence interval: −8 to 3%; N = 119 studies, 1235 effect sizes), however, the experimental context was an important factor influencing the strength and direction of the variance effect. Our comprehensive systematic review and meta‐analysis provide insights into the roles of state dependency and plasticity in intraspecific behavioural variation. While heterogeneity among effect sizes was high, our results show that poor nutritional state on average increases risk taking in ecological contexts involving predation, novelty and exploration.

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“…We adopted an experimental design for the behavioural trials that has been used in previous studies [41][42][43][44] figure S1). Each behavioural trial began by placing an individual cricket into the shelter within the arena, with the door closed (electronic supplementary material, figure S1).…”

Section: (D) Mate Searching Behavioural Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Males adjust their manipulation of female remating in response to sperm competition risk

2020

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To reduce the potential for sperm competition, male insects are thought to inhibit the post-mating reproductive behaviour of females through receptivity-inhibiting compounds transferred in the ejaculate. Selection is expected to favour phenotypic plasticity in male post-copulatory expenditure, with males investing strategically in response to their perceived risk of sperm competition. However, the impact that socially cued strategic allocation might have on female post-mating behaviour has rarely been assessed. Here, we varied male perception of sperm competition risk, both prior to and during mating, to determine if a male's competitive environment impacts the extent to which he manipulates female remating behaviour. We found that female Australian field crickets ( Teleogryllus oceanicus ) mated to males that were reared under sperm competition risk emerged from a shelter in search of male song sooner than did females mated to males reared without risk, but only when mating occurred in a risk-free environment. We also found that females reared in a silent environment where potential mates were scarce emerged from the shelter sooner than females exposed to male calls during development. Collectively, our findings suggest complex interacting effects of male and female sociosexual environments on female post-mating sexual receptivity.

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State-dependent changes in risk-taking behaviour as a result of age and residual reproductive value

Cited by 19 publications

References 53 publications

State dependence explains individual variation in nest defence behaviour in a long‐lived bird

State dependence explains individual variation in nest defence behaviour in a long‐lived bird

Poor nutritional condition promotes high‐risk behaviours: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Males adjust their manipulation of female remating in response to sperm competition risk

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