Neophobia and social tolerance are related to breeding group size in a semi-colonial bird |
| |
Authors: | Sophie Dardenne Simon Ducatez Julien Cote Pascal Poncin Virginie M Stevens |
| |
Institution: | 1. Unité de Biologie du Comportement, Université de Liège, F.R.S.-FNRS, 22 Quai van Beneden, 4020, Liège, Belgium 2. Station d’Ecologie Expérimentale de Moulis, CNRS USR2936, 09200, Moulis, France 3. Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Docteur Penfield, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1B1, Canada 4. Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), UMR 5174, CNRS, Toulouse, France 5. Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, Université de Toulouse UPS, 118 Route de Narbonne, Bat. 4R3, 31062, Toulouse Cedex 9, France
|
| |
Abstract: | In semi-colonial species, some individuals choose to breed in isolation while others aggregate in breeding colonies. The origin and the maintenance of this pattern have been questioned, and inherited phenotype dependency of group breeding benefits has been invoked as one of the possible mechanisms for the evolution of semi-coloniality. Using field observations and behavioural tests in the semi-colonial barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), we tested the hypothesis that breeding group size is related to personality. We measured neophobia (the fear and avoidance of new things) and social tolerance of adults and showed that these two independent traits of personality are strongly related to breeding group size. The biggest colonies hosted birds with higher neophobia, and larger groups also hosted females with higher social tolerance. This parallel between group size and group composition in terms of individual personality offers a better understanding of the observed diversity in breeding group size in this species. Further studies are, however, needed to better understand the origin of the link between individual personality and group breeding strategies. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|