Individuals frequently differ consistently from one another in their average behaviours (i.e. 'animal personality') and in correlated suites of consistent behavioural responses (i.e. 'behavioural syndromes'). However, understanding the evolutionary basis of this (co)variation has lagged behind demonstrations of its presence. This lag partially stems from comparative methods rarely being used in the field. Consequently, much of the research on animal personality has relied on 'adaptive stories' focused on single species and populations. Here, we used a comparative approach to examine the role of phylogeny in shaping patterns of average behaviours, behavioural variation and behavioural correlations. In comparing the behaviours and behavioural variation for five species of Gryllid crickets, we found that phylogeny shaped average behaviours and behavioural (co)variation. Despite differences among species, behavioural responses and variation were most similar among more closely related species. These results suggest that phylogenetic constraints play an important role in the expression of animal personalities and behavioural syndromes and emphasize the importance of examining evolutionary explanations within a comparative framework.

中文翻译：

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行为变异和行为综合征的系统发育保护。

个体在他们的平均行为（即“动物人格”）和一系列相关的一致行为反应（即“行为综合征”）方面经常始终存在差异。然而，对这种（共）变异的进化基础的理解落后于对其存在的证明。这种滞后部分源于该领域很少使用的比较方法。因此，许多关于动物人格的研究都依赖于关注单一物种和种群的“适应性故事”。在这里，我们使用比较方法来检查系统发育在塑造平均行为、行为变异和行为相关性模式中的作用。在比较五种 Gryllid 蟋蟀的行为和行为变化时，我们发现系统发育塑造了平均行为和行为（共同）变化。尽管物种之间存在差异，但在更密切相关的物种中，行为反应和变异最为相似。这些结果表明，系统发育限制在动物个性和行为综合征的表达中起着重要作用，并强调了在比较框架内检查进化解释的重要性。