Abstract
Consistent inter-individual differences in behavior have been shown in several animal groups, ranging from vertebrates to invertebrates. One of the most studied personality traits in animals is boldness, which is the tendency to expose to risky situations. Theory proposes that individuals’ state (e.g., body energy) would influence the expression of personality traits. In this study, we tested if boldness levels of the harvestman Mischonyx cuspidatus (measured as duration of death feigning/freezing after simulated predator attack) differ between two different states, namely sated and food deprived. We also tested if the degree of repeatability in boldness is affected by the individual state. We found no differences in the levels of boldness expressed by M. cuspidatus when comparing between different conditions (sated and food deprived) at a population level. However, we found that individuals showed more consistency in boldness when sated relative to a food-deprived condition. Finally, we suggest new avenues for future studies addressing personality in harvestmen.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Catalina Zuluaga, Cibele Biondo, Jerry Hogan, Laura Leal, Nathália Gonçalves, Patricia Izar, and Regina Macedo for providing suggestions on an early draft of this manuscript. Lucas Beltrami for outstanding assistance in laboratory tasks. We acknowledge the valuable suggestions of the editor Brigitte Weiß, Simona Kralj-Fišer and one anonymous reviewer.
Funding
Financial funding was provided by CAPES and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (São Paulo Research Foundation, FAPESP): Proc. 2014/19191-3 to J.M.G.S, Proc. 2017/14196-5 to R.R.M. and 2015/01815-9 to R.H.W, which is also funded by CNPq 302879/2016-1.
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Segovia, J.M.G., Moura, R.R. & Willemart, R.H. Starvation decreases behavioral consistency in a Neotropical harvestman. acta ethol 22, 203–208 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-019-00327-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-019-00327-5