The epigenetics of animal personality

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 150, P. 105194 - 105194

Published: April 23, 2023

Animal personality, consistent individual differences in behaviour, is an important concept for understanding how individuals vary they cope with environmental challenges. In order to understand the evolutionary significance of animal it crucial underlying regulatory mechanisms. Epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation are hypothesised play a major role explaining variation phenotypic changes response alterations. Several characteristics also align well personality. this review paper, we summarise current literature on that molecular epigenetic mechanisms may have personality variation. We elaborate potential explain behavioural variation, development and temporal consistency behaviour. then suggest future routes emerging field point pitfalls be encountered. conclude more inclusive approach needed studying epigenetics cannot studied without considering genetic background.

Language: Английский

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Refinement of personality measures in European minks: effect of sex, age and maternal factors

Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 106520 - 106520

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Sex-dependent control of pheromones on social organization within groups of wild house mice

Current Biology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 33(8), P. 1407 - 1420.e4

Published: March 13, 2023

Dominance hierarchy is a fundamental social phenomenon in wide range of mammalian species, critically affecting fitness and health. Here, we investigate the role pheromone signals control hierarchies individual personalities within groups wild mice. For this purpose, combine high-throughput behavioral phenotyping with computational tools freely interacting house mice, males females, an automated, semi-natural system. We show that mice form dominance both sexes but use sex-specific strategies, displaying distinct male-typical female-typical were also associated ranking. Genetic disabling VNO-mediated detection generated opposite effects groups, enhancing interactions reducing them females. Behavioral mutated displayed mixtures behaviors, thus blurring sex differences. In addition, rank-associated abolished despite fact mutant formed stable hierarchies. These findings suggest group organization governed by pheromone-mediated neural circuits pave way to mechanisms underlying sexual dimorphism under naturalistic settings.

Language: Английский

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Boldness and learning in an active foraging lizard.

Behavioural Processes, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 226, P. 105174 - 105174

Published: March 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Multi-assay approach shows species-associated personality patterns in two socially distinct gerbil species

PLoS ONE, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 19(4), P. e0296214 - e0296214

Published: April 16, 2024

We aimed to investigate whether two closely related but socially distinct species of gerbils differ in personality patterns. Using a suit multivariate repeated assays (docility test, dark-light emergence startle novel object elevated platform and stranger test), we assessed contextual temporal consistency docility, boldness, exploration, anxiety, sociability the solitary midday gerbil, Meriones meridianus , social Mongolian M . unguiculatus revealed contextually consistent highly repeatable sex-independent species-specific traits. Species differed repeatability different behaviours, was more pronounced than This finding contradicts niche specialization hypothesis, which suggests that traits should be species. Instead, hypothesize complexity favour flexible less behavioural The habituation effect indicative learning abilities weak both yet stronger supporting relationship between sociality level cognitive skills. In species, only few covaried, sets correlated behaviours were such did not share any pair Between-species differences traits, habituation, syndromes may linked sociality. lack prominent is with idea context-specific individual might favoured allow adequate responses changing environments functionally behaviours.

Language: Английский

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Flexible males, reactive females: faecal glucocorticoid metabolites indicate increased stress in the colonist population, damping with time in males but not in females

Journal of Comparative Physiology B, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 194(4), P. 545 - 554

Published: July 2, 2024

Language: Английский

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Abiotic environmental factors contribute to spatial variation in boldness and exploration in guppies (Poecilia reticulata)

Journal of Fish Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 16, 2025

Abstract Research on wild fishes has tended to overlook the role of abiotic factors in shaping behaviours associated with boldness and exploration. This oversight could exist because small‐scale variation environment might seem unlikely influence such behaviours. We challenged this assumption through research Trinidadian guppy ( Poecilia reticulata ) system. started by quantifying how (time a shelter time frozen an open field) behaviour exploration (number grid squares crossed varied for guppies within among 15 pools across two streams, where all stream were 150 m each other. The measured differed little between yet they dramatically streams individuals pools, thus illustrating can be structured very small spatial scales. next assessed observed behavioural explained individual‐level attributes (sex body mass) pool‐level (e.g. temperature dissolved oxygen). Individual‐level variation, although smaller did display slightly bolder behaviour. Among‐pool factors, however, quite informative. As clear example, from less oxygen displayed (possibly) greater Our results highlight importance even

Language: Английский

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Stimulus type and social context are stronger than individual differences in common marmosets' novelty exploration

Animal Behaviour, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 223, P. 123183 - 123183

Published: April 18, 2025

Language: Английский

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Sex-specific effects of psychoactive pollution on behavioral individuality and plasticity in fish

Behavioral Ecology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 34(6), P. 969 - 978

Published: Aug. 14, 2023

Abstract The global rise of pharmaceutical contaminants in the aquatic environment poses a serious threat to ecological and evolutionary processes. Studies have traditionally focused on collateral (average) effects psychoactive pollutants ecologically relevant behaviors wildlife, often neglecting among within individuals, whether they differ between males females. We tested sex-specific behavioral individuality plasticity guppies (Poecilia reticulata), freshwater species that inhabits contaminated waterways wild. Fish were exposed fluoxetine (Prozac) for 2 years across multiple generations before their activity stress-related behavior repeatedly assayed. Using Bayesian statistical approach partitions we found males—but not females—in fluoxetine-exposed populations differed less from each other (lower individuality) than unexposed males. In sharp contrast, observed females—but males—whereby exposure even low levels resulted substantial decrease (activity) increase (freezing behavior) Our evidence reveals pollution has individual fish, suggesting females might be equally vulnerable pollutants.

Language: Английский

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No Evidence Against the Greater Male Variability Hypothesis: A Commentary on Harrison et al.’s (2022) Meta-Analysis of Animal Personality

Evolutionary Psychological Science, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 9(3), P. 293 - 300

Published: March 7, 2023

Language: Английский

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