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Life-history trade-offs favour the evolution of animal personalities

Author

Listed:
  • Max Wolf

    (Theoretical Biology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands)

  • G. Sander van Doorn

    (Theoretical Biology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands
    Present address: Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501, USA.)

  • Olof Leimar

    (Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Franz J. Weissing

    (Theoretical Biology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Evolving personalities Although 'personalities' such as boldness, aggressive behaviour and risk avoidance have been shown to exist in more than sixty animal species, from primates to ants, explaining their existence in terms of evolution has been a puzzle. Surely, evolution should not favour the maintenance of different personalities, but rather the convergence towards a single one. In a numerical life-history model, Wolf et al. show that the evolution of animal personalities, defined as consistent sets of behaviours shown in a variety of contexts, is related to an adaptive response to life-history trade-offs. In this model, decisions on trade-offs between current and future reproduction condition the response of individuals to risky situations, and this may be the basis for animal personalities and their maintenance in populations.

Suggested Citation

  • Max Wolf & G. Sander van Doorn & Olof Leimar & Franz J. Weissing, 2007. "Life-history trade-offs favour the evolution of animal personalities," Nature, Nature, vol. 447(7144), pages 581-584, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:447:y:2007:i:7144:d:10.1038_nature05835
    DOI: 10.1038/nature05835
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Gabrielle Dubuc-Messier & Denis Réale & Philippe Perret & Anne Charmantier, 2017. "Environmental heterogeneity and population differences in blue tits personality traits," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 28(2), pages 448-459.
    2. Jamie Dunning & Terry Burke & Alex Hoi Hang Chan & Heung Ying Janet Chik & Tim Evans & Julia Schroeder, 2023. "Opposite-sex associations are linked with annual fitness, but sociality is stable over lifetime," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 34(3), pages 315-324.
    3. Sarah Senécal & Alexia Mouchet & Niels J Dingemanse, 2021. "Life-history trade-offs, density, lay date—not personality—explain multibroodedness in great tits," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 32(6), pages 1114-1126.
    4. Matthew H T Chan & Peter S Kim, 2014. "An Age-Structured Approach to Modelling Behavioural Variation Maintained by Life-History Trade-Offs," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(1), pages 1-10, January.
    5. Carin Magnhagen & Sebastian Wacker & Elisabet Forsgren & Lise Cats Myhre & Elizabeth Espy & Trond Amundsen, 2014. "Context Consistency and Seasonal Variation in Boldness of Male Two-Spotted Gobies," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-10, March.
    6. Joachim G Frommen & Timo Thünken & Francesca Santostefano & Valentina Balzarini & Attila Hettyey, 2022. "Effects of chronic and acute predation risk on sexual ornamentation and mating preferences [Effects of perceived predation risk and social environment on the development of three-spined stickleback," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 33(1), pages 7-16.
    7. Mark Briffa & Julie Greenaway, 2011. "High In Situ Repeatability of Behaviour Indicates Animal Personality in the Beadlet Anemone Actinia equina (Cnidaria)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    8. Jamie L Fratkin & David L Sinn & Erika A Patall & Samuel D Gosling, 2013. "Personality Consistency in Dogs: A Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(1), pages 1-19, January.
    9. Gonzalo Rodríguez-Ruiz & Jesús Ortega & Pilar López & Alfredo Salvador & José Martín, 2021. "Improved nutritional status may promote an “asset protection” reproductive strategy in male rock lizards," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 32(6), pages 1276-1284.
    10. Arbilly, Michal & Motro, Uzi & Feldman, Marcus W. & Lotem, Arnon, 2011. "Recombination and the evolution of coordinated phenotypic expression in a frequency-dependent game," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 80(4), pages 244-255.
    11. Christian Hilbe & Maria Kleshnina & Kateřina Staňková, 2023. "Evolutionary Games and Applications: Fifty Years of ‘The Logic of Animal Conflict’," Dynamic Games and Applications, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 1035-1048, December.
    12. László Zsolt Garamszegi & Magdalena Zagalska-Neubauer & David Canal & Gábor Markó & Eszter Szász & Sándor Zsebők & Eszter Szöllősi & Gábor Herczeg & János Török, 2015. "Malaria parasites, immune challenge, MHC variability, and predator avoidance in a passerine bird," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 26(5), pages 1292-1302.
    13. Wolfgang Kuhle, 2015. "Darwinian Adverse Selection," Papers 1507.04934, arXiv.org.

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