Stanley, CR, Mettke-Hofmann, C and Preziosi, R (2017) Personality in the Cockroach (Diploptera punctate): Evidence for Stability Across Developmental Stages Despite Age Effects on Boldness. PLoS ONE, 12 (5). ISSN 1932-6203

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Abstract

Despite a recent surge in the popularity of animal personality studies and their wide-ranging associations with various aspects of behavioural ecology, our understanding of the development of personality over ontogeny remains poorly understood. Stability over time is a central tenet of personality; ecological pressures experienced by an individual at different life stages may, however, vary considerably, which may have a significant effect on behavioural traits. Invertebrates often go through numerous discrete developmental stages and therefore provide a useful model for such research. Here we test for both differential consistency and age effects upon behavioural traits in the gregarious cockroach Diploptera punctata by testing the same behavioural traits in both juveniles and adults. In our sample, we find consistency in boldness, exploration and sociality within adults whilst only boldness was consistent in juveniles. Both boldness and exploration measures, representative of risk-taking behaviour, show significant consistency across discrete juvenile and adult stages. Age effects are, however, apparent in our data; juveniles are significantly bolder than adults, most likely due to differences in the ecological requirements of these life stages. Size also affects risk-taking behaviour since smaller adults are both bolder and more highly explorative. Whilst a behavioural syndrome linking boldness and exploration is evident in nymphs, this disappears by the adult stage, where links between other behavioural traits become apparent. Our results therefore indicate that differential consistency in personality can be maintained across life stages despite age effects on its magnitude, with links between some personality traits changing over ontogeny, demonstrating plasticity in behavioural syndromes.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	MD Multidisciplinary
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology Q Science > QH Natural history Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions:	Natural Sciences & Psychology (closed 31 Aug 19)
Publisher:	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date Deposited:	11 May 2017 11:22
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2021 11:36
DOI or ID number:	10.1371/journal.pone.0176564
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/6409

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