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Evolutionary emergence of responsive and unresponsive personalities
Max Wolf1, G Sander van Doorn, Franz J Weissing
1Theoretical Biology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands.
Summary
Animal personality differences stem from how individuals respond to their environment. Evolutionary models show frequency-dependent benefits and positive feedback create stable, consistent behavioral traits like boldness and aggressiveness.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Consistent individual differences in behavior, akin to personality, are observed across many animal species.
- Responsiveness to environmental stimuli is a key factor structuring these behavioral differences.
- While proximate causes are studied, the evolutionary origins of these consistent differences remain largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an evolutionary explanation for stable individual differences in behavioral responsiveness.
- To develop a general evolutionary model explaining the coexistence of responsive and unresponsive individuals.
- To elucidate the mechanisms driving consistent personality traits and behavioral syndromes.
Main Methods:
- Development of a simple, general evolutionary model.
- Incorporation of frequency-dependent benefits of responsiveness.
- Inclusion of positive-feedback mechanisms reducing the costs of responsiveness.
Main Results:
- The model demonstrates that frequency-dependent benefits explain the coexistence of responsive and unresponsive individuals.
- Positive feedback mechanisms explain the consistency of responsiveness across contexts and time.
- Natural selection leads to stable individual differences in responsiveness, explaining consistent behavioral syndromes.
Conclusions:
- Evolutionary dynamics, specifically frequency-dependent selection and positive feedback, can explain stable individual differences in behavioral responsiveness.
- These stable differences in responsiveness provide a framework for understanding the evolution of behavioral syndromes.
- The model offers insights into the evolutionary origins of animal personality.
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