How does variation in the environment and individual cognition explain the existence of consistent behavioral
Petri T Niemelä1, Anssi Vainikka, Jukka T Forsman
1Department of Biology, University of Oulu P.O. Box 3000, FI-90014, Finland ; Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland P.O. Box 111, FI-80101, Joensuu, Finland.
Ecology and Evolution
|March 8, 2013
Summary
Animal cognition and environmental variation influence behavioral plasticity. Moderate environmental variation favors behavioral flexibility, while extreme conditions favor less flexible behaviors, impacting animal personalities.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Cognitive Ecology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Behavioral plasticity, the variation in behavior relative to environmental conditions, differs across individuals, populations, and species.
- The interplay between environmental variability and cognitive differences in shaping behavioral plasticity and animal personalities remains poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review how environmental variation and individual cognitive differences explain behavioral plasticity.
- To propose a conceptual framework for understanding how these factors influence the evolution and expression of consistent animal behavior.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on environmental variation and cognitive differences in relation to behavioral plasticity.
- Development of a conceptual framework linking cognition costs, environmental variation, and behavioral flexibility.
Main Results:
- Cognition is costly; individual cognitive variation influences behavioral flexibility (plasticity).
- Environments with moderate variation favor behavioral flexibility as cognitive costs are offset by information processing benefits.
- Invariable or highly variable environments may favor less flexible, stereotyped behaviors due to costs or limitations of cognition.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral plasticity is predicted to be most advantageous in moderately variable environments.
- Environmental variability influences the expression of animal personalities and behavioral syndromes.
- The study suggests testable hypotheses and improvements for animal personality research protocols.
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