Is vigilance a personality trait? Plasticity is key alongside some contextual consistency

Area of Science:

• Ethology
• Animal Behavior
• Behavioral Ecology

Background:

• Animals exhibit varying levels of vigilance for predator detection and social monitoring.
• Individual differences in vigilance are linked to factors like age, sex, state, and personality.
• The Gouldian finch, a color polymorphic species, provides a model for studying behavioral plasticity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if individual Gouldian finches exhibit consistent differences in vigilance.
• To investigate the relationship between vigilance and other personality traits.
• To assess the impact of environmental context and social composition on vigilance.

Main Methods:

• Vigilance was quantified by measuring horizontal head movements in Gouldian finches.
• Birds were tested in pairs of same or mixed head color morphs across four distinct environmental contexts.
• Data were collected to assess temporal consistency, personality correlations, and contextual effects on vigilance.

Main Results:

• Vigilance demonstrated consistency within specific contexts but lacked long-term temporal consistency.
• Explorative personality traits were weakly associated with lower vigilance, suggesting a risk-reward trade-off.
• Vigilance was highly plastic, significantly influenced by situational changes and group composition (mixed morph pairs showed increased vigilance).

Conclusions:

• Vigilance in Gouldian finches is a highly plastic trait, adaptable to varying situations.
• Personality influences vigilance, but vigilance itself is not a core personality trait.
• Social context, particularly group composition, plays a crucial role in modulating vigilance levels.