Personality and metabolic scope in wild mice

Area of Science:

• Zoology
• Animal Behavior
• Physiology

Background:

• A consistent relationship between animal personality and metabolic rate is expected but lacks conclusive evidence.
• Previous research primarily focused on resting metabolic rate (RMR), overlooking other metabolic metrics like V̇O2,max and metabolic scope.
• Individual behavioral differences, termed animal personality, may influence physiological processes such as energy metabolism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlations between personality traits (docility and exploration) and metabolic characteristics (RMR, V̇O2,max, and metabolic scope) in wild mice (Peromyscus leucopus).
• To determine if personality influences sampling bias in metabolic rate measurements.
• To explore within-individual relationships between personality and metabolic traits.

Main Methods:

• Assessed personality traits including docility and exploration in wild mice.
• Measured resting metabolic rate (RMR) and maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2,max).
• Calculated metabolic scope and analyzed correlations between personality metrics and metabolic traits.

Main Results:

• No significant correlation was found between personality and the motivation to run during V̇O2,max trials, indicating no personality-related sampling bias in the exercise test.
• A significant positive within-individual relationship was observed between docility and metabolic scope, primarily driven by V̇O2,max.
• A significant positive correlation was found between RMR and grooming behavior, potentially linked to the stress response.

Conclusions:

• Metabolic scope, particularly V̇O2,max, is positively associated with docility in wild mice.
• Resting metabolic rate may be influenced by stress-induced behaviors like grooming.
• These findings highlight the complex interplay between animal personality and metabolic physiology, suggesting that different metabolic metrics can relate to behavior in distinct ways.