BEHAVIORAL SYNDROMES IN JUVENILE DASCYLLUS TRIMACULATUS (THREE-SPOT DASCYLLUS) IN MO’OREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA: INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN SHYNESS/BOLDNESS

BEHAVIORAL SYNDROMES IN JUVENILE DASCYLLUS TRIMACULATUS (THREE-SPOT DASCYLLUS) IN MO’OREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA: INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN SHYNESS/ BOLDNESS T ESS A. P ARKHOUSE Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 USA Abstract. Behavioral syndromes can provide an evolutionary advantage because they allow a population to quickly adapt to dynamic selective pressures. This study used ﬁeld manipulations to determine whether a behavioral syndrome is present in juvenile Dascyllus trimaculatus. Within- and between- individual consistency was found in individuals' responses to a predator model, a non-predator model, and a novel object. These tests were completed in the wild in Mo’orea, French Polynesia and ﬁlmed for further analysis. Behavioral syndromes are shaped by a wide array of factors, so studies in this topic contribute both to a better understanding of a species’ behavior, as well as the selective pressures it faces. Key words: animal behavior; Dascyllus trimaculatus; behavioral syndromes; individual variations; bold/shy continuum; Mo’orea, French Polynesia I NTRODUCTION Behavioral responses differ between individuals in a species or population, which can provide crucial understanding about the selective pressures that shape behavior (Dzieweczynski et al. 2011). Individuals in a given population must trade off potential risks (e.g., exploring a novel object, defending territory from a threat) for possible gains in resources (Scharnweber et al. 2011). Research in various animal taxa, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, ﬁsh, arachnids, crustaceans, insects, and cephalopods, has shown that there are consistent differences in behavioral patterns between individuals (Smith 2008). Dynamic selective pressures maintain individual variation, allowing species or populations to better adapt to their environment and reduce the risk of extinction (Smith 2008). Therefore, the study of individual variations in behavior, called behavioral syndromes, is a key aspect of both behavioral and conservation biology. Previous studies have shown that individuals may vary in the level of risk they will take along a bold/shy continuum (Scharnweber et al. 2011). This trait, like many others, is represented as a continuum with two extremes represented as tendencies. Boldness represents the way an individual reacts to a risky situation. In this trait, “bold” and “shy” are two extremes rather than different traits (Reale et al. 2007). These variations in boldness may be a result of a wide array of abiotic or biotic factors, including limited habitable space, increased predator density, amount of food available, etc. When there are correlations between an individual’s behavior across multiple contexts or situations, a behavioral syndrome is thought to exist (Sih et al. 2004b). The presence of a behavioral syndrome is signiﬁcant because it indicates limited plasticity that carries over to multiple contexts, and shows the signiﬁcance of behavioral variation for the survival of a population (Sih et al. 2004a).