DOI: 10.5061/dryad.3ffbg79zk
title: Data from: Personality variation in a marine snail and heterogeneous selection in natural populations

description: Personality variation is characterized by consistent differences in
 behavioral tendencies among individuals and is a common feature of animal
 populations. However, processes influencing the amount of personality
 variation are not well understood. In this study, we tested one
 hypothesized mechanism through which variation in personalities may be
 maintained: spatial variation in natural selection. Through laboratory
 behavioral assays, we demonstrated that two aspects of personality,
 exploration and boldness, are moderately repeatable for wavy turban
 snails, Megastrea undosa (mean repeatability values = 0.327 and 0.281,
 respectively). We also found that personality variation differed
 significantly among populations, with behavioral repeatability values
 differing by factors of up to 1.75X for the same personality trait in
 different populations. We next examined the fitness consequences of
 variation in personality traits by experimentally transporting assayed
 snails to natural populations in a mark-recapture study to examine the
 relationships between behavioral tendencies and growth and survival. We
 studied four populations: two locations that had an abundance of
 slow-moving predators (whelks, sea stars) and two locations where
 slow-moving predators were absent and the major predators were fast-moving
 species (lobsters). Selection on behavioral tendencies differed
 significantly with these differences in predator abundance and mode. In
 addition, traits and populations that experienced strong, stabilizing
 selection overall also had low repeatability of behavioral tendencies.
 Such patterns are consistent with theory and suggest that spatial
 variation in natural selection associated with variation in predator
 community and predation risk likely plays an important role in moderating
 the degree of variation in personality.
description: # Data from: Personality variation in a marine snail and heterogeneous
 selection in natural populations Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.3ffbg79zk](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3ffbg79zk) Author
 contact: [Darren.johnson@csulb.edu](mailto:Darren.johnson@csulb.edu) ##
 Description of the data and file structure These data come from a
 mark-recapture study of wavy turban snails in Southern California, USA.
 Field studies took place between June 2022 and March 2024. Snails were
 subject to repeated behavioral assays in the laboratory in order to
 measure repeatability of exploration and risk-taking behaviors. The same
 snails were tagged and released into the field to measure growth and
 survival over a ~6-month period. In all of the data files, an entry of
 "NA" indicates that data were not available. In most cases, this
 was because a subset of measurements was not taken. For example, a few
 snails in the mark-recapture study had not been assayed for all
 behaviors.  Similarly, in the data files summarizing somatic growth, some
 snails are marked as "DEAD." Although these were infrequent
 occurrences, tagged shells were occasionally re-encountered in the field
 (and often occupied by hermit crabs). These data were not used to measure
 growth of snails, but they were still useful for measuring rate of tag
 overgrowth and so were retained in the dataset.  ### Files and variables
 #### File: Tag_loss_estimation.csv **Description:** Data used to estimate
 rates of tag loss at each of the four study locations. All snails began
 with two tags on opposite sides of the body. Comparing the proportion of
 snails being recaptured with a single tag at various times can be used to
 estimate the rate of tag loss. ##### Variables * Location: Field location 
 * Date Group Released: Date of release (month/day/year) * Interval: Days
 between initial release and recapture date * Recovered.double: Number of
 recaptured snails that had two tags remaining * Recovered.single: Number
 of recaptured snails that had only one tag remaining #### File:
 Emergence_behavior.csv **Description:** Summary of repeated behavioral
 assays within the laboratory. Our measure of risk-taking was the time it
 took the snail to emerge from a simulated threat. ##### Variables * ID:
 Identifier number. Early in the study snails were given two tags with
 different numbers. Later on, we gave snails two tags with the identical
 number. In these cases only a single number is listed as the ID *
 Emergence.time: Time in seconds until the snail emerged from an
 operculum-closed state * Date: Date of assay (month/day/year) * Pokes:
 Number of touches with a probe before the snail fully closed its operculum
 * Temperature: Temperature of water in the arena during the behavioral
 trial. Recorded in Celsius * Observer: Name of observer * Trial.Number:
 Snails were subject to multiple assays.  * Diameter: Diameter of the
 bottom of the shell, in millimeters * Site: Location of source population
 #### File: Exploration_behavior.csv **Description:** Summary of repeated
 behavioral assays within the laboratory. Exploration was measured as the
 total distance traveled in a 10-minute period ##### Variables *
 ID: Identifier number. Early in the study snails were given two tags with
 different numbers. Later on, we gave snails two tags with the identical
 number. In these cases only a single number is listed as the ID *
 Dist.moved: Total distance traveled in centimeters * Water.Temp: Water
 temperature during the trial. Recorded in Celsius * Trial.Number: Trial
 number * Diameter: Diameter of the bottom of the shell, in millimeters *
 Site: Location of source population #### File:
 Encounter_History_Bailey.csv; File: Encounter_History_Cherry.csv; ####
 File: Encounter_History_Isthmus.csv; File: Encounter_History_White_s.csv
 **Description:** Encounter histories used in mark-recapture studies. #####
 Variables * ID: Tag number used to identify individual snails * Diameter:
 Diameter of the bottom of the shell, in millimeters * Mass: Mass of snail
 (including shell) in g * Tag.Date: Date snail was tagged (month/day/year)
 * Date.Released: Date of release into field population (month/day/year)
 Next columns are Census data by date. For each census, snails were given a
 value of 0 if absent, 2 if present and alive with 2 tags remaining, and a
 value of 1 if present and alive with only 1 tag remaining * Notes: Field
 notes identifying snails that were confirmed dead (e.g. empty shells), tag
 loss, etc. #### File: Recapture_Growth_Bailey.csv; File:
 Recapture_Growth_Cherry.csv; #### File: Recapture_Growth_Isthmus.csv;
 File: Recapture_Growth_White_s.csv **Description:** Data files summarizing
 field measurements of size that were used to measure growth of snails. We
 note that some snails were marked as DEAD. Tagged shells were occasionally
 re-encountered in the field (and often occupied by hermit crabs). These
 data were not used to measure growth of snails, but they were still useful
 for measuring rate of tag overgrowth and so were retained in the dataset. 
 ##### Variables * ID: Tag number used to identify individual snails *
 Release.Date: Date of release and first set of size
 measurements (month/day/year) * Recapture.Date: Date of release and second
 set of size measurements (month/day/year) * Diam.Release: Diameter at time
 of release. Measured in mm. * Mass.Release: Mass at time of release.
 Measured in g. * Diam.Recapture: Diameter at time of recapture. Measured
 in mm. * Mass.Recapture: Mass at time of recapture. Measured in g. *
 Tag.1.State: Degree of overgrowth. 0 = tag completely clear; 1 = tag
 completely overgrown and no longer visible.  * Tag.2.State: Degree of
 overgrowth. 0 = tag completely clear; 1 = tag completely overgrown and no
 longer visible.  * Tag.Total: Average degree of overgrowth between tags 1
 and 2 * Tag.Min: Minimum tag overgowth  * Interval: Number of days between
 release and recapture * Avg.size: Mean diameter of snails between release
 and recapture * Growth.per.day: Change in shell diameter (in millimeters /
 day) * Initial.Release: Date when snail was first placed in the field.
 Some snails were recaptured two or more times. Each time, the snails were
 released back to their habitat. 'Release date' refers to most
 recent release.  * Tag.Age: Total number of days since the snail and its
 tag were initially released to the field population. ## Code/software Data
 are archived as csv files. No special software is needed to view them.
 Analytical procedures are described in the associated publication.