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308 results for “Individual variation”
Data from: Multimodal in situ datalogging quantifies inter-individual variation in thermal experience and persistent origin effects on gaping behavior among intertidal mussels (Mytilus californianus)
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Data from: Variation in nuptial colour in relation to sex, individual quality and mating success in the sex-role reversed red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)
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Individual variation in the avian gut microbiota: The influence of host state and environmental heterogeneity
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Individual variation in spawning migration timing in a salmonid fish—exploring roles of environmental and social cues
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Data for: Does migration distance influence intra-individual variation in migratory behaviour in a seabird species with diverse migration strategies?
<p>GPS tracking data from adult lesser black-backed gulls (<em>L. fuscus) </em>with 2 – 7 years of tracking data per individual from several colonies in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK. This data has gone through initial cleaning to remove faulty GPS locations was combined with meta data from colonies to create a single .RDS file. </p> <p>Result for the manuscript "High repeatability in migratory behaviours in a generalist seabird regardless of migration strategy" can be obtained from this data using the R scripts at https://github.com/jbrow247/LBBG_MigrationPlasticity_Pub. </p>
Data from: Among-individual and within-individual variation in seasonal migration covaries with subsequent reproductive success in a partially-migratory bird
<p>Within-individual and among-individual variation in expression of key environmentally-sensitive traits, and associated variation in fitness components occurring within and between years, determine the extents of phenotypic plasticity and selection and shape population responses to changing environments. Reversible seasonal migration is one key trait that directly mediates spatial escape from seasonally-deteriorating environments, causing spatio-seasonal population dynamics. Yet, within-individual and among-individual variation in seasonal migration versus year-round residence, and dynamic associations with subsequent reproductive success, have not been fully quantified. We used novel capture-mark-recapture mixture models to assign individual European shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) to 'resident, 'early migrant' or 'late migrant' strategies in two consecutive years, using year-round local resightings. We demonstrate substantial among-individual variation in strategy within years, and directional within-individual change between years. Further, subsequent reproductive success varied substantially among strategies, and relationships differed between years; residents and late migrants had highest success in the two years respectively, matching the years in which these strategies were most frequently expressed. These results imply that migratory strategies can experience fluctuating reproductive selection, and that flexible expression of migration can be partially aligned with reproductive outcomes. Plastic seasonal migration could then potentially contribute to adaptive population responses to currently changing forms of environmental seasonality.</p>
Data from: Along with intraspecific functional trait variation, individual performance is key to resolving community assembly processes
<ol> <li>Species contributing high proportions to community biomass strongly influence ecosystem processes within the community. Studies have shown that dominant species may serve as nurse plants, helping to ensure biomass stability of the subordinate species under stress conditions. The question is widely debated as to whether either niche differentiation or neutral processes drive the net outcome of plant interactions within a subordinate plant community. To answer this question, requires precise estimates of individual variation in functional traits and performance.</li> <li>In a five-year mesocosm experiment, the functional responses of a subordinate plant community to the removal of the dominant species were evaluated across two drought-stress scenarios. Small scale (i.e., large pots) wetland communities were constructed comprising one dominant species (Carex elata) and three subordinate species. Removal of the dominant species allowed evaluation of the net effects of drought and interspecific interactions. We estimated the functional divergences for three traits (specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content and height growth allocation) and compared these with performance differences quantified individually. This enabled distinctions to be made between deterministic (i.e., niche differentiation) and neutral processes driving the drought response of the subordinate community.</li> <li>We showed that the dominant species decreased relative performance differences within the subordinate plant community under conditions of permanent drought stress. These changes were associated with the convergence of traits related to resource acquisition and growth. The dominant species equalised species performance differences by supressing relatively drought-tolerant species with low competitive ability and by supporting the less drought-tolerant species with relatively high competitive ability. Meanwhile, under conditions of interannual drought, the subordinate species likely coexisted due to differentiation in resource-use strategies and the interaction with the dominant species.</li> <li>Inclusion of individual variation in performance with a functional trait approach provides valuable insights into the processes structuring plant communities. Ours is the first study to provide evidence that subordinate species exposed to drought may coexist via neutral processes arising from their interactions with the dominant species, leading to functional convergence of traits associated with the trade-off between stress tolerance and competitive ability.</li> </ol>
Seasonality and interspecific competition shape individual niche variation in co-occurring tetra fish in Neotropical streams
The drivers of intraspecific niche variation and its effects on species interactions are still unclear, especially in species-rich Neotropical environments. Here, we investigated how ecological opportunity and interspecific competition affect the degree of individual trophic specialization and the population niche breadth in tetra fish. We studied the four ecologically similar species (Psalidodon aff. gymnodontus, P. aff. paranae, P. bifasciatus, and Bryconamericus ikaa) in subtropical headwater streams (three sites with two co-occurring species and three sites with only one species). We sampled fish in two contrasting seasons (winter/dry and summer/wet), and quantified their trophic niches using gut content analysis. Psalidodon bifasciatus was the only species distributed over all the sampled streams. We observed seasonal differences in population trophic niche breadth of P. bifasciatus just when this species co-occurred with P. aff. gymnodontus. These findings confirm the complex nature of the effects of interspecific competition, depending, for instance, on the identity of the competitor. The degree of individual specialization of P. bifasciatus was higher in the winter, and it was not influenced by the presence of another species. Conversely, the other two Psalidodon species studied presented greater individual specialization in the summer, when fish consumed a higher proportion of allochthonous items (terrestrial insects and seeds), and there were no effects only for B. ikaa. Herein, our results suggest that seasonality in food-resource availability is a major driver of niche variation and it has the potential to play an important role in how these similar tetra species interact and coexist.
Personality does not predict individual niche variation in a freshwater fish
Animal populations can exhibit considerable inter-individual variation in both behavioral traits and niche use, but the potential connections between these characteristics are rarely compared for the same individuals. We aimed to test whether behavioral syndromes were predictive of individual diet or microhabitat in a native New Zealand freshwater fish, <i>Gobiomorphus cotidianus</i>. We carried out laboratory behavioral assays and repeated habitat and diet measurement in a semi-natural mesocosm system. We found considerable repeatability in individual behavior, largely consistent with a proactive/reactive behavioral syndrome. We also found modest individual repeatability in microhabitat use and relatively strong individual specialization in diet. However, no measure of niche use in the mesocosms was significantly predicted by individual personality. Further studies of this type will be needed to assess whether links between individual behavior and resource use are more important in other species or ecological contexts.
Data from: Fitness outcomes in relation to individual variation in constitutive innate immune function
<p>Although crucial for host survival when facing persistent parasite pressure, costly immune functions will inevitably compete for resources with other energetically expensive traits such as reproduction. Optimising, but not necessarily maximising, immune function might therefore provide net benefit to overall host fitness. Evidence for associations between fitness and immune function is relatively rare, limiting our potential to understand ultimate fitness costs of immune investment. Here, we assess how measures of constitutive immune function (haptoglobin, natural antibodies, complement activity) relate to subsequent fitness outcomes (survival, reproductive success, dominance acquisition) in a wild passerine (<i>Malurus coronatus</i>). Surprisingly, survival probability was not positively linearly predicted by any immune index. Instead, both low and high values of complement activity (quadratic effect) were associated with higher survival, suggesting that different immune investment strategies might reflect a dynamic disease environment. Positive linear relationships between immune indices and reproductive success suggest that individual heterogeneity overrides potential resource reallocation trade-offs within individuals. Controlling for body condition (size-adjusted body mass) and chronic stress (heterophil-lymphocyte ratio) did not alter our findings in a sample subset with available data. Overall, our results suggest that constitutive immune components have limited net costs for fitness and that variation in immune maintenance relates to individual differences more closely.</p>
Seasonal isotopic niche of a rodent: High between-individual variation but no changes in individual niche width during the rich-resource period
<p>The dynamics of trophic niche width in animals at both population- and individual-level is potentially influenced by temporal variation of food resources, by between-individual differences in food-resource rank preferences<span class="fontstyle01"><span>, and also by competition</span></span>. Using stable isotope of carbon and nitrogen (<i>δ</i><sup>13</sup>C and <i>δ</i><sup>15</sup>N) of fecal samples, we investigated the trophic niche dynamics and individual variation in food-resource use by the arboreal rat <i>Rhipidomys macrurus</i>, in the highly seasonal Brazilian savanna (Cerrado). We tested the hypothesis that dietary niche expansion during the rich-resource period (wet season) occurs via individual specialization and consequently lower individual niche overlap in contrast with niche retraction during the low-resource period (dry season) via increase in niche overlap and expansion of individual niches. The results indicated that <i>R</i>.<i> macrurus</i> is primarily frugivorous and presents a wider isotopic niche in the rich-resource period in comparison to the low-resource period. The increase in niche width was achieved by individual specialization (decrease in niche overlap), as expected. During the low-resource period, however, individual niche widths were not wider than during the rich-resource period. Additionally, individual body condition was lower in the wet season than in the dry season, suggesting higher competition in this period. We conclude that an increase in the population niche may involve only between-individual variation and not necessarily requiring changes in individual niche width. We propose that the combination of ecological opportunity (high resource diversity) in addition to a greater competition in the warm-wet season leads to expansion of the population trophic niche width via individual specialization. </p>
Data from: The sources of variation for individual prey-to-predator size ratios
<p>The relative body size at which predators are willing to attack prey, a key trait for predator-prey interactions, is usually considered invariant. However, this ratio can vary widely among individuals or populations. Identifying the range and origin of such variation is key to understanding the strength and constraints on selection in both predators and prey. Still, these sources of variation remain largely unknown. We filled this gap by measuring the genetic, maternal and environmental variation of the maximum prey-to-predator size ratio (PPSRmax) in juveniles of the wolf spider Lycosa fasciiventris using a paternal half-sib split brood design, in which each male was paired with two different females and the offspring reared in two different food environments: poor and rich. Each juvenile spider was then sequentially offered crickets of decreasing size and the maximum prey size killed was determined. We also measured body size and body condition of spiders upon emergence and just before the trial. We found low, but significant heritability (h2=0.069) and dominance and common environmental variance (d2+4c2=0.056). PPSRmax was also partially explained by body condition (during trial) but there was no effect of the rearing food environment. Finally, a maternal correlation between body size early in life and PPSRmax indicated that offspring born larger were less predisposed to feed on larger prey later in life. Therefore, PPSRmax, a central trait in ecosystems, can vary widely and this variation is due to different sources, with important consequences for changes in this trait in the short and long terms.</p>
Data from: Individual differences in behaviour explain variation in survival: a meta-analysis
<p>Research focusing on among-individual differences in behaviour ("animal personality") has been blooming for over a decade. One of the central theories explaining the maintenance of such behavioural variation posits that individuals expressing greater "risky" behaviours should suffer higher mortality. Here, for the first time, we synthesize the existing empirical evidence for this key prediction. Our results did not support this prediction as there was no directional relationship between riskier behaviour and greater mortality; however there was a significant absolute relationship between behaviour and survival. In total, behaviour explained a significant, but small, portion (5.8%) of the variance in survival. We also found that risky (versus "shy") behavioural types live significantly longer in the wild, but not in the laboratory. This suggests that individuals expressing risky behaviours might be of overall higher quality but the lack of predation pressure and resource restrictions mask this effect in laboratory environments. Our work implies that individual differences in behaviour explain important differences in survival but not in the direction predicted by theory. Importantly, this suggests that the models predicting survival trade-offs may need revision and/or empiricists may need to reconsider their proxies of risky behaviours when testing such theory.</p>
Data from: Phenotypic integration in an extended phenotype: among‐individual variation in nest‐building traits of the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata)
Structures such as nests and burrows are an essential component of many organisms' life-cycle and requires a complex sequence of behaviors. Because behaviors can vary consistently among individuals and be correlated with one another, we hypothesized that these structures would 1) show evidence of among-individual variation, 2) be organized into distinct functional modules, and 3) show evidence of trade-offs among functional modules due to limits on energy budgets. We tested these hypotheses using the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata, a solitary bee and important crop pollinator. M. rotundata constructs complex nests by gathering leaf materials to form a linear series of cells in pre-existing cavities. In this study, we examined variation in the following nest construction traits: reproduction (number of cells per nest and nest length), nest protection (cap length and number of leaves per cap), cell construction (cell size and number of leaves per cell), and cell provisioning (cell mass) from 60 nests. We found a general decline in investment in cell construction and provisioning with each new cell built. In addition, we found evidence for both repeatability and plasticity in cell provisioning with little evidence for trade-offs among traits. Instead, most traits were positively, albeit weakly, correlated (r ~ 0.15), and traits were loosely organized into covarying modules. Our results show that individual differences in nest construction are detectable at a level similar to that of other behavioral traits and that these traits are only weakly integrated. This suggests that nest components are capable of independent evolutionary trajectories.
Data from: Delusions of grandeur: seed count is not a good fitness proxy under individual variation in phenology
The concept of fitness is central to evolutionary biology, yet it is difficult to define and to measure. In plant biology, fitness is often measured as seed count. However, under an array of circumstances, seed count may be a biased proxy of fitness; for example, when individuals vary in allocation to sexual vs. asexual reproduction. A more subtle example, but also likely to be important in natural populations, is when interindividual variation in conditions during development results in variation in offspring quality among seed parents. In monocarpic (semelparous) plants, this is expected to result from variation in effective season length experienced among individuals that reach reproductive maturity at different times. Here, we manipulate growing season length to ask whether seed count is an accurate representation of parental fitness in the monocarpic herb Lobelia inflata. Simple seed count suggests a paradoxical fitness advantage under constrained season length. However, we find that the apparent fitness advantage of a constrained season length is overridden by low relative per-seed fitness. Furthermore, the fitness deficit in the constrained environment is associated primarily with an accelerating decrease in viability and seedling survival in seeds derived from fruits produced progressively later in the season. In this study, the overall fitness value of a seed under a constrained season is 0.774 of that observed under a long season.
Differences in oxidative status explain variation in thermal acclimation capacity between individual zebrafish (Danio rerio)
1. Evolutionary theory predicts that the capacity to acclimate should be favoured in variable environments. However, perfect compensation for thermal variation is rare and the capacity for thermal acclimation can vary considerably between individuals within natural populations. This variation may be explained by costs associated with acclimation, but it is not clear what these costs are. 2. We tested the hypothesis that oxidative stress is a cost of acclimation that could explain the variation between individuals in acclimation capacity. We acclimated individual mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki, n = 416) to 18oC and 28oC sequentially, and determined swimming performance at each temperature to evaluate their acclimation capacity. Fish were then acclimated to either cold (18oC) or warm (28oC) conditions, and we increased antioxidant capacities of a subset of fish experimentally by administering N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). We measured H2O2 production, catalase antioxidant activities, and oxidative damage to proteins and membranes. 3. We show that there is significant variation in acclimation capacity between individuals, and that there is a trade-off between acclimation capacity and swimming performance in warm conditions. Mean swimming performance across both acclimation temperatures increased with increasing acclimation capacity, but the increase was small biologically. Hence, greater thermal plasticity (high acclimation capacity) resulted in only minor performance benefits across acclimation conditions. We verified this rather surprising result in replicate populations grown in outdoor mesocosms. 4. ROS production, antioxidant activities, and oxidative damage were higher in cold-acclimated fish, and particularly in those fish with low capacity for acclimation. However, experimentally increasing antioxidant capacities with NAC alleviated these changes to oxidative status, suggesting a causal relationship. Hence, oxidative stress may be a cost that constrains the capacity for acclimation. Together, the performance trade-off and oxidative cost indicate that phenotypic plasticity is not always advantageous in variable environments, and instead bet-hedging may be a more beneficial strategy, particularly in short-lived species.
Aracena et al- Epigenetic variation impacts individual differences in the transcriptional response to influenza infection
<p>-Inputs for Github code</p><p>-Full methylation results</p><p>-Full QTL results</p>
Among-individual variation in flowering phenology affects flowering synchrony and mating opportunity
<p><strong>Premise of the study:</strong> The timing and pattern of a plant's flowering can have important consequences for reproductive success. Variation in flowering phenology may influence the number of prospective mates, the risk of mating with lower quality individuals, and the likelihood of self-pollination. Here we use a common garden experiment to explore within- and among-population variation in phenology. Our work provides new insights into how flowering phenology shapes mating opportunity and flowering synchrony in a self-compatible perennial.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> To quantify variation in flowering phenology we raised progeny from nine populations of<em> Mimulus ringens</em> in a common garden. For each individual, we measured phenological traits including age at flowering onset, daily floral display size, total flower number, and flowering synchrony with other members of the population, and related these traits to mating opportunity. We also tested how individual flowering schedules influence the magnitude of synchrony.</p> <p><strong>Key Results: </strong>Flowering phenology and synchrony varied substantially within and among populations. From day to day, plants often oscillated between large and small daily floral displays. Additionally, flowering schedules of individual plants strongly influenced flowering synchrony and, along with the number of flowering days, markedly affected plants' mating opportunity.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Phenological traits such as flowering synchrony can affect the quantity of mating opportunities and may be important targets of natural selection. Our results highlight the need for studies that quantify flowering patterns of individuals as well as populations.</p>
Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) flight calls demonstrate individuality and variation by season and recording location
<p><span>Flight calls are short vocalizations frequently associated with migratory behavior that may maintain group structure, signal individual identity, and facilitate intra- and interspecific communication. In this study, Magnolia Warbler (<em>Setophaga magnolia</em>) flight call characteristics varied significantly by season and recording location, but not age or sex, and an individual's flight calls were significantly more similar to one another than to calls of other individuals. To determine if flight calls encode traits of the signaling individual during migration, we analyzed acoustic characteristics of the calls from the nocturnally migrating Magnolia Warbler. Specifically, we analyzed calls recorded from temporarily captured birds across the northeastern United States, including Appledore Island in Maine, Braddock Bay Bird Observatory in New York, and Powdermill Avian Research Center in Pennsylvania to quantify variation attributable to individual identity, sex, age, seasonality, and recording location. Overall, our findings suggest that Magnolia Warbler flight calls may show meaningful individual variation and exhibit previously undescribed spatiotemporal variation, providing a basis for future research.</span></p>
Individual and temporal variation in movement patterns of wild alpine reindeer and implications for disease management
<p>Animal behaviour is important for prevalence and outbreaks of infectious diseases, for instance by affecting individual interactions. Increasing the knowledge of individual movement patterns can provide better insight into disease prevalence and spread, helping to target efforts to minimise disease outbreaks. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease affecting cervids. CWD is transmitted by animal-to-animal contact and through the environment, thus individual variation in space use and social associations may influence disease transmission patterns and infection risk. CWD was detected in Norwegian alpine reindeer (<em>Rangifer tarandus</em>) in 2016, and eradication of the infected population was implemented. A 3:1 infection rate between males and females suggests sex-specific behavioural drivers. We utilised an extensive individual-based dataset of 149 GPS-marked wild reindeer to investigate individual variation in movement patterns in terms of inter- and intra-annual home range size and site fidelity, and variation in home range overlap and distances between individuals. We aimed to identify patterns which could indicate higher potential disease risk. Females had larger annual and seasonal home ranges than males, except during calving and rut. Greater home range overlaps and shorter between-individual distances were found between same-sex individuals than different-sex individuals, except during the rut. Accordingly, the rut season stands out with greater male home ranges, greater home range overlap and shorter distances between males and between males and females, which could indicate that this season is critical for disease transmission. Measures to prevent disease spread should lower contact rates, e.g., by reducing the abundance of adult males before they mix with other groups during the rut. This can be achieved for instance by allowing earlier hunt on adult males when they are distributed in small male groups, to reduce the transmission risk and keep disturbance of other individuals low.</p>
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.