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308 results for “Individual variation”
Data from: Nineteen years of consistently positive and strong female mate preferences despite individual variation
Sexual selection driven by mate choice has generated some of the most astounding diversity in nature, suggesting population-level preferences should be strong and consistent over many generations. On the other hand, mating preferences are among the least repeatable components of an individual animal's phenotype, suggesting low consistency across an animal's lifetime. Despite decades of intensive study of sexual selection there is almost no information about the strength and consistency of preferences across many years. In this study we present the results of over 5000 mate choice tests with a species of wild frog conducted over 19 consecutive years. Results show that preferences are positive and strong and vary little across years. This consistency is despite the fact that there are substantial differences among females in their strength of preference. We also suggest mate preferences in populations that are primarily the result of sensory exploitation might be more stable over time compared to preferences that are primarily involved in assessing male quality.
Data from: Size, sex, and individual-level behavior drive intra-population variation in cross-ecosystem foraging of a top-predator
1. Large-bodied, top-predators are often highly mobile, with the potential to provide important linkages between spatially distinct food webs. What biological factors contribute to variation in cross-ecosystem movements, however, have rarely been examined. 2. Here, we investigated how ontogeny (body size), sex, and individual-level behavior impacts intra-population variation in cross-ecosystem foraging (i.e., between freshwater and marine systems), by the top-predator Alligator mississippiensis. 3. Field surveys revealed A. mississippiensis uses marine ecosystems regularly and are abundant in estuarine tidal creeks (from 0.3–6.3 individuals/km of creek, n = 45 surveys). Alligator mississippiensis captured in marine/estuarine habitats were significantly larger than individuals captured in freshwater and intermediate habitats. 4. Stomach content analysis showed that small juveniles consumed marine/estuarine prey less frequently (6.7% of individuals) than did large juveniles (57.8%), sub-adult (73%), and adult (78%) size classes. Isotopic mixing model analysis (SIAR) also suggests substantial variation in use of marine/estuarine prey resources with differences among and within size classes between sexes and individuals (range of median estimates for marine/estuarine diet contribution = 0.05–0.76). 5. These results demonstrate the importance of intra-population characteristics (body size, sex, and individual specialization) as key determinants of the strength of predator-driven ecosystem connectivity resulting from cross-ecosystem foraging behaviors. Understanding the factors which contribute to variation in cross-ecosystem foraging behaviors will improve our predictive understanding of the effects of top-predators on community structure and ecosystem function.
Data from: Individual variation in cone photoreceptor density in house sparrows: implications for between-individual differences in visual resolution and chromatic contrast
Between-individual variation has been documented in a wide variety of taxa, especially for behavioral characteristics; however, intra-population variation in sensory systems has not received similar attention in wild animals. We measured a key trait of the visual system, the density of retinal cone photoreceptors, in a wild population of house sparrows (Passer domesticus). We tested whether individuals differed from each other in cone densities given within-individual variation across the retina and across eyes. We further tested whether the existing variation could lead to individual differences in two aspects of perception: visual resolution and chromatic contrast. We found consistent between-individual variation in the densities of all five types of avian cones, involved in chromatic and achromatic vision. Using perceptual modeling, we found that this degree of variation translated into significant between-individual differences in visual resolution and the chromatic contrast of a plumage signal that has been associated with mate choice and agonistic interactions. However, there was no evidence for a relationship between individual visual resolution and chromatic contrast. The implication is that some birds may have the sensory potential to perform "better" in certain visual tasks, but not necessarily in both resolution and contrast simultaneously. Overall, our findings (a) highlight the need to consider multiple individuals when characterizing sensory traits of a species, and (b) provide some mechanistic basis for between-individual variation in different behaviors (i.e., animal personalities) and for testing the predictions of several widely accepted hypotheses (e.g., honest signaling).
Individual variation in age-dependent reproduction: fast explorers live fast but senesce young?
<p>1. Adaptive integration of life history and behaviour is expected to result in variation in the pace-of-life. Previous work focused on whether "risky" phenotypes live-fast-but-die-young, but reported conflicting support. We posit that individuals exhibiting risky phenotypes may alternatively invest heavily in early-life reproduction but consequently suffer greater reproductive senescence.<br> 2. We used a 7-year longitudinal dataset with >1200 breeding records of >800 female great tits assayed annually for exploratory behaviour to test whether within-individual age-dependency of reproduction varied with exploratory behaviour. We controlled for biasing effects of selective (dis)appearance and within-individual behavioural plasticity.<br> 3. Slower and faster explorers produced moderate-sized clutches when young; faster explorers subsequently showed an increase in clutch size that diminished with age (with moderate support for declines when old), whereas slower explorers produced moderate-sized clutches throughout their lives. There was some evidence that the same pattern characterized annual fledgling success, if so, unpredictable environmental effects diluted personality-related differences in this down-stream reproductive trait.<br> 4. Support for age-related selective appearance was apparent, but only when failing to appreciate within-individual plasticity in reproduction and behaviour.<br> 5. Our study identifies within-individual age-dependent reproduction, and reproductive senescence, as key components of life history strategies that vary between individuals differing in risky behaviour. Future research should thus incorporate age-dependent reproduction in pace-of-life studies.</p>
Data from: Effective number of breeders provides a link between interannual variation in stream flow and individual reproductive contribution in a stream salmonid
The effective number of breeders that give rise to a cohort (Nb) is a promising metric for genetic monitoring of species with overlapping generations; however, more work is needed to understand factors that contribute to variation in this measure in natural populations. We tested hypotheses related to interannual variation in Nb in two long-term studies of brook trout populations. We found no supporting evidence for our initial hypothesis that inline image reflects inline image (defined as the number of adults in a population at the time of reproduction). inline image was stable relative to inline image and did not follow trends in abundance (one stream negative, the other positive). We used stream flow estimates to test the alternative hypothesis that environmental factors constrain Nb. We observed an intermediate optimum autumn stream flow for both inline image (R2 = 0.73, P = 0.02) and full-sibling family evenness (R2 = 0.77, P = 0.01) in one population and a negative correlation between autumn stream flow and full-sib family evenness in the other population (r = −0.95, P = 0.02). Evidence for greater reproductive skew at the lowest and highest autumn flow was consistent with suboptimal conditions at flow extremes. A series of additional tests provided no supporting evidence for a related hypothesis that density-dependent reproductive success was responsible for the lack of relationship between Nb and NC (so-called genetic compensation). This work provides evidence that Nb is a useful metric of population-specific individual reproductive contribution for genetic monitoring across populations and the link we provide between stream flow and Nb could be used to help predict population resilience to environmental change.
Individual variation creates diverse migratory portfolios in native populations of a mountain ungulate
<p>Ecological theory and empirical studies have demonstrated population-level demographic benefits resulting from a diversity of migratory behaviors with important implications for ecology, conservation, and evolution of migratory organisms. <a name="_Hlk29072366">Nevertheless, evaluation of migratory portfolios </a><a name="_Hlk29072297">(i.e., the variation in migratory behaviors across space and time among individuals within populations) </a>has received relatively little attention in migratory ungulates, where research has focused largely on the dichotomous behaviors (e.g., resident and migrant) of partially migratory populations. Using GPS data from 362 female bighorn sheep (<i>Ovis canadensis</i>) across 17 (restored = 4, augmented = 6, native = 7) populations in Montana and Wyoming, USA, we: 1) characterized migratory portfolios based on behavioral and spatial migratory characteristics, and 2) evaluated the relative influence of landscape attributes and management histories on migratory diversity. Native populations, which had been extant on the landscape for many generations, had more diverse migratory portfolios, higher behavioral switching rates, reduced seasonal range fidelity, and broad dispersion of individuals across summer and winter ranges. In contrast, restored populations with an abbreviated history on the landscape were largely non-migratory with a narrow portfolio of migratory behaviors, less behavioral switching, higher fidelity to seasonal ranges, and less dispersion on summer and winter ranges. Augmented populations were more variable and contained characteristics of both native and restored populations. Differences in migratory diversity among populations were associated with management histories (e.g., restored, augmented, or native). Landscape characteristics such as the duration and regularity of green-up, human landscape alterations, topography, and snow gradients were not strongly associated with migratory diversity. We suggest a two-pronged approach to restoring migratory portfolios in ungulates that first develops behavior-specific habitat models and then places individuals with known migratory behaviors into unoccupied areas in an effort to bolster migratory portfolios in restored populations, potentially with synergistic benefits associated with variation among individuals and resulting portfolio effects. Management efforts to restore diverse migratory portfolios may increase the abundance, resilience, and long-term viability of ungulate populations.</p>
Data from: Plasma carotenoid concentrations of incubating American kestrels (Falco sparverius) show annual, seasonal, and individual variation and explain reproductive outcome
In wild birds, the proximate and ultimate factors that affect circulating carotenoid concentrations remain poorly understood. We studied variation in plasma carotenoid concentrations across several scales: annual, seasonal, pair, territory and individual, and evaluated whether plasma carotenoid concentrations explained reproductive outcome of wild American kestrels (Falco sparverius). We sampled plasma carotenoid concentrations of 99 female and 80 male incubating kestrels from April to June in 2008 to 2012. Plasma carotenoid concentrations were explained by an interaction between year and sex, date, and random effects for pair and individual identity. In general, plasma carotenoid concentrations of males were significantly higher than females, but this depended on year. Within a breeding season, earlier nesting kestrels had higher carotenoid concentrations than later nesting kestrels, a pattern that is coincident with seasonal trends in local fitness. Pair and individual identity explained variation in carotenoid concentrations suggesting that carotenoid concentrations of mated birds were correlated, and some individuals consistently maintained higher carotenoid levels than others. Male carotenoid concentrations were positively associated with number of young fledged per pair. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that higher quality individuals have higher carotenoid levels compared to lower quality individuals, despite annual variations in carotenoid availability.
Data from: Individual variation in winter supplementary food consumption and its consequences for reproduction in wild birds.
The provision of wild birds with supplementary food has increased substantially over recent decades. While it is assumed that provisioning birds is beneficial, supplementary feeding can have detrimental 'carry-over' effects on reproductive traits. Due to difficulties in monitoring individual feeding behaviour, assessing how individuals within a population vary in their exploitation of supplementary food resources has been limited. Quantifying individual consumption of supplementary food is necessary to understand the operation of carry-over effects at the individual level. We used Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and automated feeders to estimate individual consumption of supplementary winter food in a large wild population of great tits Parus major and blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus. Using these data, we identified demographic factors that explained individual variation in levels of supplementary food consumption. We also tested for carry-over effects of supplementary food consumption on recruitment, reproductive success and a measure of survival. Individual variation in consumption of supplementary food was explained by differences between species, ages, sexes and years. Individuals were consistent across time in their usage of supplementary resources. We found no strong evidence that the extent of supplementary food consumption directly influenced subsequent fitness parameters. Such effects may instead result from supplementary food influencing population demographics by enhancing the survival and subsequent breeding of less competitive individuals, which reduce average breeding parameters and increase density-dependent competition. Carry-over effects of supplementary feeding are not universal and may depend upon the temporal availability of the food provided. Our study demonstrates how RFID systems can be used to examine individual-level behaviour with minimal effects on fitness.
FIGURE 8 in Problems with the taxonomy of Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 (Acari: Eriophyoidea) inhabiting Tilia spp.: Analysis based on morphological variation among individuals
FIGURE 8. Canonical variate analysis of 47 traits for deutogyne females of Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 on Tilia cordata and Tilia tomentosa in 2002 to 2004: c2, c3, c4 = T. cordata in, 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively; t2, t3, t4 = T. tomentosa in 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.
FIGURE 3 in Problems with the taxonomy of Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 (Acari: Eriophyoidea) inhabiting Tilia spp.: Analysis based on morphological variation among individuals
FIGURE 3. Damage caused by Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 as seen on an individual leaf of Tilia cordata.
FIGURE 7 in Problems with the taxonomy of Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 (Acari: Eriophyoidea) inhabiting Tilia spp.: Analysis based on morphological variation among individuals
FIGURE 7. Canonical variate analysis of 47 traits for protogyne females of Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 on Tilia cordata and Tilia tomentosa in 2002 to 2004: c2, c3, c4 = T. cordata in 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively; t2, t3, t4 = T. tomentosa in 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.
FIGURE 4 in Problems with the taxonomy of Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 (Acari: Eriophyoidea) inhabiting Tilia spp.: Analysis based on morphological variation among individuals
FIGURE 4. Damage caused by Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 as seen on an individual leaf of Tilia tomentosa: A. Upper surface. B. Lower surface.
FIGURE 2. Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 in Problems with the taxonomy of Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 (Acari: Eriophyoidea) inhabiting Tilia spp.: Analysis based on morphological variation among individuals
FIGURE 2. Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890. Deutogyne female: D. Dorsal view; AL. Antero-lateral view; CGF. Coxigenital region; em. Empodium.
FIGURE 1. Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 in Problems with the taxonomy of Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 (Acari: Eriophyoidea) inhabiting Tilia spp.: Analysis based on morphological variation among individuals
FIGURE 1. Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890. Protogyne female: D. Dorsal view; AL. Antero-lateral view; CGF. Coxigenital region; em. Empodium. Male: GM. Genital region.
FIGURE 6 in Problems with the taxonomy of Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 (Acari: Eriophyoidea) inhabiting Tilia spp.: Analysis based on morphological variation among individuals
FIGURE 6. Canonical variate analysis of 47 traits for protogyne and deutogyne females of Phytoptus tetratrichus Nalepa 1890 carried out on pooled data from both Tilia cordata and T. tomentosa over three seasons: gray circles - deutogyne females; dark circles - protogyne females.
Supplementary Materials for the manuscript "Inter-individual speed variation of bacteria dispersing on fungal highways"
<p>This repository includes all datasets used and created for the manuscript "Inter-individual speed variation of bacteria dispersal on fungal highways". </p> <p>----5 videos were used for producing the dispersal speed distribution of the RFP labelled Pseudomonas putida UWC1 cells:</p> <p>100x_rfp_2days***.gif</p> <p>----5 videos were used for producing the dispersal speed distribution of the GFP labelled Pseudomonas putida KT2440 cells:</p> <p>100x_gfp_2days***.gif</p> <p>----Data used for location tracking of the two videos shown in Figure 1:</p> <p>100x_rfp_2days028.nd2</p> <p>TrackMate capture of 100x_rfp_2days028.tif</p> <p>100x_gfp_2days005.nd2</p> <p>TrackMate capture of 100x_gfp_2days005.tif</p> <p>----5 Speed distribution raw data files for the RFP labelled cells:</p> <p>rfp_2days***_11fps_2_2movement.csv</p> <p>----5 Speed distribution raw data files for the GFP labelled cells:</p> <p>gfp_2days***_11fps_2_movement.csv</p> <p>----R script for calculating speed distribution of cells:</p> <p>speed calculation.R</p> <p>----Mathematica Notebook file for data visulization:</p> <p>HistCompare.nb</p> <p>----10 best fits of probability distribution functions and goodness-of-fit criteria analysis of the speed of RFP labelled cells:</p> <p>rfp-FitTable.csv</p> <p>----10 best fits of probability distribution functions and goodness-of-fit criteria analysis of the speed of GFP labelled cells:</p> <p>gfp-FitTable.csv</p>
FIGURE. Euphorbia guillemetii in cultivation in the National Tree Museum Gimborn, The Netherlands. A. branch showing the spines, leaves, and young brachyblasts; B, C. cyathium variation from different individuals; D. main stems. Credits: W.L.A. Hetterscheid. in Novelties in Malagasy Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae)
FIGURE. Euphorbia guillemetii in cultivation in the National Tree Museum Gimborn, The Netherlands. A. branch showing the spines, leaves, and young brachyblasts; B, C. cyathium variation from different individuals; D. main stems. Credits: W.L.A. Hetterscheid.
Materials for "Shifts between cooperation and antagonism driven by individual variation: A systematic synthesis review"
<p>This contains a permanent record of dataset and analysis code for the study:</p> <p>Moran, N.P., Caspers, B.A., Chakarov, N., Ernst, U.R., Fricke, C., Kurtz, J., Lilie, N.D., Lo, L.K., Müller, C., Takola, E. and Trimmer, P.C., 2021. Shifts between cooperation and antagonism driven by individual variation: A systematic synthesis review. <em>Oikos</em>.</p> <p>Full data analysis records are available on: https://osf.io/9kfpc/</p> <p>This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 836937 (NPM). The Centre for Ocean Life is a VKR center of excellence supported by the Villum foundation. This research was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the SFB TRR 212 (NC<sup>3</sup>; project no. – 316099922, 396777092, 396777467, 396777869, 396779914, 396780003, 396780988, 396782445, 396782288, 396782608).</p>
Heterogeneity in resource competition covaries with individual variation in long-term social relationships
<p>Resource competition among conspecifics is central to social evolution, as it serves as one of the primary selective pressures of group living. This is because the degree of competition for resources impacts the costs and benefits of social interactions. Despite this, how heterogeneity in resource competition drives variation in the type and quantity of long-term social relationships individuals foster has been overlooked. By measuring male mating competition and female foraging competition in a highly social, long-lived mammal, we demonstrate that individual variation in long-term intrasexual social relationships covaries with preferred habitat and experienced resource competition, and this effect differs based on the sex of the individual. Specifically, greater resource competition resulted in fewer social preferences, but the magnitude of the effect varied by both habitat and sex, whereas for social avoidances, both the directionality and magnitude of the effect of resource competition varied by habitat and sex. Together our work shows how fine-scale variation in individual socioecological niches (i.e., unique physical and social environments) can drive extensive variation in individual social behavior (here long-term relationships) within a population, thereby broadening current theories of social evolution.</p>
Data for Sagebrush: Consistent individual variation in plant communication: Do plants have personalities?
<p>Animal biologists have recently focused on individual variation in behavioral traits and have found that individuals of many species have personalities. These are defined as consistent intraspecific differences in behaviors that are repeatable across different situations and stable over time. When animals sense danger, some individuals will alert neighbors with alarm calls and both calling and responding vary consistently among individuals. Plants, including sagebrush, emit volatile cues when they are attacked by herbivores and neighbors perceive these cues and reduce their own damage. We experimentally transferred volatiles between pairs of sagebrush plants to evaluate whether individuals showed consistent variation in their effectiveness as emitters and as receivers of cues. We found that 64% of the variance in chewing damage to branches over the growing season was attributable to the identity of the individual receiving the cues. This variation could have been caused by inherent differences in the plants as well as by differences in the environments where they grew and their histories. We found that 5% of the variance in chewing damage was attributable to the identity of the emitter that provided the cue. This fraction of variation was statistically significant and could not be attributed to the environmental conditions of the receiver. Effective receivers were also relatively effective emitters, indicating consistency across different situations. Pairs of receivers and emitters that were effective communicators in 2018 were again relatively effective in 2019, indicating consistency over time. These results suggest that plants have repeatable individual personalities with respect to alarm calls.</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.