RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Individual boldness is life stage-dependent and linked to dispersal in a hermaphrodite land snail
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 098822
DO 10.1101/098822
A1 Maxime Dahirel
A1 Alexandre Vong
A1 Armelle Ansart
A1 Luc Madec
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/01/06/098822.abstract
AB Both individual variation in dispersal tendency and animal personalities have been shown to be widespread in nature. They are often associated in personality-dependent dispersal, and both have major but underappreciated consequences for ecological and evolutionary dynamics. In addition, personalities are not stable over time and changes can appear through ontogeny, leading to life stage-dependent behaviours. We investigated relationships between dispersal, life stage and boldness in an invertebrate with between- and within-life stages variation in dispersal tendency, the land snail Cornu aspersum. Latency to exit the shell following a simulated attack was repeatable, indicating boldness is a personality trait in Cornu aspersum. Subadults were bolder and more dispersive than adults. Dispersers were bolder than non-dispersers, independently of boldness changes between life stages. We discuss how these results can be explained in relation with life history strategies in this hermaphrodite species, in particular risk management in the context of reproductive investment.