| 1. |
- Abbey-Lee, Robin N., et al.
(author)
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The Influence of Rearing on Behavior, Brain Monoamines, and Gene Expression in Three-Spined Sticklebacks
- 2018
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In: Brain, behavior, and evolution. - Basel : S. Karger AG. - 0006-8977 .- 1421-9743. ; 91:4, s. 201-213
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The causes of individual variation in behavior are often not well understood, and potential underlying mechanisms include both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as early environmental, physiological, and genetic differences. In an exploratory laboratory study, we raised three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) under 4 different environmental conditions (simulated predator environment, complex environment, variable social environment, and control). We investigated how these manipulations related to behavior, brain physiology, and gene expression later in life, with focus on brain dopamine and serotonin levels, turnover rates, and gene expression. The different rearing environments influenced behavior and gene expression, but did not alter monoamine levels or metabolites. Specifically, compared to control fish, fish exposed to a simulated predator environment tended to be less aggressive, more exploratory, and more neophobic; and fish raised in both complex and variable social environments tended to be less neophobic. Exposure to a simulated predator environment tended to lower expression of dopamine receptor DRD4A, a complex environment increased expression of dopamine receptor DRD1B, while a variable social environment tended to increase serotonin receptor 5-HTR2B and serotonin transporter SLC6A4A expression. Despite both behavior and gene expression varying with early environment, there was no evidence that gene expression mediated the relationship between early environment and behavior. Our results confirm that environmental conditions early in life can affect phenotypic variation. However, the mechanistic pathway of the monoaminergic systems translating early environmental variation into observed behavioral responses was not detected.
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| 2. |
- Favati, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Effects of social experience, aggressiveness and comb size on contest success in male domestic fowl
- 2021
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In: Royal Society Open Science. - : The Royal Society. - 2054-5703. ; 8:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ability to dominate conspecifics and thereby gain access to resources depends on a number of traits and skills. Experience of dominance relationships during development is a potential source of learning such skills. We here study the importance of social experience, aggressiveness and morphological traits for competitiveness in social interactions (contest success) in male domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus). We let males grow up either as a single (dominant) male or as an intermediately ranked male in a group of males, and measured their success in duels against different opponents. We found that single-raised males had lower contest success than group-raised males, and that aggression and comb size correlated positively with contest success. This indicates that experience of dominance interactions with other males increases future success in duels. We similarly studied the consequences of growing up as a dominant or subordinate in a pair of males, finding no statistically significant effect of the dominance position on contest success. Finally, we found that males were consistent over time in contest success. We conclude that social experience increases contest success in male domestic fowl, but that certain behavioural and morphological characteristics have an equal or even stronger covariation with contest success.
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| 3. |
- Favati, Anna, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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Effects of social experience during development on competitive ability and personality traits in male domestic fowl
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The ability to dominate conspecifics and thereby gain access to important resources depends on a number of traits and skills that may be both heritable and influenced by the environment. Experience of dominance relationships during development is a potential source of learning such skills. We here study the relative importance of social experience, personality, and morphological traits on competitive ability in male domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus). By letting males grow up as either a single (dominant) male, as the dominant male of a pair, or as an intermediate ranked male in a group of males, we investigate if competitiveness in social interactions (winning duels) is mainly due to individual qualities or also influenced by social experience. We found that males were consistent over time in their competitive ability. Single raised males were inferior to pair dominant males and group-raised males in competitive ability, while pair dominant and group males did not differ significantly. This indicates that social training is important for future fighting success, but that the social position during development does not have a decisive influence on male fighting success in adulthood. Aggression and comb size, the latter possibly being a proxy for testosterone levels, had a marked effect on competitive ability. Together, our results indicate that certain behavioural and morphological traits are more important than experience of a social position in shaping competitive ability. These findings elucidate the relationship between social dominance and personality.
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| 4. |
- Favati, Anna, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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Individual aggression, but not winner–loser effects, predicts social rank in male domestic fowl
- 2017
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In: Behavioral Ecology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1045-2249 .- 1465-7279. ; 28:3, s. 874-882
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many factors can affect the probability for an individual to obtain a high social rank, including size, weaponry, and behavioral attributes such as aggression. Recent experiences of winning or losing can also affect the chances of winning future contests, commonly referred to as “winner–loser effects”. Individuals often differ in behavior in a consistent way, including in aggression, thereby showing differences in personality. However, the relative importance of recent experience and aspects of personality in determining rank, as well as the extent to which winning or losing affects aggression, has rarely been studied. Here, we investigate these questions using male domestic fowl. We matched males for body size, comb size, and aggression in pair-wise duels to: 1) study the effect of contest outcome on aggression and 2) compare the effect of individual aggression and contest experience on future social status in small groups. We found that aggression was a highly repeatable personality trait and that aggression increased after winning and decreased after losing. Nevertheless, such winner–loser effects were not enough to increase the odds of becoming dominant in a small group. Instead, aggressiveness measured prior to a contest experience best predicted future rank. Boldness and exploration did not predict rank and of the 2, only boldness was positively correlated with aggressiveness. We conclude that for male domestic fowl in contests among phenotypically matched contestants, aggressiveness is more important for obtaining high rank than winner–loser effects, or other aspects of personality.
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| 5. |
- Favati, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Personality predicts social dominance in male domestic fowl
- 2014
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Individuals in social species commonly form dominance relationships, where dominant individuals enjoy greater access to resources compared to subordinates. A range of factors such as sex, age, body size and prior experiences has to varying degrees been observed to affect the social status an individual obtains. Recent work on animal personality (i.e. consistent variation in behavioural responses of individuals) demonstrates that personality can co-vary with social status, suggesting that also behavioural variation can play an important role in establishment of status. We investigated whether personality could predict the outcome of duels between pairs of morphologically matched male domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus), a species where individuals readily form social hierarchies. We found that males that more quickly explored a novel arena, or remained vigilant for a longer period following the playback of a warning call were more likely to obtain a dominant position. These traits were uncorrelated to each other and were also uncorrelated to aggression during the initial part of the dominance-determining duel. Our results indicate that several behavioural traits independently play a role in the establishment of social status, which in turn can have implications for the reproductive success of different personality types.
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| 6. |
- Favati, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Personality remains : no effect of 3-week social status experience on personality in male fowl
- 2018
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In: Behavioral Ecology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1045-2249 .- 1465-7279. ; 29:2, s. 312-320
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Behavioral responses of male fowl did not depend on social rank after 3 weeks in stable groups, but were consistent over time for an individual. Theory suggests that stable social states, for example, stable social hierarchies, may lead to consistent variation in behavior, that is, variation in personality. Our results suggest that variation in personality is not a consequence of variation in social status and that personality is more important than current social position in determining individual behavior in stable groups.Individuals often differ in behavior in a consistent way, that is, they show variation in personality. Understanding the processes explaining the emergence and maintenance of this variation is a current major topic in the field of animal behavioral research. Recent theoretical models predict that differences in various states can generate individual variation in behavior. Previous studies have mainly focused on endogenous states like metabolic rate or energy reserves, but theory also suggests that states based on social interactions could play important roles in shaping personality. We have earlier demonstrated short-term status-dependent variation in behavior in the domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus), but whether such behavioral variation remains also after a longer period of time, is unknown. Therefore, we examine the influence of social status on variation in behavior, using experimental manipulation of social status in pairs of male domestic fowl. We scored males in 3 personality assays (novel arena test, novel object test, and aggression test) before and after 3 weeks in pairs as either dominant or subordinate. We observed individual consistency of behavior despite alteration of social status. We further found no support for social status acting as a state that generates variation in personality over the used time interval: social status had no significant effect on the change in behavioral responses between repeated personality tests. Our results suggest that personality is more important than current social situation for describing individual behavior in stable groups.
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| 7. |
- Favati, Anna, 1980-
(author)
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Social dominance and personality in male fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus)
- 2013
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Individuals in social species commonly form dominance relationships among each other, andare often observed to differ in behaviour depending on their social status. However, whethersuch behavioural differences are a consequence of dominance position, or also a cause to it,remains unclear. In this thesis I therefore investigated two perspectives of the relationshipbetween social dominance and personality in the domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus), asocial species that forms relatively stable dominance hierarchies. In paper I I investigated theinfluence of social status on the expression and consistency of behaviours by experimentallychanging status between repeated personality assays. The level of vigilance, activity andexploration changed with social status, while boldness and territorial crows appeared asstable individual properties, independent of status. These results showed that social statuscontribute to both variation and consistency in behavioural responses. Social status shouldtherefore be taken into account when investigating and interpreting variation in personality.In paper II I showed that behaviour in a novel arena test and during encounter with anopponent can predict social status, more specifically that fast exploration and aggressivenesspredicted a dominant social position. Together, these results highlight the dynamics of thetwo-way relationship between social position and individual behaviour and indicate thatindividual behaviour can both be a cause and a consequence of social status.
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| 8. |
- Favati, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Social status and personality : stability in social state can promote consistency of behavioural responses
- 2014
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In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 281:1774
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Stability of 'state' has been suggested as an underlying factor explaining behavioural stability and animal personality (i.e. variation among, and consistency within individuals in behavioural responses), but the possibility that stable social relationships represent such states remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the influence of social status on the expression and consistency of behaviours by experimentally changing social status between repeated personality assays. We used male domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus), a social species that forms relatively stable dominance hierarchies, and showed that behavioural responses were strongly affected by social status, but also by individual characteristics. The level of vigilance, activity and exploration changed with social status, whereas boldness appeared as a stable individual property, independent of status. Furthermore, variation in vocalization predicted future social status, indicating that individual behaviours can both be a predictor and a consequence of social status, depending on the aspect in focus. Our results illustrate that social states contribute to both variation and stability in behavioural responses, and should therefore be taken into account when investigating and interpreting variation in personality.
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| 9. |
- Favati, Anna, et al.
(author)
-
The ontogeny of personality traits in the redjunglefowl, Gallus gallus
- 2016
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In: Behavioral Ecology. - : Oxford University Press. - 1045-2249 .- 1465-7279. ; 27:2, s. 484-493
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Consistent behavioral differences among individuals, that is, personality, are described in numerous species. Nevertheless, thedevelopment of behavioral consistency over ontogeny remains unclear, including whether the personality of individuals is consistentthroughout life, and if adult personality can be predicted already at young age. We investigated the ontogeny of personality in thered junglefowl (Gallus gallus) by scoring personality of hatchlings at 5 time points through adulthood, including before and after themajor developmental stages of becoming independent and sexual mature. We use the conceptual framework laid out by Stamps andGroothuis (2010a) to holistically investigate the observed changes in behavioral response over ontogeny. We demonstrate that meanvalues of behavioral responses changed across ontogeny and stabilized after independence. Rank-order consistencies of behavioralresponses were overall low across independence and sexual maturation. Only in 1 case could low rank-order consistencies potentiallybe explained by different phenotypes displaying different amounts of change in behavior; more explorative individuals decreased inexploration after independence, while less explorative individuals remained so. Correlations among behavior varied across ontogenyand weakened after sexual maturation. Our results demonstrate that both absolute values and consistency of behavioral traits maychange across ontogeny and that individual developmental trajectories and adult personality only to some extent can be predictedearly in life. These results have implications for future studies on personality, highlighting that the life stage at which individuals arescored affects the observed consistency of behavioral responses.
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| 10. |
- Favati, Anna, 1980-
(author)
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The relationship between personality and social dominance in the domestic fowl – a critical perspective
- 2017
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Social dominance relationships are formed within numerous animal species and reduce costly fights over resources. Dominant individuals often enjoy greater access to important resources such as food and mating partners, and are generally more aggressive, bold, active and explorative compared to subdominant individuals. These behavioural traits can differ among individuals, but they can also be consistent within the individual, thereby describing the individual’s personality type. However, the causal direction of the observed correlation between dominance and personality is not well studied. One possibility is that some personality types have higher chances of obtaining a dominant social position. This would suggest that personality has consequences for fitness. Another possible explanation is that possessing different social positions gives rise to consistent behavioural differences among individuals on various timescales. If social status has a lasting effect on behaviour, social status would constitute a ‘stable state’ that explains some of the diversity of personality types that has been observed in a multitude of animal species. Dominance and personality may also share underlying proximate factors. In this thesis, I investigate the relationship between social dominance and personality using male domestic fowl, Gallus gallus domesticus. The species is group-living with pronounced dominance hierarchies, and dominance increases male access to mating partners. I show that some aspects of personality, exploration, vigilance and in particular aggressiveness, increased a male’s chances of obtaining dominance (paper III, IV, V), and that aggressiveness can be even more important than body weight and ornament size (comb size, paper V) or recent experience of winning or losing (paper IV). Winning a social interaction resulted in an increase in aggressiveness, while a decrease was seen in males that experienced a loss (paper IV). By observing behaviour before and after changes in male dominance relationships, I further show that a recent (2 days earlier) change in social status induced behavioural adjustments to the new social status in activity, exploration and vigilance (paper I). By extending the time of the new social relationship to 3 weeks, I show that such behavioural changes did not continue (paper II). Finally, I show that the social environment during juvenile development had little impact on adult male competitiveness (paper V). Social interactions appear to have several short-term effects on behaviour, but did not contribute significantly to variation and long-term consistency of personality in male fowl. Instead, a male's personality, and in particular his aggressiveness, affected the outcome of dominance interactions. Overall, my studies reveal important consequences of individual differences in behaviour, and contribute to the highly sought-after empirical testing of hypotheses explaining variation in animal personality.
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