Differences in boldness are repeatable and heritable in a long-lived marine predator.

ABSTRACT: Animal personalities, composed of axes of consistent individual behaviors, are widely reported and can have important fitness consequences. However, despite theoretical predictions that life-history trade-offs may cause and maintain personality differences, our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of personality remains poor, especially in long-lived species where trade-offs and senescence have been shown to be stronger. Furthermore, although much theoretical and empirical work assumes selection shapes variation in personalities, studies exploring the genetic underpinnings of personality traits are rare. Here we study one standard axis of personality, the shy-bold continuum, in a long-lived marine species, the wandering albatross from Possession Island, Crozet, by measuring the behavi

SUBMITTER: Patrick SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3856731 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature