Evolutionary quantitative genetics of behavioral responses to handling in a wild passerine.

ABSTRACT: Behavioral differences between individuals that are consistent over time characterize animal personality. The existence of such consistency contrasts to the expectation based on classical behavioral theory that facultative behavior maximizes individual fitness. Here, we study two personality traits (aggression and breath rate during handling) in a wild population of blue tits during 2007-2012. Handling aggression and breath rate were moderately heritable (h (2) = 0.35 and 0.20, respectively) and not genetically correlated (r A = 0.06) in adult blue tits, which permits them to evolve independently. Reciprocal cross-fostering (2007-2010) showed that offspring reared by more aggressive males have a higher probability to recruit. In addition, offspring reared by pairs mated assortatively for h

SUBMITTER: Class B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3936389 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature