Citation

Massol F, Crochet PA. Nature 2008; 451(7182): E8-9; discussion E9-10.

Affiliation

UMR 5175 CEFE-Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CNRS), 1919 Route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier cedex 05, France. francois.massol@cefe.cnrs.fr

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1038/nature06743

PMID

18305490

Abstract

The evolution of animal personalities is a topic of primary importance in behavioural ecology. An intriguing empirical fact is the consistency of animal responses to repeated stresses or threats. Wolf et al. propose an evolutionary model to explain the emergence of consistent personalities. They show that a population dimorphism for an exploration trait implies the existence of behavioural syndromes, such as decreased aggressiveness and the boldness of 'thorough explorers'. This finding helps explain how animal responses can be consistent, despite the seeming advantages of flexible responses. However, we contend that the emergence of a dimorphism depends critically on the intensity of the trade-off between exploration investment and first-year fecundity.

Language: en