Abstract
The propensity to flexibly innovate behavioural variants might advantage animals when dealing with novel or modified ecological or social challenges. Interspecific innovative abilities can be predicted by the degree of ecological generalism and intraspecific variation is predicted by personality traits. To examine the effects of these factors on innovation, we compared problem-solving abilities in the generalist grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) and the more specialized Madame Berthe's mouse lemurs (Microcebus berthae) in western Madagascar. We examined personality traits by testing 54 individuals in open field and novel object tests, and we assessed problem-solving abilities by presenting an artificial feeding-box that could be opened by three different techniques. The first two techniques presented novel problems and the third technique a modified problem to the more complex second novel problem. In both species, motivation, early success and better inhibitory control characterized innovators and predicted superior problem-solving performance. Although both species performed equally well in finding a solution to the novel problems, the specialist species was more efficient in finding a novel solution to a familiar problem. Since the ecological specialist also exhibited more inhibitory control in this task than the generalist, we propose that specialists may dispose of more efficient problem-solving behaviour.
Highlights
Changing environmental conditions force animals to find new ways to cope with emerging problems in their natural habitat [1,2,3]
We examined personality traits by testing 54 individuals in open field and novel object tests, and we assessed problem-solving abilities by presenting an artificial feeding-box that could be opened by three different techniques
Since the ecological specialist exhibited more inhibitory control in this task than the generalist, we propose that specialists may dispose of more efficient problem-solving behaviour
Summary
Changing environmental conditions force animals to find new ways to cope with emerging problems in their natural habitat [1,2,3]. Dietary or time constraints [14,16], as well as exposure to danger, can decrease innovation rate [4,5] Individual characteristics such as age, sex and social rank can affect innovativeness, with adult subordinate males being most innovative (several primate species [7], callitrichid monkeys [17], meerkats [5], birds and primates; reviewed in [18]). By contrast, were more reactive by being more neophobic, manipulating the apparatuses more slowly and tentatively This difference in being more pro- or reactive has been suggested to be associated with ecological generalism: the more proactive squirrel monkeys are ecological generalists, whereas titi monkeys are ecologically more specialized [33]. In insects, birds and primates, generalist species are more explorative and 3 exhibited higher innovation rates than specialists [3,29,43]
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