Abstract
Group-level properties, such as collective movements or decisions, can be considered an outcome of the interplay between individual behavior and social interactions. However, the respective influences of individual preferences and social interactions are not evident. In this research, we study the implications of behavioral variability on the migration dynamics of a group of gregarious insects (Periplaneta americana) subjected to two different disturbance regimes (one without disturbances and another one with high frequency of disturbances). The results indicate that individuals presented consistent behavior during the nighttime (active phase of cockroaches) in both conditions. Moreover, we used a modeling approach to test the role of personality during the migration process. The model considers identical individuals (no personality) without memory and no direct inter-attraction between individuals. The agreement between theoretical and experimental results shows that behavioral variability play a secondary role during migration dynamics. Our results showing individual personality during the nighttime (spontaneous decision to forage) but not during the emigration process (induced by environmental disturbances) highlight the plasticity of personality traits.
Highlights
As temperature[30,31,32]
In the control or undisturbed condition (UD), the shelters remained undisturbed, while in the condition with frequent disturbances (D) the selected shelter for cockroaches on the first day was daily disturbed with light
The Kendall coefficients obtained for the Total Time Outside (TTO) and other temporal measures, such as the duration of the first exit, were greater than that expected by the Kendall random distribution (KRD), which assumes that all individuals are identical
Summary
As temperature[30,31,32]. Despite the obvious impacts of disturbances to wildlife, relatively few studies have focused on the collective dynamics of responses to environments with frequent disturbances. If a group’s response to repeated disturbances decreases over time, it may be due to (A) a habituation process, (B) a group size effect (i.e., certain individuals emigrate and the size of the group diminishes along with social interactions; individuals can decrease the reaction to the disturbance) or (C) group divisions along personality lines (i.e., bold individuals emigrate while shy individuals remaining; the individuals who remain will show diminishing reactions to the disturbance) These hypotheses, among others, might act concomitantly in nature to explain how a group responds to a disturbance event. Our hypothesis is that the synergy between the consistency of individual behavior (stable inter-individual differences) and social interactions plays a key role during the migration induced by frequent disturbances. If the model can provide an accurate estimate of the spatial dynamics in an environment with frequent disturbances, the role of individual behavioral stability during the emigration process must be reconsidered
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