Abstract
Personality-dependent space use and movement might be crucially influencing ecological interactions, giving way to individual niche specialization. This new approach challenges classical niche theory with potentially great ecological consequences, but so far has only scarce empirical support. Here, we investigated if and how consistent inter-individual differences in behavior predict space use and movement patterns in free-ranging bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and thereby contribute to individual niche specialization. Individuals were captured and marked from three different subpopulations in North-East Germany. Inter-individual differences in boldness and exploration were quantified via repeated standardized tests directly in the field after capture. Subsequently, space use and movement patterns of a representative sample of the behavioral variation (n = 21 individuals) were monitored via automated VHF telemetry for a period of four days, yielding on average 384 locations per individual. Bolder individuals occupied larger home ranges and core areas (estimated via kernel density analyses), moved longer distances, spatially overlapped with fewer conspecifics and preferred different microhabitats based on vegetation cover compared to shyer individuals. We found evidence for personality-dependent space use, movement, and occupation of individual spatial niches in bank voles. Thus, besides dietary niche specialization also spatial dimensions of ecological niches vary among individuals within populations, which may have important consequences for ecological interactions within- and between species.
Highlights
Understanding patterns, determinants and consequences of inter-individual variation within populations is a central theme in current ecological research (Bolnick et al 2011; Dall et al 2012; Sih et al 2012; Wolf and Weissing 2012)
Individual niche specialization challenges classical niche theory, which has traditionally treated all individuals of a species as uniform regarding their ecological requirements and behavior (e.g., Chesson 2000; Adler, et al 2007; Levine and HilleRisLambers 2009; Letten et al 2017)
The main aim of this study was to test whether consistent inter-individual differences in behavior predict space use and movement patterns in natural habitats thereby contributing to individual niche specialization
Summary
Understanding patterns, determinants and consequences of inter-individual variation within populations is a central theme in current ecological research (Bolnick et al 2011; Dall et al 2012; Sih et al 2012; Wolf and Weissing 2012). Individuals of natural populations often occupy only part of the species’ ecological niche (Bolnick et al 2003; Stamps and Groothuis 2010; Hart et al 2016) and that has given way to the idea of individual niche specialization (Bolnick et al 2003; Araújo et al 2011). Since interactions are essential in forming the ecological niche of an individual, the acknowledgement of consistent differences among individuals, and the occupation of individual niches that together form the whole species niche should be imperative (Bolnick et al 2003). Such segregation into individual niches should decrease intraspecific competition and support the maintenance of variation in natural populations (Bolnick et al 2003, 2011; Wolf and Weissing 2012)
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