Abstract
Simple SummaryPersonality emerges because of individual differences in repeatable state variables, such as metabolic rate, age, sex, or body size. Personality and its correlation with body size, however, have been relatively unexplored in bats. Our study showed that the exploration of female Asian particolored bats was significantly repeatable, but we did not find significant correlations among exploration, activity, and aggression. This finding suggested that female Asian particolored bats may not have a behavioral syndrome. Additionally, the body mass of female Asian particolored bats was correlated with aggression and activity, suggesting that body mass may have an impact on the behavioral characteristics of bats. Our findings not only added to the literature concerning personality in bats but are also helpful for understanding the maintenance of an animal’s personality.Personality traits represent a leading edge in the evolutionary process, as natural selection acts directly on variations in individual phenotypes within populations. Recent theoretical models have focused on the concept of adaptive state-dependent behavior, proposing that repeatable differences in behavior emerge because of individual differences in repeatable state variables, such as metabolic rate, age, sex, or body size. Personality and its correlation with body size, however, have been relatively unexplored in bats. We used female Asian particolored bats (Vespertilio sinensis) to investigate three personality characteristics (exploration, activity, and aggression) using the classic hole-board test and examined their relationships with body size using an information-theoretical approach. Our results showed that the exploration of female Asian particolored bats was significantly repeatable, but we did not find significant correlations among the three personality traits. This finding suggested that the female Asian particolored bat may not have a behavioral syndrome. In addition, the body mass of female Asian particolored bats was positively correlated with aggression but was negatively correlated with activity, suggesting that body mass was an important physiological basis affecting the behavioral characteristics of female Asian particolored bats.
Highlights
Personality is defined as the consistency of an individual’s behavioral responses over time and across situations [1,2]
The predation hypothesis states that smaller individuals are more vulnerable to predation than larger individuals, so they are more vigilant than large individuals in a new environment [21]
We found that variance inflation factor (VIF) was
Summary
Personality is defined as the consistency of an individual’s behavioral responses over time and across situations [1,2]. Body size is an important aspect of an individual’s intrinsic state that can directly affect fitness-related traits as well as the costs and benefits associated with behavioral decisions [10,11,12,13,14]. Body size differences could set the stage for positive feedback loops between state and behavior that shape animal personality during development along various behavioral axes [9]. Previous studies have shown an inconsistent relationship between body size and personality traits within and across species, suggesting a complex mechanism underlying the relationships. In this case, the relationships between individual differences in body size and personality should be investigated in a wider variety of taxa
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