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Correlation between boldness and body mass in natural populations of the poeciliid Brachyrhaphis episcopi
Author(s) -
Brown C.,
Jones F.,
Braithwaite V. A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01627.x
Subject(s) - boldness , biology , predation , ecology , population , personality , zoology , fish <actinopterygii> , behavioral syndrome , fishery , demography , social psychology , psychology , sociology
The boldness of individual Brachyrhaphis episcopi , collected from regions of high and low predation, was investigated using two independent assays: (1) the time to emerge from cover and (2) the propensity to leave shoal mates and investigate a novel object. A strong correlation between the two assays was revealed such that fish that emerged from shelter sooner were also more likely to approach a novel object. This is indicative of a boldness personality axis acting across both behavioural contexts. Fish from high‐predation areas were bolder than those from low‐predation areas and males were bolder than females. A significant correlation between body mass, standard length ( L S ) and boldness score was also found. In general, bold fish had a greater body mass at a given L S than shy fish. These results suggest that personality traits are strongly influenced by population‐specific ecological variables and may have fitness consequences in wild populations.