Variation in personality shaped by evolutionary history, genotype, and developmental plasticity in response to feeding modalities in the Arctic charr

Animal personality has been shown to be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors and shaped by natural selection. Currently, little is known about mechanisms influencing the development of personality traits. This study examines the extent to which personality development is genetically influenced and/or environmentally responsive (plastic). We also investigated the role of evolutionary history, assessing whether personality traits could be canalized along a genetic and ecological divergence gradient. We tested the plastic potential of boldness in juveniles of five Icelandic Arctic charr morphs (Salvelinus alpinus), including two pairs of sympatric morphs, displaying various degrees of genetic and ecological divergence from the ancestral anadromous charr, split between treatments mimicking benthic vs. pelagic feeding modalities. We show that differences in mean boldness are mostly affected by genetics. While the benthic treatment led to bolder individuals overall, the enviro...,
Research questions
In the present study, we examined what roles genotype, plasticity and canalization play in the development of personality in the Arctic charr. We focused on a widely studied aspect of animal personality, boldness – the individual propensity to take risks – that has recently been reported in the Arctic charr.
We hypothesized that:

differences in ecological backgrounds lead to the evolution of different personality profiles between morphs (genotype).

the early environment influences the developmental trajectories of personality traits (developmental plasticity of personality) within morphs.

the degree of evolutionary divergence influences the degree of developmental plasticity of personality and the magnitude of personality range between morphs, potentially via canalization.

To address this, juvenile full-sibs of AN, VS, VB, LB and PL Arctic charr morphs were reared in a common garden in benthic (feeding exclusively at the bottom) vs. pelagic (feeding exclusive..., , # Variation in personality shaped by evolutionary history, genotype, and developmental plasticity in response to feeding modalities in the Arctic charr

#### Marion Dellinger1,2; Sarah E. Steele2,3; Evert Sprockel1,4; Joris Philip1,5; Arnar Pálsson2; David Benhaïm1

1 Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University, Iceland; 2 Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, Iceland; 3 Canadian Museum of Nature, Canada; 4 HAS University, the Netherlands; 5 Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment, University of Glasgow, Scotland

## Research questions

In the present study, we examined what roles genotype, plasticity and canalization play in the development of personality in the Arctic charr. We focused on a widely studied aspect of animal personality, boldness – the individual propensity to take risks – that has recently been reported in the Arctic charr.
We hypothesised that:

1. differences...