Demystifying animal “personality” (or not): why individual variation matters to experimental biologists

Data for: Roche DG, Careau V and Binning SA (2016) Demystifying animal “personality” (or not): why individual variation matters to experimental biologists. Journal of Experimental Biology doi:10.1242/jeb.146712
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Abstract: Animal ‘personality’, defined as repeatable inter-individual
differences in behaviour, is a concept in biology that faces intense
controversy. Critics argue that the field is riddled with terminological and
methodological inconsistencies and lacks a sound theoretical framework. Nevertheless,
experimental biologists are increasingly studying individual differences in
physiology and relating these to differences in behaviour, which can lead to
fascinating insights. We
encourage this trend and highlight some of
the benefits of estimating variation in (and covariation among) phenotypic
traits at the inter- and intra- individual levels. We focus on behaviour while
drawing parallels with physiological and performance-related traits. First, we outline
some of the confusion surrounding the terminology used to describe repeatable
inter-individual differences in behaviour. Second, we argue that acknowledging individual
behavioural differences can help researchers avoid sampling and experimental
bias, increase explanatory power, and, ultimately, understand how selection
acts on physiological traits. Third, we summarize
the latest methods to collect, analyse and present data on individual trait
variation. We note that, while measuring the repeatability of phenotypic traits
is informative in its own right, it is only the first step towards understanding
how natural selection and genetic architecture shape intra-specific variation
in complex, labile traits. Thus, understanding how and why behavioural traits
evolve requires linking repeatable inter-individual behavioural differences
with core aspects of physiology (e.g. neurophysiology, endocrinology, energy
metabolism) and evolutionary biology (e.g. selection gradients, heritability).