Linking behavioural thermoregulation, boldness and individual state in male Carpetan rock lizards

Mechanisms affecting consistent inter-individual behavioural variation (i.e. animal personality) are of wide scientific interest. In poikilotherms, ambient temperature is one of the most important environmental factors with a direct link to a variety of fitness-related traits. Recent empirical evidence suggests that individual differences in boldness are linked to behavioural thermoregulation strategy in heliothermic species, as individuals are regularly exposed to predators during basking. Here, we tested for links between behavioural thermoregulation strategy, boldness and individual state in adult males of the high mountain Carpetan rock lizard (Iberolacerta cyreni). Principal Component Analysis revealed the following latent links in our data: (i) a positive relationship of activity with relative limb length and colour brightness (PC1, 23% variation explained), (ii) a negative relationship of thermoregulatory precision with parasite load and risk-taking (PC2, 20.98% variation explain...