Data from: Risk-taking behavior related to mercury contamination in a high Arctic seabird

Understanding how animal personality traits are modified by environmental
stressors, including chemical contaminants, is of increasing importance
given rapid anthropogenic environmental change. In this context, we
explored whether mercury (Hg) contamination is associated with neophobia
and risk-taking behavior in little auks (or dovekies, Alle alle), an
Arctic seabird facing altered Hg exposure due to climate change. To
quantify parental risk-taking and neophobia behavior, we presented novel
objects of different colors at little auks nests at Hornsund, Svalbard. We
quantified latency of birds to enter the nest with food under control
conditions and when confronted with novel objects. We related behavior to
blood Hg and baseline corticosterone (CORT), as CORT might be modulated by
Hg and affect behavioral stress responsiveness. We also determined
repeatability and asked whether birds investing highly in reproduction
displayed reduced neophobia. Little auks displayed neophobia, with latency
to enter the nest increasing from ~40 to 80 sec on average in response to
novel objects. Latency to enter was individually repeatable within and
across control and novel object sessions, suggesting repeatability in
cautiousness. However, neophobia (increased latency relative to controls)
exhibited non-significant repeatability, perhaps due to habituation. Birds
with elevated Hg for this population (range: 0.3-0.8 mg g-1 dry weight)
took longer to enter the nest upon first appearance in control and novel
object sessions, suggesting elevated cautiousness, but did not show higher
neophobia or reduced habituation. CORT negatively correlated with
neophobia. Findings support prior work suggesting that Hg might alter
risk-taking behavior, calling for more work on this topic in animals at
high Hg exposure risk.