Data from: On the spatial clustering of behavioural phenotypes: Matching movement tactics with landscape structure in a large herbivore

In the wild, individuals consistently differ in movement and space use
behaviours, depending on their personality. This variation can lead to
personality-habitat associations and spatial structuring, potentially
generating individual niche segregation. We explored the link between
personality and landscape composition and structure in a population of
free-ranging roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), predicting that i)
individuals with similar movement tactics would occupy similar ecological
niches, which should result in ii) spatial clustering of personalities in
heterogeneous landscapes with personality-alike individuals being closer
to each other in space than by chance Using GPS and activity data from 263
roe deer, we calculated five movement-based personality traits. We
evaluated the association between movement phenotypes and habitat by
comparing the among-individual similarity in movement behaviour to their
similarity in home range composition and structure. Additionally, we
conducted spatially explicit analyses to quantify the spatial clustering
of these traits. Our results reveal that individuals with similar daytime
use of open habitats, an indicator of boldness, occupy the same ecological
niche with respect to woodland availability and habitat homogeneity,
leading to strong spatial clustering in this trait. In contrast, home
range size, average movement speed, and road diurnality (i.e, an
individual’s propensity to get closer to a road during daytime) were
spatially structured only at a small scale. Additionally, we found no
spatial structure in activity level, and neither activity nor road
diurnality was associated with landscape composition and structure.
Matching movement-based personality traits with landscape features
revealed spatial clustering of personalities. This non-random distribution
could have implications for managing wild ungulate populations,
segregating ecosystem services (e.g., nutrient fluxes) and disservices
(e.g., road collisions) across the landscape.