Individual variation in the oxidative costs of personality traits

1.‘Personality traits’ are behavioural differences between individuals that are stable within individuals. Different combinations of personality traits can correlate with fitness variation but the mechanisms remain unclear. There is the suggestion that personality reflects variation in physiology. For example, ‘fast’ (bold, active, fast exploring) individuals are predicted to maintain a higher metabolic rate than ‘slow’ animals. A raised metabolic rate can result in a proliferation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which, if unchecked, cause oxidative stress. Thus, the ‘extended pace of life theory’ predicts that ‘fast’ individuals will pay higher oxidative costs than ‘slow’ ones. Alternatively, stress hormones, which are often relatively high in ‘slow’ individuals, can also cause proliferation of ROS and subsequent oxidative damage. Here, we assessed co-variation between personality and oxidative profile in wild blue tits. 2.The personality traits neophobia (latency to approach food ...