Data from: Exploration and emotionality in wild Apodemus flavicollis: light-dark box testing in the field

Over the past few decades, an increasing number of studies have investigated animal personality in wild species to understand ecological consequences induced by different animal behaviors that can influence population dynamics and dispersal, and animal contribution to ecosystem processes. Assessing animal behavioral profiles in the field is challenging because the number and type of tests are limited, and researchers often use customized versions of standard laboratory tests. This approach can result in misleading findings. As model species, rodents are widely used in behavioral research; here we tested whether the standard version of the light-dark box test can be used in wild Apodemus flavicollis to assess exploration and emotionality levels. We captured 354 and evaluated their behavioral performance. Principal component analysis was used to extract three main components from the original behaviors: exploration, anxiety and displacement behavior. We found a significant relationship between exploration level and sex, reproductive status and the interaction between these factors. Males exhibited stronger exploratory behavior than females. Reproductively active animals were more explorative than inactive ones, especially among females. In contrast, no relationship was found between these factors and anxiety or displacement behavior. Exploration and displacement behavior showed significant repeatability, indicating personality traits, while anxiety was not repeatable. Our results indicate that the standard laboratory light-dark box test is a useful paradigm for studying animal personality in wild rodents. If included in a panel of behavioral tests, this test could increase the reliability of animal personality studies in wild rodents.