Individual differences in risk‐taking affect foraging across different landscapes of fear

One of the strongest determinants of behavioural variation is the tradeoff between resource gain and safety. Although classical theory predicts optimal foraging under risk, empirical studies report large unexplained variation in behaviour. Intrinsic individual differences in risk-taking behaviour might contribute to this variation. By repeatedly exposing individuals of a small mesopredator to different experimental landscapes of risks and resources, we tested 1) whether individuals adjust their foraging behaviour according to predictions of the general tradeoff between energy gain and predation avoidance and 2) whether individuals differ consistently and predictably from each other in how they solve this tradeoff. Wild-caught individuals (n = 42) of the jumping spider Marpissa muscosa, were subjected to repeated release and open-field tests to quantify among-individual variation in boldness and activity. Subsequently, individuals were tested in four foraging tests that differed in risk ...行为变异最显著的决定因素之一，是资源获取与生存安全之间的权衡（tradeoff）。尽管经典理论预测了风险情境下的最优觅食策略，但实证研究却发现行为存在大量无法解释的变异。个体在冒险行为上的固有差异，或许正是造成这类变异的原因之一。我们通过让小型中型捕食者（small mesopredator）的个体反复暴露于不同风险与资源配置的实验景观（experimental landscapes）中，开展了两项测试：其一，个体是否会依据能量获取与规避捕食（predation avoidance）之间的通用权衡理论，调整自身觅食行为；其二，个体在解决该权衡问题时，是否存在稳定且可预测的个体间差异。本研究以野外捕获的42只（n = 42）跳蛛（jumping spider）*Marpissa muscosa*个体为研究对象，先后接受了重复释放试验与旷场试验（open-field tests），以量化其大胆性（boldness）与活动水平的个体间变异。随后，这些个体又接受了四项风险条件不同的觅食试验……