A case for considering individual variation in diel activity patterns

There is a growing recognition of the role of individual variation in patterns emerging at higher levels of biological organization. Despite the importance of the temporal configuration of ecological processes and patterns, intraspecific individual variation in diel activity patterns is almost never accounted for in behavioral studies at the population level. We used individual-based monitoring data from 98 GPS-collared brown bears in Scandinavia to estimate diel activity patterns before the fall hunting season. We extracted 7 activity measures related to timing and regularity of activity from individual activity profiles. We then used multivariate analysis to test for the existence of distinct activity tactics and their environmental determinants, followed by generalized linear regression to estimate the extent of within-individual repeatability of activity tactics. We detected 4 distinct activity tactics, with a high degree of individual fidelity to a given tactic. Demographic factors...学界日益认识到，个体变异在更高生物组织层级的格局形成中扮演着关键角色。尽管生态过程与格局的时间配置具有重要意义，但种群层面的行为研究中几乎从未纳入种内个体间的昼夜活动模式变异。本研究利用斯堪的纳维亚地区98只佩戴GPS项圈的棕熊的个体监测数据，估算了秋季狩猎季前的昼夜活动模式。我们从个体活动曲线中提取了7项与活动时序及规律性相关的活动指标；随后通过多变量分析检验是否存在独特的活动策略及其环境决定因素，并进一步采用广义线性回归估算活动策略的个体内重复性程度。研究共识别出4种独特的活动策略，且个体对特定策略具有较高的忠实度。人口统计学因素……