Correlation between boldness and body mass in natural populations of the poeciliid Brachyrhaphis episcopi

C. Brown, F. Jones, V. A. Braithwaite

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

137 Scopus citations

Abstract

The boldness of individual Brachyrhaphis episcopi, collected from regions of high and low predation, was investigated using two independent assays: (1) the time to emerge from cover and (2) the propensity to leave shoal mates and investigate a novel object. A strong correlation between the two assays was revealed such that fish that emerged from shelter sooner were also more likely to approach a novel object. This is indicative of a boldness personality axis acting across both behavioural contexts. Fish from high-predation areas were bolder than those from low-predation areas and males were bolder than females. A significant correlation between body mass, standard length (LS) and boldness score was also found. In general, bold fish had a greater body mass at a given LS than shy fish. These results suggest that personality traits are strongly influenced by population-specific ecological variables and may have fitness consequences in wild populations.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1590-1601
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Fish Biology
Volume71
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2007

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Aquatic Science

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