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Consistent individual variations in aggressiveness and a behavioral syndrome across breeding contexts in different environments in the Black-tailed Gull

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Abstract

Individual behaviors of animals do not evolve separately; they do so in association with other behaviors caused by single shared genetic or physiological constraints and/or favored by selection. Thus, measuring behavioral syndromes—suites of correlated behaviors across different contexts—leads to a better understanding of the adaptive significance of variations in behaviors. However, relatively few studies have examined behavioral syndromes in wild animal populations in changing environments. We investigated a potential behavioral syndrome across antipredator nest defense, territorial defense, chick provisioning, and mating behaviors of male Black-tailed Gulls Larus crassirostris in two successive years under different conspecific territorial intrusion risks and food conditions. Males that presented high levels of antipredator nest defense (aggressive antipredator defenders) against a crow decoy (crows are egg predators) defended their territories against conspecific intruders more frequently than did other males (nonaggressive antipredator defenders), independent of the risk of intrusion. Aggressive antipredator defenders also fed their chicks more frequently than nonaggressive males, but only in a year of low food availability. Taken together, this indicates that males show consistent aggressiveness regardless of breeding context (antipredator and territorial defense), but can regulate food provisioning according to food availability.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Yasunori Sakurai for helpful comments during the course of the study. Thanks are also due to Kazuki Kosugi, Masahiko Sato, Rie Sato, Nobuaki Takahashi, Junko Kaji, Takazo Kawabata, Toru Nishijima, Kanako Nishijima, Shinya Okada, Hideo Takahara, Takayuki Fukuda, Takashi Hirotsu, Kanako Toge, Akito Mitumori, and Fumi Hirose for their support and assistance in the field. We are grateful to two anonymous referees for their very helpful comments and suggestions for improving the manuscript. We would also like to thank Thomas Van Pelt, and Mark Brazil, Scientific Editing Services, for correcting the English used in the manuscript. The Hokkaido Souya subprefectural office gave us permission (#36-1-5 in 2007 and #1-1-5 in 2008) to investigate the Black-tailed Gulls in the study areas on Rishiri Island. Parts of this study were conducted with the support of the Meijo University AGRIOMICS project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Marine Ecology, Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1 Minato-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido, 041-8611, Japan

    Kentaro Kazama & Yutaka Watanuki

  2. Laboratory of Environmental Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, Meijo University, 1-501 Shiogamaguchi, Tenpaku-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 468-8502, Japan

    Kentaro Kazama & Yasuaki Niizuma

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  1. Kentaro Kazama
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  2. Yasuaki Niizuma
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  3. Yutaka Watanuki
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Correspondence to Kentaro Kazama.

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Kazama, K., Niizuma, Y. & Watanuki, Y. Consistent individual variations in aggressiveness and a behavioral syndrome across breeding contexts in different environments in the Black-tailed Gull. J Ethol 30, 279–288 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-011-0324-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-011-0324-7

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