Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Does personality in small rodents vary depending on population density?

  • Behavioral ecology - Original Paper
  • Published:
Oecologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Personality means an individual’s unique way of behaving and reacting to the environment. It is a stable and heritable trait, which is expressed consistently in different situations. The aim of our study was to develop novel tests to depict the personality structure of the bank vole Myodes glareolus, and to determine if the phase of the population cycle, i.e. population density, affects personality. We focused on some central aspects of bank vole behaviour: mobility, risk taking, exploratory behaviour, dominance, and aggressive behaviour towards pups. These behaviours were chosen because they directly affect bank vole survival or fitness or are classified as important factors of personality in other species. In total, 192 males from different populations went through four behavioural tests, in which 20 variables were measured. The tests were repeated after 3 weeks, which verified that all traits were stable, i.e. repeatable between trials. Three personality compounds emerged, named extroversion, novelty seeking and infanticide. Extroversion included dominance and mobility, while novelty seeking consisted of risk taking and exploration. Infanticide encompassed all indices measuring harmful behaviour towards pups. Mobility and dominance were connected, possibly because both seem to depend on condition. Time spent in captivity increased extroversion, which may be explained by good food, stable conditions and acclimation to strong social cues. Novelty seeking was connected to repeatability which could mean that novelty avoiding individuals adjust their behaviour to match new environments. Population density affected the infanticide trait but not novelty seeking or extroversion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agrell J, Wolff JO, Ylönen H (1998) Counter-strategies to infanticide in mammals costs and consequences. Oikos 83:507–517

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alport G (1937) Personality a psychological interpretation. Rinehart and Winston, Holt, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreassen H, Gundersen G (2006) Male turnover reduces population growth: an enclosure experiment on voles. Ecology 87:88–94

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Assendorpf JB (1990) The measurement of individual consistency. Methodika 4:1–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Banks P, Norrdahl K, Korpimäki E (2002) Mobility decisions and the predation risks of reintroduction. Biol Conserv 103:133–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell AM, Hankison SJ, Laskowski KL (2009) The repeatability of behaviour a meta-analysis. Anim Behav 77:771–783

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benus RF, Den Daas S, Koolhaas JM, van Oortmerssen GA (1990) Routine formation and flexibility in social and non-social behaviour of aggressive and nonaggressive male mice. Behaviour 112:176–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benus RF, Bohus B, Koolhaas JM, van Oortmerssen GA (1991) Heritable variation for aggression as a reflection of individual coping strategies. Experientia 47:1008–1019

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Biro P, Stamps J (2008) Are animal personality traits linked to life history productivity? Trends Ecol Evol 23:361–368

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bondrup-Nielsen S, Karlsson F (1985) Movements and spatial patterns in populations of Clethrionomys species: a review. Ann Zool Fenn 22:385–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Boon A, Reale D, Boutin S (2007) The interaction between personality, offspring fitness and food abundance in North American red squirrels. Ecol Lett 10:1094–1104

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bouchard T, Loehlin J (2001) Genes, evolution and personality. Behav Gen 31:243–268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyer N, Re'ale D, Marmet J, Pisanu B, Chapuis J-L (2010) Personality, space use and tick load in an introduced population of Siberian chipmunks Tamias sibiricus. J Anim Ecol 79:538–547

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cockrem J (2007) Stress, corticosterone responses and avian personalities. J Ornithol 148:169–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dall S, Houston A, McNamara J (2004) The behavioural ecology of personality: consistent individual differences from an adaptive perspective. Ecol Lett 7:734–739

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daly M, Wilson M (1999) Human evolutionary psychology and animal behaviour. Anim Behav 57:509–519

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dingemanse N, Re′ale D (2005) Natural selection and animal personality. Behaviour 142:1165–1190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ebernsperger L (1998) Strategies and counterstrategies to infanticide in mammals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 73:321–346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox R, Ladage L, Roth T, Pravosudov V (2009) Behavioural profile predicts dominance status in mountain chickadees, Poecile gambeli. Anim Behav 77:1441–1448

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gosling S (2001) From mice to men: what can we learn about personality from animal research? Psychol Bull 127:45–86

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gosling L, Roberts S, Thornton E, Andrew M (2000) Life history costs of olfactory signalling in mice. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 48:328–332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hampson S, Goldberg L (2006) A first cohort study of personality trait stability over the 40 years between elementary school and midlife. J Pers Soc Psych 4:763–779

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes JP, Jenkins SH (1997) Individual variation in mammals. J Mammal 78:274–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horne T, Ylönen H (1996) Female bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) prefer dominant males; but what if there is no choice? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 38:401–405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horne T, Ylönen H (1998) Heritabilities of dominance related traits in male bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus). Evolution 52:894–899

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klemme I, Ylönen H, Eccard J (2007) Reproductive success of male bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) the effect of operational sex ratio and body size. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 61:1911–1918

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korpela K, Sundell J, Ylönen H (2010) Density dependence of infanticide and recognition of pup sex in male bank voles. Behaviour 147:871–881

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kruczek M (1997) Male rank and female choice in the bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus. Behav Proc 40:171–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Labov J, Huck U, Elwood R, Brooks R (1985) Current problems in the study of infanticidal behaviour in rodents. Q Rev Biol 60:1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd A, Martin J, Bornett-Gauci H, Wilkinson R (2008) Horse personality: variation between breeds. Appl Anim Behav Sci 112:69–383

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loehlin J, McCrae R, Costa P, John O (1998) Heritabilities of common and measurespecific components of the big five personality factors. J Res Pers 32:431–453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopuch S, Matula B (2008) Is there a relationship between dominance rank and condition in captive male bank voles, Clethrionomys glareolus? Acta Ethol 11:1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopuch S, Radwan J (2009) Condition dependence of sexual attractiveness in the bank vole. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 63:339–344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopucki R (2007) Social relationships in a bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber, 1780) population: video monitoring under field conditions. Pol J Ecol 55:543–558

    Google Scholar 

  • Marchetti C, Drent PJ (2000) Individual differences in the use of social informationin foraging by captives. Anim Behav 60:131–140

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCrae RR, Costa PT, Martin TA, Oryol VE, Rukavishnikov AA, Senin IG, Hrebickova M, Urbanek T (2004) Consensual validation of personality traits across cultures. J Res Pers 38:179–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGhee K, Travis J (2010) Repeatable behavioural type and stable dominance rank in the bluefin killifish. Anim Behav 79:497–507

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norrdahl K, Korpimäki E (1998) Does mobility or sex of voles affect risk of predation by mammalian predators? Ecology 79:387–395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrigo G, Belvin L, Quindry P, Kadir T, Becker J, Vanlook C, Niewoehner J, Saal F (1993) Genetic mediation of infanticide and parental behaviour in male and female domestic and wild stock house mice. Behav Gen 23:525–531

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Poikonen T, Koskela E, Mappes T, Mills S (2007) Infanticide in the evolution of reproductive synchrony effects on reproductive success. Evolution 62:612–621

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pruitt J, Riechert S, Iturralde G, Vega M, Fitzpatrick B, Aviles L (2010) Population differences in behaviour are explained by shared within-population trait correlations. J Evol Biol 23:748–756

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Quinn J, Patrick S, Bouwhuis S, Wilkin T, Sheldon B (2009) Heterogeneous selection on a heritable temperament trait in a variable environment. J Anim Ecol 78:1203–1215

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Re′ale D, Reader SM, Sol D, McDougall PT, Dingemanse NJ (2007) Integrating animal temperament within ecology and evolution. Biol Rev 82:291–318

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Re′ale D, Martin J, Coltman D, Poissant J, Festa-Bianchet M (2009) Male personality, life-history strategies and reproductive success in a promiscuous mammal. J Evol Biol 22:1599–1607

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schuett W, Dall SRX (2009) Sex differences, social context and personality in zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata. Anim Behav 77:1041–1050

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sih A, Bell A, Johnson J, Ziemba R (2004) Behavioural syndromes an integrative overview. Q Rev Biol 79:241–274

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith B, Blumstein D (2008) Fitness consequences of personality a metaanalysis. Behav Ecol 19:448–455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens J (2002) Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences, 4th edn. Lawrence Erblaum, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun P, Zhao Y, Zha XQ, Wang D (2007) Behavioural reaction of root vole (Microtus oeconomus pallas) males of different social ranks to familiar and novel odour of conspecific males. Pol J Ecol 55:571–578

    Google Scholar 

  • Sundell J, Trebaticka L, Oksanen T, Ovaskainen O, Haapakoski M, Ylönen H (2008) Predation on two vole species by a shared predator: antipredatory response and prey preference. Popul Ecol 50:257–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnik B, Fidell L (2007) Using multivariate statistics, 5th edn. Harper Collins, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • van Oers K, de Jong G, van Noordwijk A, Kempenaers B, Drent P (2005) Contribution of genetics to the study of animal personalities a review of case studies. Behaviour 142:1185–1206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vihervaara H, Sundell J, Ylönen H (2010) Is mating alone enough to inhibit infanticide in male bank voles? Ethology 116:888–894

    Google Scholar 

  • vom Saal F (1985) Time contingent change in infanticide and parental behaviour induced by ejaculation in male mice. Physiol Behav 34:7–15

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ylönen H (1988) Diel activity and demography in an enclosed population of the vole Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreb). Ann Zool Fenn 25:221–228

    Google Scholar 

  • Ylönen H (2001) Predator odours and behavioural responses of small rodents: an evolutionary perspective. In: Pelz H-J, Cowan PD, Feare CJ (eds) Advances in vertebrate pest management II. Filander, Fuerth, pp 123–138

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuckerman M (2005) Psychobiology of personality, 2nd edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank technicians of the Konnevesi Research Station for help in maintenance and care of the experimental animals. The experiment was conducted under permission by the Board for Animal Experimentation at the University of Jyväskylä, No. 25/20.6.2006.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Katri Korpela

  2. Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Janne Sundell & Hannu Ylönen

  3. Lammi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Pääjärventie 320, 16900, Lammi, Finland

    Janne Sundell

  4. Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Katri Korpela

Authors
  1. Katri Korpela
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Janne Sundell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hannu Ylönen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katri Korpela.

Additional information

Communicated by Roland Brandl.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Korpela, K., Sundell, J. & Ylönen, H. Does personality in small rodents vary depending on population density?. Oecologia 165, 67–77 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-010-1810-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-010-1810-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation