Dochtermann Ned A, Jenkins Stephen H
Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA.
Proc Biol Sci. 2007 Sep 22;274(1623):2343-9. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0622.
Behavioural syndromes, correlations of behaviours conceptually analogous to personalities, have been a topic of recent attention due to their potential to explain trade-offs in behavioural responses, apparently maladaptive behaviour and limits to plasticity. Using Merriam's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys merriami), we assessed the explanatory power and generality of hypothesized syndrome structures derived from the literature and the natural history of the species. Several aspects of functionally distinct behavioural responses of D. merriami were quantified. Syndrome structures were compared using structural equation modelling and model selection procedures. A domain-general behavioural syndrome incorporating cross-functional relationships between measures of boldness, agonistic behaviour, flexibility and food hoarding best explained the data. This pattern suggests that D. merriami behaviours should not be viewed as discrete elements but as components of a multivariate landscape. Our results support arguments that a lack of independence between behaviours may be a general aspect of behavioural phenotypes and suggest that the ability of D. merriami's behaviour to respond to selection may be constrained by underlying connections.
行为综合征，即从概念上类似于个性的行为相关性，由于其具有解释行为反应权衡、明显的适应不良行为以及可塑性限制的潜力，已成为近期备受关注的话题。我们使用梅里亚姆更格卢鼠（Dipodomys merriami），评估了从文献和该物种自然史中推导出来的假设综合征结构的解释力和普遍性。对梅里亚姆更格卢鼠功能上不同的行为反应的几个方面进行了量化。使用结构方程建模和模型选择程序对综合征结构进行了比较。一个包含大胆程度、攻击行为、灵活性和食物储存量测量之间跨功能关系的通用行为综合征最能解释这些数据。这种模式表明，梅里亚姆更格卢鼠的行为不应被视为离散元素，而应被视为多元景观的组成部分。我们的结果支持了这样的观点，即行为之间缺乏独立性可能是行为表型的一个普遍特征，并表明梅里亚姆更格卢鼠行为对选择做出反应的能力可能受到潜在联系的限制。
