Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies & Department of Behavioural Biology, Centre for Behaviour and Neurosciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, The Netherlands.
Trends Ecol Evol. 2010 Feb;25(2):81-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2009.07.013. Epub 2009 Sep 11.
Recent studies in the field of behavioural ecology have revealed intriguing variation in behaviour within single populations. Increasing evidence suggests that individual animals differ in their average level of behaviour displayed across a range of contexts (animal 'personality'), and in their responsiveness to environmental variation (plasticity), and that these phenomena can be considered complementary aspects of the individual phenotype. How should this complex variation be studied? Here, we outline how central ideas in behavioural ecology and quantitative genetics can be combined within a single framework based on the concept of 'behavioural reaction norms'. This integrative approach facilitates analysis of phenomena usually studied separately in terms of personality and plasticity, thereby enhancing understanding of their adaptive nature.
近年来，行为生态学领域的研究揭示了单一种群内行为的有趣变化。越来越多的证据表明，个体动物在一系列环境中表现出的平均行为水平（动物“个性”）存在差异，并且对环境变化的反应（可塑性）也存在差异，这些现象可以被视为个体表型的互补方面。应该如何研究这种复杂的变化呢？在这里，我们概述了如何在基于“行为反应规范”概念的单个框架内结合行为生态学和数量遗传学的核心思想。这种综合方法有助于分析通常分别从个性和可塑性角度研究的现象，从而增强对其适应性本质的理解。
