Abstract
In most animals, individuals differ systematically in social competences and behaviour. The existence of such ‘social personalities’ is intriguing both from an eco-evolutionary perspective (when does the local environment select for diversification in social behaviour?) and from a mechanistic perspective (how do personality differences emerge in individual development?). Using an integrative eco-evo-devo framework, we address three questions: How do the ecological conditions at different life stages lead to the development of social personalities (‘eco-devo’)? How does the interplay of environment-dependent selection and developmental mechanisms affect the stability of social personalities (‘evo-devo’)? What are the eco-evolutionary consequences of mechanisms like social niche choice or social niche construction (‘eco-evo’)? We will address these questions by a series of experiments on three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), which are kept under controlled conditions in a semi-natural environment (replicate series of ponds connected by tubes allowing dispersal and habitat choice). Sticklebacks are ideally suited for this project, because they inhabit ecologically diverse conditions and exhibit variation in social behaviours (aggression, shoaling, cooperation) among individuals and populations. By manipulating key selective pressures (predation risk and competition level), we will test whether, when and how early conditions give rise to stable social personalities. In parallel, the source populations will be closely monitored in their natural environment. The empirical research will be complemented by theoretical modelling to derive testable predictions and to provide a framework for interpreting the empirical results. Together this will provide a deeper understanding of how personalities emerge by the interplay of ecology, evolution and development.
Netherlands