Effect of prey personality depends on predator species

Abstract

The ability of prey to respond to predators is especially important in human-altered habitats, where prey are faced with changing predator regimes. A growing body of research has shown the important ecological impacts of intraspecific, individual differences in behavior, but few studies have shown direct fitness consequences of behavioral types in a predation context. We examined behavioral syndromes in the endemic Largespring mosquitofish (Gambusia geiseri) and how the behavioral type of individual G. geiseri affected their behavior and survival when exposed to 3 different species of predators. We measured latency to emerge from a container, time spent moving, and tank area used for individual G. geiseri in the presence and absence of predators. We then measured behavior and survival of these same individuals in one-on-one predation trials. We found that behavioral types and correlations between latency to emerge, time spent moving, and area used were consistent regardless of predator presence. Behavioral type did not predict survival of the predation trial. However, higher behavioral scores correlated with more escapes from predatory Fundulus grandis. We argue that this result indicates that active/exploratory fish have a greater ability than their conspecifics to escape this species, which is a novel predator. Our results illustrate the potential importance of considering individual differences in behavior in studying the impacts of introduced predator species. © 2014 The Author.