Genomic tools for behavioral ecologists to understand repeatable individual differences in behavior

TY - JOUR

T1 - Genomic tools for behavioral ecologists to understand repeatable individual differences in behavior

AU - Bengston, Sarah

AU - Dahan, Romain

AU - Donaldson, Zoe

AU - Phelps, Steven

AU - van Oers, K.

AU - Sih, Andrew

AU - Bell, Alison

N1 - 6418, AnE: Data Archiving: no data

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - Behaviour is a key interface between an animal’s genome and its environment. Repeatable individual differences in behaviour have been extensively documented in animals, but the molecular underpinnings of behavioural variation among individuals within natural populations remain largely unknown. Here, we offer a critical review of when molecular techniques may yield new insights, and we provide specific guidance on how and whether the latest tools available are appropriate given different resources, system and organismal constraints, and experimental designs. Integrating molecular genetic techniques with other strategies to study the proximal causes of behaviour provides opportunities to expand rapidly into new avenues of exploration. Such endeavours will enable us to better understand how repeatable individual differences in behaviour have evolved, how they are expressed and how they can be maintained within natural populations of animals.

AB - Behaviour is a key interface between an animal’s genome and its environment. Repeatable individual differences in behaviour have been extensively documented in animals, but the molecular underpinnings of behavioural variation among individuals within natural populations remain largely unknown. Here, we offer a critical review of when molecular techniques may yield new insights, and we provide specific guidance on how and whether the latest tools available are appropriate given different resources, system and organismal constraints, and experimental designs. Integrating molecular genetic techniques with other strategies to study the proximal causes of behaviour provides opportunities to expand rapidly into new avenues of exploration. Such endeavours will enable us to better understand how repeatable individual differences in behaviour have evolved, how they are expressed and how they can be maintained within natural populations of animals.

KW - international

U2 - 10.1038/s41559-017-0411-4

DO - 10.1038/s41559-017-0411-4

M3 - Article

SN - 2397-334X

VL - 2

SP - 944

EP - 955

JO - Nature Ecology and Evolution

JF - Nature Ecology and Evolution

ER -