Heterogeneous selection on exploration behavior within and among West European populations of a passerine bird

TY - JOUR

T1 - Heterogeneous selection on exploration behavior within and among West European populations of a passerine bird

AU - Mouchet, Alexia

AU - Cole, Ella F.

AU - Matthysen, Erik

AU - Nicolaus, Marion

AU - Quinn, John L.

AU - Roth, Allison M.

AU - Tinbergen, Joost M.

AU - van Oers, Kees

AU - van Overveld, Thijs

AU - Dingemanse, Niels J.

N1 - 7268, AnE; Data archiving: data archived in Dryad (no NIOO data)

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Heterogeneous selection is often proposed as a key mechanism maintaining repeatable behavioral variation ("animal personality") in wild populations. Previous studies largely focused on temporal variation in selection within single populations. The relative importance of spatial versus temporal variation remains unexplored, despite these processes having distinct effects on local adaptation. Using data from >3,500 great tits (Parus major) and 35 nest box plots situated within five West-European populations monitored over 4 to 18 y, we show that selection on exploration behavior varies primarily spatially, across populations, and study plots within populations. Exploration was, simultaneously, selectively neutral in the average population and year. These findings imply that spatial variation in selectionmay represent a primarymechanism maintaining animal personalities, likely promoting the evolution of local adaptation, phenotype-dependent dispersal, and nonrandom settlement. Selection also varied within populations among years, which may counteract local adaptation. Our study underlines the importance of combining multiple spatiotemporal scales in the study of behavioral adaptation.

AB - Heterogeneous selection is often proposed as a key mechanism maintaining repeatable behavioral variation ("animal personality") in wild populations. Previous studies largely focused on temporal variation in selection within single populations. The relative importance of spatial versus temporal variation remains unexplored, despite these processes having distinct effects on local adaptation. Using data from >3,500 great tits (Parus major) and 35 nest box plots situated within five West-European populations monitored over 4 to 18 y, we show that selection on exploration behavior varies primarily spatially, across populations, and study plots within populations. Exploration was, simultaneously, selectively neutral in the average population and year. These findings imply that spatial variation in selectionmay represent a primarymechanism maintaining animal personalities, likely promoting the evolution of local adaptation, phenotype-dependent dispersal, and nonrandom settlement. Selection also varied within populations among years, which may counteract local adaptation. Our study underlines the importance of combining multiple spatiotemporal scales in the study of behavioral adaptation.

KW - Animal personality

KW - Fluctuating selection

KW - Integrative fitness

KW - Local adaptation

KW - Macro-spatial variation

KW - international

KW - Plan_S-Compliant_NO

UR - https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mkkwh70z8

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.2024994118

DO - 10.1073/pnas.2024994118

M3 - Article

C2 - 34234017

AN - SCOPUS:85109451464

SN - 0027-8424

VL - 118

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

IS - 28

M1 - e2024994118

ER -