Personality shapes pair bonding in a wild bird social system

Josh A. Firth (Corresponding author), Ella F. Cole, Christos C. Ioannou, John L. Quinn, Lucy M. Aplin, A. Culina, Keith McMahon, Ben C. Sheldon

Research output: Contribution to journal/periodicalArticleScientificpeer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)
134 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Mated pair bonds are integral to many animal societies, yet how individual variation in behaviour influences their formation remains largely unknown. In a population of wild great tits (Parus major), we show that personality shapes pair bonding: proactive males formed stronger pre-breeding pair bonds by meeting their future partners sooner and increasing their relationship strength at a faster rate. As a result, proactive males sampled fewer potential mates. Thus, personality may have important implications for social relationship dynamics and emergent social structure.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1696-1699
JournalNature Ecology and Evolution
Volume2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Oct 2018

Keywords

  • international

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