Can personality predict movement patterns and space use in fishes?: A study case on partial-migrating Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and stream-dwelling Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus)

• Main Author: Beukeboom, Rosanne
• Other Authors: David Benhaïm, Líf- og umhverfisvísindadeild (HÍ), Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences (UI), Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ), School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI), Háskóli Íslands, University of Iceland
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Iceland, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences 2023
• Subjects: Fiskar; Atferlisfræði; Vistfræði; Animal behaviour; Ecology; Vistspor; Doktorsritgerðir; Líffræði (námsgrein); Arctic charr; Arctic; atlantic cod; Gadus morhua; Salvelinus alpinus
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4519

Individuals within a population often differ predictably in their behaviour compared to other members across time and/or context, often termed personality, which can have major implications for ecology and evolution. Personality includes variation in the levels of risktaking behaviour (i.e. boldness), exploratory behaviour, activity in a familiar environment, aggressiveness and sociality and often the variables correlate, i.e. they form a behavioural syndrome. The role of consistent differences in movement behaviour within this framework has only been highlighted recently. Additionally, not many studies have examined the influence of seasonal change on behavioural stability or validated laboratory behaviour with natural behaviour. In this thesis, I studied personality, behavioural syndromes and their relation to movement (i.e. local foraging patterns, larger-scale space use and feeding migration) in two fish species, i.e. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) that exhibit partial migration and a population of stream-dwelling Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus), which habitat is ideal to study space use. Additionally, I investigated the potential effect of seasonal changes and measurement environment (i.e. laboratory, semi-wild and wild) on personality and movement. The results indicate that personality is present between time intervals, especially for movement-related traits (i.e. activity and exploration, which were identified as two separate traits) and found that this may be related to a feeding migration-linked gene in Atlantic cod. However, no evidence was found for repeatable behaviours across context, i.e. season and environment, in Arctic charr. Additionally, not much evidence for behavioural syndromes was found in these two species. The findings encourage future personality studies to be clear in the definitions used and to take context into account when studying personality. Finally, I examine how personality may have implications for management. Einstaklingar af sama stofni sýna oft ákveðið, en ólíkt atferli ...