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Increased exposure to predators increases both exploration and activity level in Brachyrhaphis episcopi

2011; Wiley; Volume: 78; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02880.x

1095-8649

Gabrielle A. Archard, Victoria A. Braithwaite,

Amphibian and Reptile Biology

Two temperament traits, tendency to explore and activity level, were measured in a tropical poeciliid fish, the Panamanian bishop Brachyrhaphis episcopi . Open‐field arena tests were used to quantify how predation pressure shapes activity levels and exploratory behaviours. Fish behaviour differed between high and low‐predation populations. Fish that experienced higher levels of predation were both more explorative and more active. There were also some individual differences within populations; fish varied in their levels of exploration and activity in a novel open arena, but these differences were not related to sex or size. Together with previous studies on this species, these results indicate that there is a behavioural syndrome associated with predation pressure. Fish from high‐predation populations are bolder, more explorative and more active than those from low‐predation populations.