Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

You Are What You Eat: The Interplay Between Animal Personality and Foraging Ecology

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Personality in Nonhuman Animals

Abstract

Foraging animals face a constant dilemma—balancing the need to acquire food without putting themselves at risk. Individuals within a population vary in personality, and as a consequence they differ in how they perceive, interpret, and respond to foraging choices. Despite the inherent necessity for animals to acquire food, and thus direct link to fitness, the interplay between foraging and animal personality has received little attention. In this chapter, we first summarize studies that have integrated animal personality and foraging decisions in wild and captive populations, then highlight research deficiencies and suggest future research opportunities to unite the study of personality and foraging ecology. We also introduce and discuss patch-use theory as a specific research methodology that may help to facilitate future assessment of individual foraging differences. We believe that further investigation into the influence of personality on individual foraging decisions is key to understanding a valuable and largely understudied aspect of overall animal success and the ecological consequences of personality.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Altendorf, K. B., LaundrĂ©, J. W., Lopez Gonzalez, C. A., & Brown, J. S. (2001). Assessing effects of predation risk on foraging behavior of mule deer. Journal of Mammalogy, 82, 430–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arvidsson, L. K., & Matthysen, E. (2016). Individual differences in foraging decisions: Information-gathering strategies or flexibility? Behavioral Ecology, 27, 1353–1361.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baird, R. W., Abrams, P. A., & Dill, L. M. (1992). Possible indirect interactions between transient and resident killer whales: Implications for the evolution of foraging specializations in the genus Orcinus. Oecologia, 89, 125–132.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, K., & Pullen, P. K. (2013). The impact of housing and husbandry on the personality of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research, 1, 35–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bedoya-Perez, M. A., Carthey, A. J. R., Mella, V. S. A., McArthur, C., & Banks, P. B. (2013). A practical guide to avoid giving up on giving-up densities. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 67, 1541–1553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, A. M. (2007). Future directions in behavioural syndromes research. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 274, 755–761.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berger-Tal, O., Mukherjee, S., Kotler, B. P., & Brown, J. S. (2010). State of emergency: Behavior of gerbils is affected by the hunger state of their predators. Ecology, 91, 593–600.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bergvall, U. A., Schäpers, A., Kjellander, P., & Weiss, A. (2011). Personality and foraging decisions in fallow deer, Dama dama. Animal Behaviour, 81, 101–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biro, P. A., & Stamps, J. A. (2008). Are animal personality traits linked to life-history productivity? Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 23, 361–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boon, A., Reale, D., & Boutin, S. (2008). Personality, habitat use, and their consequences for survival in North American red squirrels Tamiasciurus hudsonicus. Oikos, 117, 1321–1328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Both, C., Dingemanse, N. J., Drent, P. J., & Tinbergen, J. M. (2005). Pairs of extreme avian personalities have highest reproductive success. Journal of Animal Ecology, 74, 667–674.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bremner-Harrison, S., Prodohl, P. A., & Elwood, R. W. (2004). Behavioural trait assessment as a release criterion: Boldness predicts early death in a reintroduction programme of captive-bred swift fox (Vulpes velox). Animal Conservation, 7, 313–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. (1988). Patch use as an indicator of habitat preference, predation risk, and competition. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 22, 37–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. S., Morgan, R. A., & Dow, B. D. (1992). Patch use under prĂ©dation risk: A test with fox squirrels, Sciurus niger. Annales Zoologici Fennici, 29, 311–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Careau, V., & Garland, T., Jr. (2012). Performance, personality, and energetics: Correlation, causation, and mechanism. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 85, 543–571.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Careau, V., Thomas, D., Humphries, M., & RĂ©ale, D. (2008). Energy metabolism and animal personality. Oikos, 117, 641–653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charnov, E. L. (1976). Optimal foraging, the marginal value theorem. Theoretical Population Biology, 9, 129–136.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, A. B., & Ehlinger, T. J. (1987). Pattern and adaptation in individual behavioral differences. In P. P. G. Bateson & P. Klopfer (Eds.), Perspectives in Ethology (Vol. 7, pp. 1–47). Springer US.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dall, S. R. X., Houston, A. I., & McNamara, J. M. (2004). The behavioural ecology of personality: Consistent individual differences from an adaptive perspective. Ecology Letters, 7, 734–739.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dammhahn, M., & Almeling, L. (2012). Is risk taking during foraging a personality trait? A field test for cross-context consistency in boldness. Animal Behaviour, 84, 1131–1139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dingemanse, N. J., Both, C., van Noordwijk, A. J., Rutten, A. L., & Drent, P. J. (2003). Natal dispersal and personalities in great tits (Parus major). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 270, 741–747.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dukas, R. (1998). Evolutionary ecology of learning. In R. Dukas (Ed.), Cognitive ecology: The evolutionary ecology of information processing and decision making (pp. 129–164). University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, J. R. G., Croft, D. P., Morrell, L. J., & Krause, J. (2009). Shoal composition determines foraging success in the guppy. Behavioral Ecology, 20, 165–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Estes, J. A., Riedman, M. L., Staedler, M. M., Tinker, M. T., & Lyon, B. E. (2003). Individual variation in prey selection by sea otters: Patterns, causes and implications. Journal of Animal Ecology, 72, 144–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Favati, A., Leimar, O., & Løvlie, H. (2014). Personality predicts social dominance in male domestic fowl. PLoS ONE, 9, 1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garamszegi, L. Z., Erritzøe, J., & Møller, A. P. (2007). Feeding inovations and parasitism in birds. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 90, 441–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gartner, M. C., Powell, D. M., & Weiss, A. (2016). Comparison of subjective well being and personality assessments in the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia), and African Lion (Panthera leo). Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 19, 294–302.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gende, S. M., & Quinn, T. P. (2004). The relative importance of prey density and social dominance in determining energy intake by bears feeding on Pacific salmon. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 82, 75–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • González-Bernal, E., Brown, G. P., & Shine, R. (2014). Invasive cane toads: Social facilitation depends upon an individual’s personality. PLoS ONE, 9, e102880.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Grand, A. P., Kuhar, C. W., Leighty, K. A., Bettinger, T. L., & Laudenslager, M. L. (2012). Using personality ratings and cortisol to characterize individual differences in African Elephants (Loxodonta africana). Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 142, 69–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffen, B. D., Toscano, B. J., & Gatto, J. (2012). The role of individual behavior type in mediating indirect interactions. Ecology, 93, 1935–1943.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, E. A., & Closs, G. P. (2005). Diel activity and home range size in relation to food supply in a drift-feeding stream fish. Behavioral Ecology, 16, 640–648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herborn, K. A., Macleod, R., Miles, W. T. S., Schofield, A. N. B., Alexander, L., & Arnold, K. E. (2010). Personality in captivity reflects personality in the wild. Animal Behaviour, 79, 835–843.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huntingford, F. A. (1976). The relationship between anti-predator behaviour and aggression among conspecifics in the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus. Animal Behaviour, 24, 245–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koolhaas, J. M., Korte, S. M., De Boer, S. F., Van Der Vegt, B. J., Van Reenen, C. G., Hopster, H., et al. (1999). Coping styles in animals: Current status in behavior and stress- physiology. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 23, 925–935.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krams, I., Kivleniece, I., Kuusik, A., Krama, T., Freeberg, T. M., Mänd, R., et al. (2013). Predation selects for low resting metabolic rate and consistent individual differences in anti-predator behavior in a beetle. Acta Ethologica, 16, 163–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhar, C. W., Stoinski, T. S., Lukas, K. E., & Maple, T. L. (2006). Gorilla Behavior Index revisited: Age, housing and behavior. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 96, 315–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurvers, R. H. J. M., Nolet, B. A., Prins, H. H. T., Ydenberg, R. C., & Van Oers, K. (2012). Boldness affects foraging decisions in barnacle geese: An experimental approach. Behavioral Ecology, 23, 1155–1161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurvers, R. H. J. M., Prins, H. H. T., van Wieren, S. E., van Oers, K., Nolet, B. A., & Ydenberg, R. C. (2010). The effect of personality on social foraging: Shy barnacle geese scrounge more. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 277, 601–608.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lima, S. L. (1998). Stress and decision making under the risk of predation: Recent developments from behavioral, reproductive, and ecological perspectives. Advances in the Study of Behavior, 27, 215–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur, R., & Pianka, E. (1966). On optimal use of a patchy environment. American Naturalist, 100, 603–609.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McArthur, C., Banks, P. B., Boonstra, R., & Forbey, J. S. (2014). The dilemma of foraging herbivores: Dealing with food and fear. Oecologia, 176, 677–689.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McPhee, M. E., & Carlstead, K. (2010). The importance of maintaining natural behaviors in captive mammals. In D. G. Kleiman, K. V. Thompson, & C. Kirk Baer (Eds.), Wild mammals in captivity: Principles and techniques for zoo management (2nd Ed., pp. 303–313). University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mella, V. S. A., Krucler, J., Hawkins, J., Herath, A. P. H. M., Johnstone, K. C., Troxell-Smith, S. M., et al. (2016). Effective field-based methods to quantify personality in brushtail possus (Trichosurus vulpecula). Wildlife Research, 43, 332–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mella, V. S. A., Ward, A. J. W., Banks, P. B., & McArthur, C. (2015). Personality affects the foraging response of a mammalian herbivore to the dual costs of food and fear. Oecologia, 177, 293–303.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Michelena, P., Jeanson, R., Deneubourg, J.-L., & Sibbald, A. M. (2010). Personality and collective decision-making in foraging herbivores. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 277, 1093–1099.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michelena, P., Sibbald, A. M., Erhard, H. W., & McLeod, J. E. (2009). Effects of group size and personality on social foraging: The distribution of sheep across patches. Behavioral Ecology, 20, 145–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mogerman, J. E. E. H. (2011). Zoo foraging ecology: Patch use and giving-up densities as tools for animal care. Ph.D, dissertation, University of Illinois at Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newberry, R. C. (1995). Environmental enrichment: Increasing the biological relevance of captive environments. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 44, 229–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, S. C., & Weimerskirch, H. (2014). Personality, foraging and fitness consequences in a long lived seabird. PLoS ONE, 9, e87269.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Potier, S., Carpentier, A., GrĂ©millet, D., Leroy, B., & LescroĂ«l, A. (2015). Individual repeatability of foraging behaviour in a marine predator, the great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo. Animal Behaviour, 103, 83–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, D. M., & Gartner, M. C. (2011). Applications of personality to the management and conservation of nonhuman animals. In M. Inoue-Murayama, S. Kawamura, & A. Weiss (Eds.), From genes to animal behavior (pp. 185–199). Springer Japan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell, D. M., & Svoke, J. T. (2008). Novel environmental enrichment may provide a tool for rapid assessment of animal personality: A case study with giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 11, 301–318.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rapaport, L. (1998). Optimal foraging theory predicts effects of environmental enrichment in a group of adult golden lion tamarins. Zoo Biology, 17, 231–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raveh, A., Kotler, B. P., Abramsky, Z., & Krasnov, B. R. (2011). Driven to distraction: Detecting the hidden costs of flea parasitism through foraging behaviour in gerbils. Ecology Letters, 14, 47–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Razal, C. B., Pisacane, C. B., & Miller, L. J. (2016). Multifaceted approach to personality assessment in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). Animal Behavior and Cognition, 3, 22–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • RĂ©ale, D., & Festa-Bianchet, M. (2003). Predator-induced natural selection on temperament in bighorn ewes. Animal Behaviour, 65, 463–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • RĂ©ale, D., Reader, S. M., Sol, D., McDougall, P. T., & Dingemanse, N. J. (2007). Integrating animal temperament within ecology and evolution. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 82, 291–318.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ruckstuhl, K. E., & Neuhaus, P. (2002). Sexual segregation in ungulates: A comparative test of three hypotheses. Biology Review, 77, 77–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rudin, F. S., & Briffa, M. (2012). Is boldness a resource-holding potential trait? Fighting prowess and changes in startle response in the sea anemone, Actinia equina. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 279, 1904–1910.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez, F., Korine, C., Kotler, B. P., & Pinshow, B. (2008). Ethanol concentration in food and body condition affect foraging behavior in Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus). Naturwissenschaften, 95, 561–567.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, S. A., & Steklis, H. D. (2014). Personality and subjective well-being in captive male western lowland gorillas living in bachelor groups. American Journal of Primatology, 76, 879–889.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwanz, L. E., Previtali, M. A., Gomes-Solecki, M., Brisson, D., & Ostfeld, R. S. (2012). Immunochallenge reduces risk sensitivity during foraging in white-footed mice. Animal Behaviour, 83, 155–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shepherdson, D. J., Carlstead, K., Mellen, J. D., & Seidensticker, J. (1993). The influence of food presentation on the behavior of small cats in confined environments. Zoo Biology, 12, 203–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sih, A., Bell, A., & Johnson, J. C. (2004a). Behavioral syndromes: An ecological and evolutionary overview. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 19, 372–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sih, A., Bell, A. M., Johnson, J. C., & Ziemba, R. E. (2004b). Behavioral syndromes: An integrative overview. The Quarterly Review of Biology, 79, 241–277.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sih, A., Cote, J., Evans, M., Fogarty, S., & Pruitt, J. (2012). Ecological implications of behavioural syndromes. Ecology Letters, 15, 278–289.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ĺ lipogor, V., Gunhold-de Oliveira, T., Tadić, Z., Massen, J. J. M., & Bugnyar, T. (2016). Consistent inter-individual differences in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) in boldness–shyness, stress–activity, and exploration–avoidance. American Journal of Primatology, 78, 961–973.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, B. R., & Blumstein, D. T. (2007). Fitness consequences of personality: A meta-analysis. Behavioral Ecology, 19, 448–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stamps, J. A., & Groothuis, T. G. G. (2010). Developmental perspectives on personality: Implications for ecological and evolutionary studies of individual differences. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 365, 4029–4041.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tetley, C. L., & O’Hara, S. J. (2012). Ratings of animal personality as a tool for improving the breeding, management and welfare of zoo mammals. Animal Welfare, 21, 463–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, A. (2008). Early body condition, time budgets and the acquisition of foraging skills in meerkats. Animal Behaviour, 75, 951–962.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toscano, B. J., Gownaris, N. J., Heerhartz, S. M., & Monaco, C. J. (2016). Personality, foraging behavior and specialization: Integrating behavioral and food web ecology at the individual level. Oecologia, 182, 55–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toscano, B. J., & Monaco, C. J. (2015). Testing for relationships between individual crab behavior and metabolic rate across ecological contexts. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 69, 1343–1351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Troxell-Smith, S. M., Tutka, M. J., Albergo, J. M., Balu, D., Brown, J. S., & Leonard, J. P. (2016). Foraging decisions in wild versus domestic Mus musculus: What does life in the lab select for? Behavioural Processes, 122, 43–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Troxell-Smith, S. M., Watters, J. V., Whelan, C. J., & Brown, J. S. (2017). Zoo foraging ecology: Preference and welfare assessment of two okapi (Okapia johnstoni) at the Brookfield Zoo. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 4, 187–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Oortmerssen, G. A., & Bakker, T. C. M. (1981). Artificial selection for short and long attack latencies in wild Mus musculus domesticus. Behavior Genetics, 11, 115–126.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Overveld, T., & Matthysen, E. (2010). Personality predicts spatial responses to food manipulations in free-ranging great tits (Parus major). Biology Letters, 6, 187–190.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watters, J. V., & Powell, D. M. (2011). Measuring animal personality for use in population management in zoos: Suggested methods and rationale. Zoo Biology, 29, 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster, S. J., Dill, L. M., & Butterworth, K. (2007). The effect of sea lice infestation on the salinity preference and energetic expenditure of juvenile pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 64, 672–680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werner, T. K., & Sherry, T. W. (1987). Behavioral feeding specialization in Pinaroloxias inornata, the “Darwin’s Finch” of Cocos Island, Costa Rica. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 84, 5506–5510.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wielebnowski, N. (1999). Behavioral differences as predictors of breeding status in captive cheetahs. Zoo Biology, 18, 335–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, A. D. M., & McLaughlin, R. L. (2007). Behavioural syndromes in brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis: Prey-search in the field corresponds with space use in novel laboratory situations. Animal Behaviour, 74, 689–698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, A. J., Grimmer, A., & Rosenthal, G. G. (2013). Causes and consequences of contest outcome: Aggressiveness, dominance and growth in the sheepshead swordtail, Xiphophorus birchmanni. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 67, 1151–1161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, D. S. (1998). Adaptive individual differences within single populations. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 353, 199–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, D. S., Coleman, K., Clark, A. B., & Biederman, L. (1993). Shy-bold continuum in pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus): An ecological study of a psychological trait. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 107, 250–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woo, K. J., Elliott, K. H., Davidson, M., Gaston, A. J., & Davoren, G. K. (2008). Individual specialization in diet by a generalist marine predator reflects specialization in foraging behaviour. Journal of Animal Ecology, 77, 1082–1091.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Young, R. J. (2003). Food and foraging enrichment. In Environmental enrichment for captive animals (pp. 85–106). Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W Taylor St (M/C 066), Chicago, IL, 60607, USA

    Sandra M. Troxell-Smith

  2. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Valentina S. A. Mella

Authors
  1. Sandra M. Troxell-Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Valentina S. A. Mella
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sandra M. Troxell-Smith .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

    Alexander Weiss

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA

    Stan A. Kuczaj

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Troxell-Smith, S.M., Mella, V.S.A. (2017). You Are What You Eat: The Interplay Between Animal Personality and Foraging Ecology. In: Vonk, J., Weiss, A., Kuczaj, S. (eds) Personality in Nonhuman Animals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59300-5_15

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation