A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

High Repeatability of Anti-Predator Responses and Resting Metabolic Rate in a Beetle




AuthorsIndrikis Krams,Inese Kivleniece,Tatjana Krama,Todd M. Freeberg,Raivo Mänd,Ljubova Sivacova,Markus J. Rantala,Marika Mänd

Publication year2014

JournalJournal of Insect Behavior

Journal name in sourceJournal of Insect Behavior

Volume27

Issue1

First page 57

Last page66

Number of pages10

ISSN0892-7553

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-013-9408-2

Web address http://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id:84891626150


Abstract

Measures of repeatability are essential for understanding behavioral consistency and individual differences in behavior, i.e. animal personalities. We studied anti-predator responses of the yellow mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) and performed behavioral tests in plastic containers representing a typical laboratory environment of T. molitor. Behavioral tests were repeated in Eppendorf test tubes where we also measured resting metabolic rate (RMR). Results show that the response latency to a threatening/startling stimulus, and the total time spent in the state of tonic immobility, correlated across the tests. The behavioral responses were repeatable and RMR covaried phenotypically with personality: we found a negative correlation between response latency time and time spent immobile, a positive correlation between response latency and RMR, and a negative correlation between RMR and total time spent immobile. These correlations were also similar across trials performed in the Eppendorf test tubes and the plastic containers. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.




Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 14:58