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




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

2014

Journal of Insect Behavior

Journal of Insect Behavior

27

1

57

66

10

0892-7553

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

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



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.




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