title: Animal personality as a cause and consequence of contest behaviour.
abstract: We review the evidence for a link between consistent among-individual variation in behaviour (animal personality) and the ability to win contests over limited resources. Explorative and bold behaviours often covary with contest behaviour and outcome, although there is evidence that the structure of these 'behavioural syndromes' can change across situations. Aggression itself is typically repeatable, but also subject to high within-individual variation as a consequence of plastic responses to previous fight outcomes and opponent traits. Common proximate mechanisms (gene expression, endocrine control and metabolic rates) may underpin variation in both contest behaviour and general personality traits. Given the theoretical links between the evolution of fighting and of personality, we suggest that longitudinal studies of contest behaviour, combining behavioural and physiological data, would be a useful context for the study of animal personalities.
authors: Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL3 8AA, UK mark.briffa@plymouth.ac.uk.
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Briffa
authors: Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, BioScience Building, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
authors: Lynne U
authors: LU
authors: Sneddon
authors: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
authors: Alastair J
authors: AJ
authors: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D000818:Animals; D001481:Basal Metabolism; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000502:physiology; D015870:Gene Expression; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: aggression; contest; fight; personality; repeatability