title: Behaviour in captivity predicts some aspects of natural behaviour, but not others, in a wild cricket population.
abstract: Examining the relevance of 'animal personality' involves linking consistent among- and within-individual behavioural variation to fitness in the wild. Studies aiming to do this typically assay personality in captivity and rely on the assumption that measures of traits in the laboratory reflect their expression in nature. We examined this rarely tested assumption by comparing laboratory and field measurements of the behaviour of wild field crickets (Gryllus campestris) by continuously monitoring individual behaviour in nature, and repeatedly capturing the same individuals and measuring their behaviour in captivity. We focused on three traits that are frequently examined in personality studies: shyness, activity and exploration. All of them showed repeatability in the laboratory. Laboratory activity and exploration predicted the expression of their equivalent behaviours in the wild, but shyness did not. Traits in the wild were predictably influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and sunlight, but only activity showed appreciable within-individual repeatability. This suggests that some behaviours typically studied as personality traits can be accurately assayed in captivity, but the expression of others may be highly context-specific. Our results highlight the importance of validating the relevance of laboratory behavioural assays to analogous traits measured in the wild.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK.
authors.forename: David N
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4444-4450
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: UFR Sciences et Techniques, Université François Rabelais, Parc Grandmont, Tours 37200, France.
authors.forename: Adèle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK.
authors.forename: Rolando
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Muñoz
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK t.tregenza@exeter.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4182-2222
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tregenza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D006135:Gryllidae / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D010551:Personality
keywords: Gryllus; animal personality; exploration; laboratory; shyness; wild