title: Bonobo personality traits are heritable and associated with vasopressin receptor gene 1a variation.
abstract: Despite being closely related, bonobos and chimpanzees show remarkable behavioral differences, the proximate origins of which remain unknown. This study examined the link between behavioral variation and variation in the vasopressin 1a receptor gene (Avpr1a) in bonobos. Chimpanzees are polymorphic for a ~360 bp deletion (DupB), which includes a microsatellite (RS3) in the 5' promoter region of Avpr1a. In chimpanzees, the DupB deletion has been linked to lower sociability, lower social sensitivity, and higher anxiety. Chimpanzees and bonobos differ on these traits, leading some to believe that the absence of the DupB deletion in bonobos may be partly responsible for these differences, and to the prediction that similar associations between Avpr1a genotypes and personality traits should be present in bonobos. We identified bonobo personality dimensions using behavioral measures (SociabilityB, BoldnessB, OpennessB, ActivityB) and trait ratings (AssertivenessR, ConscientiousnessR, OpennessR, AgreeablenessR, AttentivenessR, ExtraversionR). In the present study we found that all 10 dimensions have nonzero heritabilities, indicating there is a genetic basis to personality, and that bonobos homozygous for shorter RS3 alleles were lower in AttentivenessRand higher in OpennessB. These results suggest that variations in Avpr1a genotypes explain both within and between species differences in personality traits of bonobos and chimpanzees.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.|Behavioural Ecology &Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.|Center for Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington DC, United States of America.
authors.forename: Nicky
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Staes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.|The Scottish Primate Research Group, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.|Behavioural Ecology &Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Helsen
authors.affiliation: San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korody
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Ecology &Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eens
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.|Behavioural Ecology &Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jeroen M G
authors.initials: JMG
authors.lastname: Stevens
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D019974:Pan paniscus / Q000235:genetics*; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D017483:Receptors, Vasopressin / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017483:Receptors, Vasopressin