title: Partitioning within-species variance in behaviour to within- and between-population components for understanding evolution.
abstract: Phenotypes vary at multiple hierarchical levels, of which the interspecific variance is the primary focus of phylogenetic comparative studies. However, the evolutionary role of particular within-species variance components (between-population, between- or within-individual variances) remains neglected. Here, we partition the variance in an anti-predator behaviour, flight initiation distance (FID), and assess how its within- and between-population variance are related to life history, distribution, dispersal and habitat ecology. Although the composition of within-species variance in FID depended on the phylogeny, most variance occurred within populations. When accounting for allometry, density-dependence, uncertainty in the phylogenetic hypothesis and heterogeneity in data quality, within-population variance was significantly associated with habitat diversity and population size. Between-population variance was a significant predictor of natal dispersal, senescence and habitat diversity. Accordingly, not only species-specific mean values of a behavioural trait, but also its variance within and among populations can shape the evolutionary ecology of species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, c/ Americo Vespucio, 26, 41092, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: László Zsolt
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Garamszegi
authors.affiliation: Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Equipe Diversité, Ecologie et Evolution Microbiennes, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91405, Orsay Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Anders Pape
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Møller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001717:Birds / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005060:Europe; D005426:Flight, Animal; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny
keywords: ecological plasticity; life history; mixed-models; pace of life syndromes; personality; repeatability; variation in behaviour