Details
| Translated title of the contribution | Der Hungerzustand und nicht die Persönlichkeit bestimmen die Beteiligung an Aufgaben in einer Spinnengesellschaft |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Pages (from-to) | 143 - 152 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Animal Behaviour |
| Volume | 190 |
| Issue number | 190 |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Jul 2022 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
Task specialization is a hallmark of social success as it can minimize among-individual conflict in task participation, and thereby optimize colony productivity. Task specialization is therefore predicted to manifest as a consequence of social evolution. While age or caste in some species explains task participation, a recent hypothesis states that personality type determines differential task participation and thereby facilitates specialization. The social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum exhibits no castes or conspicuous dominance hierarchies or age polyethism yet shows consistent among-individual differences in prey capture. We tested whether one personality trait (boldness) determines task specialization by exploring the determinants causing consistent participation in prey attack. By integrating a personality type and individual hunger, we tested two mutually exclusive hypotheses. (1) Among-individual differences in personality determine consistent differences in participation in prey capture, leading to specialization. (2) Individuals are flexible, and individual hunger state determines the propensity to capture prey. We found that hunger state was the only significant determinant of attacking prey. By reversing individual hunger state, we were able to dramatically increase or decrease individual attack propensities. Spiders exhibited consistent among-individual differences in boldness, yet this personality type did not predict foraging participation. Therefore, we found no evidence for behavioural specialization in prey capture. Our study emphasizes the importance of internal state as a mechanism underlying variable task participation, suggesting caution in attributing behavioural specialization to personality without appropriate integration of state-dependent effects.
Keywords
- animal personality, division of labour, internal state, social foraging, task specialization
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Animal Science and Zoology
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In: Animal Behaviour, Vol. 190, No. 190, 06.07.2022, p. 143 - 152.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Hunger state and not personality determines task participation in a spider society
AU - Parthasarathy, Bharat
AU - Müller, Michelle
AU - Bilde, Trine
AU - Schneider, Jutta M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
PY - 2022/7/6
Y1 - 2022/7/6
N2 - Task specialization is a hallmark of social success as it can minimize among-individual conflict in task participation, and thereby optimize colony productivity. Task specialization is therefore predicted to manifest as a consequence of social evolution. While age or caste in some species explains task participation, a recent hypothesis states that personality type determines differential task participation and thereby facilitates specialization. The social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum exhibits no castes or conspicuous dominance hierarchies or age polyethism yet shows consistent among-individual differences in prey capture. We tested whether one personality trait (boldness) determines task specialization by exploring the determinants causing consistent participation in prey attack. By integrating a personality type and individual hunger, we tested two mutually exclusive hypotheses. (1) Among-individual differences in personality determine consistent differences in participation in prey capture, leading to specialization. (2) Individuals are flexible, and individual hunger state determines the propensity to capture prey. We found that hunger state was the only significant determinant of attacking prey. By reversing individual hunger state, we were able to dramatically increase or decrease individual attack propensities. Spiders exhibited consistent among-individual differences in boldness, yet this personality type did not predict foraging participation. Therefore, we found no evidence for behavioural specialization in prey capture. Our study emphasizes the importance of internal state as a mechanism underlying variable task participation, suggesting caution in attributing behavioural specialization to personality without appropriate integration of state-dependent effects.
AB - Task specialization is a hallmark of social success as it can minimize among-individual conflict in task participation, and thereby optimize colony productivity. Task specialization is therefore predicted to manifest as a consequence of social evolution. While age or caste in some species explains task participation, a recent hypothesis states that personality type determines differential task participation and thereby facilitates specialization. The social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum exhibits no castes or conspicuous dominance hierarchies or age polyethism yet shows consistent among-individual differences in prey capture. We tested whether one personality trait (boldness) determines task specialization by exploring the determinants causing consistent participation in prey attack. By integrating a personality type and individual hunger, we tested two mutually exclusive hypotheses. (1) Among-individual differences in personality determine consistent differences in participation in prey capture, leading to specialization. (2) Individuals are flexible, and individual hunger state determines the propensity to capture prey. We found that hunger state was the only significant determinant of attacking prey. By reversing individual hunger state, we were able to dramatically increase or decrease individual attack propensities. Spiders exhibited consistent among-individual differences in boldness, yet this personality type did not predict foraging participation. Therefore, we found no evidence for behavioural specialization in prey capture. Our study emphasizes the importance of internal state as a mechanism underlying variable task participation, suggesting caution in attributing behavioural specialization to personality without appropriate integration of state-dependent effects.
KW - animal personality
KW - division of labour
KW - internal state
KW - social foraging
KW - task specialization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85133632871&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.06.002
DO - 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.06.002
M3 - Article
VL - 190
SP - 143
EP - 152
JO - Animal Behaviour
JF - Animal Behaviour
SN - 0003-3472
IS - 190
ER -