Long time in coming, but Phil Bartel’s Honours project was just accepted for publication in Behavioural Processes! We explored the influence of temperature on boldness, a personality trait, and more specifically the repeatability of these behaviours as a function of temperature.

Abstract to the study:

An animal’s boldness is generally considered to be influenced by genetic and developmental factors. However, abiotic factors such as temperature have profound effects on the physiology of ectothermic animals, and thus can influence the expression and measurement of this behavioural trait. We examined the relationship between temperature and behaviour in the Caribbean hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus) using field and lab experiments. Crabs captured in the sun were bolder than crabs captured in the shade, even when measured at a common temperature, which led to bold crabs experiencing higher microhabitat temperatures. In laboratory housed conditions, crabs demonstrated highly repeatable boldness behaviours at all temperatures, and as temperature increased, the mean behavioural latencies decreased across all individuals. Bolder crabs do not seem to rely on an innately higher thermal preference, since there was no association between boldness behaviours and thermal preference in the laboratory.  Instead, bolder crabs seem to exploit more open, riskier habitats than shyer crabs. Our results highlight the complex interplay between physiological and ecological factors influencing the behaviour of a widespread and ecologically important ectothermic animal.

For quick access to the paper (50 free clicks until September 2023):

https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1hR1o1LenMUgoK

Citation

Sakich, NB, Bartel, PC, Richards, MR, and Tattersall, GJ. 2023. Hot crabs with bold choices: temperature has little impact on behavioural repeatability in Caribbean hermit crabs. Behavioural Processes, 210: 104916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104916

Acknowledgements

This project emerged from years of running Animal Behaviour labs with 3rd year undergraduates, teaching them about animal personalities, so we wish to the numerous cohorts of Animal Behaviour students who explored hermit crab behaviours with us, and inspired the project.