Variation in DRD4 gene methylation in wild great tits is associated with behavioural tolerance for human disturbance but not with habitat urbanization
Data files
Oct 17, 2025 version files 99.48 KB
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data_series_aghetal_JAB.csv
96.37 KB
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README.md
3.11 KB
Abstract
The increasing presence and activities of people in both urban environments and non-urban areas result in the exposure of many wild animal populations to persistent human disturbance. As a response, individuals in disturbed populations often become tolerant towards humans that can have significant ecological and societal consequences, for example by affecting ecosystem services and human-wildlife conflicts. Although several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the emergence and spread of disturbance tolerance, their biological bases are rarely investigated in natural populations. In this study, we investigated behavioural tolerance in great tits (Parus major) along urbanization gradients of two cities representing different levels of human disturbances. Specifically, we studied whether variation in disturbance tolerance is related to epigenetic variation in the DRD4 gene that are often linked to behavioural plasticity. We did not detect differences in DNA methylation at 23 CpG sites between wild great tit populations breeding in differently urbanized areas. However, variation in methylation at some CpG sites was associated with two proxies of tolerance, the return latency and the vigilance behaviour of parent birds measured after standardized disturbance. These findings suggest that epigenetic variation may be involved in the processes generating behavioural tolerance for human disturbance. These results have implications for the understanding of the mechanisms by which animal populations can respond to disturbances in human-dominated environments.
We have submitted our raw data (data_series_aghetal_JAB.csv). Data were collected for a behavioural genetics project that studied tolerance to human disturbance in great tits (Parus major) breeding in various habitats.
Descriptions
data_series_aghetal_JAB_Data
- ring_ID: ring number ID of individual
- site: breeding site
- plot: subsite on the breeding site
- region: sample site region (Veszprem or Budapest)
- urbcat: habitat category of the plot of the breeding site
- urb = urbanized habitats
- sub = suburban habitats
- for = natural habitats (forest)
- nestbox: nestbox ID
- broodID: brood ID
- blood_sample_date: date of blood sampling
- sampling: date of blood sampling relative to behavioural data (before/after)
- date: date of behavioural sampling
- year: year of the behavioural sampling (2021/2022)
- yearday: day of the year of the behavioural sampling
- video_num: order of the behavioural test (1/2/3)
- check_num: number of nest checks of the focal nest box before the day of the behavioural test
- brood: annual brood
- 1 = first
- 2 = second
- sex: sex of the individual (male/female)
- age: age of the individual (second year/older)
- start_time: time of the start of the sampling on the video
- first_latency: time of the return latency
- first_lat_mp: time of the return latency in ms
- vig_in1: vigilance score after first arrival
- vig_out1: vigilance score before first leaving
- vig_in2: vigilance score after second arrival
- vig_out2: vigilance score before second leaving
- vig_in3: vigilance score after third arrival
- vig_out3: vigilance score before third leaving
- vig_in_median: median value of the vigilance score after arrival
- vig_out_median: median value of the vigilance score before leaving
- ISA: Proportion of impervious surface area (100 m radius around nest box)
- CpG_396: level of methylation at CpG 396
- CpG_406: level of methylation at CpG 406
- CpG_419: level of methylation at CpG 419
- CpG_432: level of methylation at CpG 432
- CpG_441: level of methylation at CpG 441
- CpG_447: level of methylation at CpG 447
- CpG_454: level of methylation at CpG 454
- CpG_459: level of methylation at CpG 459
- CpG_465: level of methylation at CpG 465
- CpG_467: level of methylation at CpG 467
- CpG_474: level of methylation at CpG 474
- CpG_481: level of methylation at CpG 481
- CpG_487: level of methylation at CpG 487
- CpG_493: level of methylation at CpG 493
- CpG_497: level of methylation at CpG 497
- CpG_514: level of methylation at CpG 514
- CpG_518: level of methylation at CpG 518
- CpG_522: level of methylation at CpG 522
- CpG_533: level of methylation at CpG 533
- CpG_543: level of methylation at CpG 543
- CpG_548: level of methylation at CpG 548
- CpG_573: level of methylation at CpG 573
- CpG_588: level of methylation at CpG 588
Missing data code: NA