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Data from: Temperament, state-dependent behaviors, and their interplay in large herbivores: Lessons from a long-term study on mule deer, elk, and bighorn sheep

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Nov 21, 2024 version files 133.63 KB

Abstract

Behavioral consistency and plasticity can both benefit fitness. Consistency in behavior within a specific context or situation, which we refer to as temperament, promotes adaptive responses to stimuli. Behavioral plasticity, however, allows for state-dependent responses, ensuring that behavior is a function of energetics and other internal and external conditions. Physiological state, in this context representing the nutritional dynamics of animals, exerts profound and wide-ranging influences on behaviors. Nevertheless, temperament and nutritional state may act in concert to shape behavioral responses to stimuli. Using a long-term dataset on capture of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), elk (Cervus canadensis), and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), we evaluated the degree to which temperament or energetic state was related to behavioral response exhibited during handling. We used the repeatability in the rate of kicks during multiple capture events across time to determine whether behavior was associated with temperament or state, and evaluated the relative contribution of nutritional condition, age, and number of times captured. Repeatability in this context means that a behavior is considered repeatable when the same individual consistently responds in a similar manner when exposed to the same circumstances (here capture) on multiple occasions. Kicks per minute were highly repeatable for bighorn sheep and mule deer, but not repeatable in elk. State-dependent factors (e.g., body fat) explained little variance in the rate of kicks during capture. Behavioral consistency in bighorn sheep and mule deer indicated that temperament was an underlying mechanism of response to handling. Behavior in elk, however, was not associated with temperament or state. Temperament differences among species were consistent with variation in behavioral plasticity evident in each species, with bighorn sheep and mule deer being more behaviorally rigid than elk. Our results underscore the importance of caution when extending behavioral findings to closely related species, given the observed inconsistencies. Last, our findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms that drive behavioral responses to stimuli.