Data from: Within-flock heterogeneity in exploration affects flock behaviour in a highly gregarious bird
Data files
Mar 17, 2025 version files 12.64 KB
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Dataset.Carere.et.al.csv
8.96 KB
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README.md
3.69 KB
Abstract
How individual differences translate into group outcomes is a controversial issue and depends on the phenotypic composition of the group. Research on the effect of within-group homogeneity/heterogeneity in phenotypic composition provided contrasting results, with some studies supporting benefits of homogeneity and others the opposite. We characterized a personality trait in a gregarious bird, the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris), and investigated how different degrees of within-flock variation in exploration affect flock behavioural responses. Based on consistent individual differences in exploration, we formed flocks of 4 birds differing in mean and variation of exploration scores. These flocks underwent an exploration test and a perturbation test to assess escape response. We found that, compared to less exploratory individuals, more exploratory individuals enter the test room earlier and start and stop flying sooner upon frightening (escape response). Flocks with a more homogeneous distribution of the individual exploration scores are significantly faster to enter the exploration room, but there is no clear effect on the escape response. The mean exploration score of the flock or the maximum exploration score of purported ‘key’ individuals within groups do not explain differences in group performance. The results indicate that it may not be the individual that drives the flock behaviour, but rather the phenotypic variation within the group, and suggest that a homogenous distribution of personality types could speed up collective decision-making in gregarious species.
VARIABLE NAME and EXPLANATIONS
- Line.Nr: Numbering of lines.
- Flock.ID: Identity of flock, created for flock tests.
- Starling.ID: Identity of individual starlings.
- Test.session: Test sessions, one in 2017, and two in 2016 (with an interval of two weeks).
- Batch: Batch; one batch repeatedly tested in both years, and the other batch tested for the first time in the second year.
- Ind.test_lat.enter: Individual test: Latency to enter room [s].
- Ind.test_N.items: Individual test: Numbers of items explored.
- Ind.test_perc.t.fly: Individual test: % Time spent flying.
- Ind.test_perc.t.perch: Individual test: % Time spent on perch.
- Ind.Expl.score: Exploration score, which is PC1 of a principal component analysis based on all variables (including repeated measurements) of the individual-based tests.
- Dev.ind.Expl.score_within.flock: Deviation of the exploration score (see above) from the mean score value of all individuals assigned to the same flock. Only calculated for birds undergoing flock tests. Thus, for all variables from here on, there are only values for the test session in 2017, when the flock tests were carried out.
- CV_ind.Expl.score_within.flock: Coefficient of variation of the exploration score (obtained from individual-based tests) within flock. One value per flock.
- Mean_ind.Expl.score_within.flock: Mean of the exploration score (obtained by PCA from individual-based tests) within flock. One value per flock.
- Min_ind.Expl.score_within.flock: Minimum of the exploration score (obtained by PCA from individual-based tests) within flock. One value per flock.
- Max_ind.Expl.score_within.flock: Maximum of the exploration score (obtained by PCA from individual-based tests) within flock. One value per flock.
- Dev.log.lat.enter.room_flock.test: Within-flock deviation from the mean values of the (log-transformed) Latency to enter the room [s] during a flock test (flock exploration test). One value per individual of each flock.
- Dev.log.lat.start.fly_flock.test: Within-flock deviation from the mean values of the (log-transformed) Latency to start flying [s] during a flock test (flock pertubation test). One value per individual of each flock.
- Dev.log.lat.stop.fly_flock.test: Within-flock deviation from the mean values of the (log-transformed) Latency to stop flying [s] during a flock test (flock pertubation test). One value per individual of each flock.
- MEAN.log.lat.enter.room_flock.test Mean value of the (log-transformed) Latency to enter the room [s] during a flock test (flock exploration test). Average over all individuals per flock, thus one value per flock.
- MEAN.log.lat.start.fly_flock.test Mean value of the (log-transformed) Latency to start flying [s] during a flock test (flock pertubation test). Average over all individuals per flock, thus one value per flock.
- MEAN.log.lat.stop.fly_flock.test Mean value of the (log-transformed) Latency to stop flying [s] during a flock test (flock pertubation test). Average over all individuals per flock, thus one value per flock.
- RANGE.log.lat.enter.room_flock.test Range span of the (log-transformed) Latency to enter the room [s] during a flock test (flock exploration test). Average over all individuals per flock, thus one value per flock.
- RANGE.log.lat.start.fly_flock.test Range span of the (log-transformed) Latency to start flying [s] during a flock test (flock pertubation test). Average over all individuals per flock, thus one value per flock.
- RANGE.log.lat.stop.fly_flock.test Range span of the (log-transformed) Latency to stop flying [s] during a flock test (flock pertubation test). Average over all individuals per flock, thus one value per flock.