Abstract

Colonization of new habitats can relax selection pressures, and traits or trait combinations no longer selected for might become reduced or lost. We investigated behavioural differentiation and behavioural trait integration in the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus. This isopod has recently colonized a novel habitat and diverged into two ecotypes which encounter different predator faunas. We investigated sex-specific behavioural differences and phenotypic integration in three behavioural assays: (i) time to emerge (TE) from a shelter, (ii) activity and (iii) escape behaviour. General activity and escape behaviour differed between ecotypes. Furthermore, general activity and TE differed between sexes. Behavioural traits were more frequently correlated in the ancestral habitat, and phenotypic integration tended to be higher in this habitat as well. Our study suggests that different predator types, but also other ecological factors such as habitat matrices and population densities, might explain the differences in behavioural integration in these ecotypes.

Keywords

antipredator behaviour; Asellus aquaticus; behavioural correlation; behavioural syndrome; phenotypic integration; predation; rapid divergence

Published in

Journal of Evolutionary Biology
2011, Volume: 24, number: 9, pages: 1887-1896

UKÄ Subject classification

Evolutionary Biology
Ecology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02322.x

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/88422