CAREER:Linking individual variation in behavior to plant community dynamics within disturbed landscapes

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In many animal species, individuals differ in their behavior in ways that are consistent over time and across contexts, a phenomenon that is referred to as “animal personality.” An increasing number of studies show that behavioral traits, such as boldness or aggression, can influence life history traits, such as survival. A key question that remains is whether these individual-level traits can have larger-scale effects. The goal of this study is to quantify the ecological consequences of individual variation in behavior in wild populations subject to various degrees of human disturbance, and in turn, how individual variation in animal behavior can affect community-level processes. This project will be conducted through an integrated research and education plan, in which the principal investigator will lead a team of graduate and undergraduate students along with citizen scientists to collect data on wild populations of small mammals. The team will quantify individual variation in traits such as boldness and aggression in populations of wild small mammals that are subject to various degrees of human disturbance, and determine how survival relates to variation in these traits. Concurrently, researchers will study the dispersal of seeds by individuals with different behavioral traits, quantifying the effects of animal actions on plant community dynamics. Undergraduate students will learn how to quantify personality (in animals and humans) and will participate in workshops focused on improving their scientific communication skills. Using approaches targeted for their own personalities, undergraduate students will then engage high school students in two citizen science projects, which will become critical components of the research program. Consistent individual differences in behavior, or personality, play a key role in determining how individual animals experience and interact with their changing environment. The extent to which the distribution of behavioral types in a population affects larger-scale ecological processes such as population dynamics and forest regeneration is poorly understood. To contribute to filling these knowledge gaps this project will focus on: 1) Assessing the response of individuals with different, yet consistent behavioral repertoires to land-use change and 2) Quantifying the effects of the diversity of behaviors within a population on the demographics and structure of plant communities within disturbed landscapes. The study will be conducted through a large-scale field experiment in Maine using small mammal species as a model system. Through the field experiment the team will assess the effects of land-use change (i.e., silvicultural practices) on survival of animals with different personality types, concurrently assessing the capacity for diversity in animal behavior to influence population dynamics. The researchers will also characterize how personality-driven seed predation and dispersal decisions affect the seed bank composition and how these decisions may interact with climate change to affect range shifts of plants. The insights and models generated by this project will illuminate the link between individual variation and population, community, and ecosystem dynamics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.