DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Behavioral type - environment correlations in three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

行为上一致的个体差异，类似于人类的个性，在动物王国中无处不在。动物可以作为模型来研究人格的进化和生态原因和后果，这在人类心理学中是不可能的。例如，研究人员对大胆、攻击性和探索行为的差异感兴趣，他们研究了一种名为三刺鱼的鱼，这种鱼的寿命相对较短，而且很容易照顾。以往的研究表明，在自然界中，三棘鱼在不同的栖息地和社会环境中会产生不同的性格。这个项目的目标是确定1)一个人的个性是否受到环境的塑造，即通过可塑性；2)如果某些个性随着时间的推移一直使用某些环境（例如，如果大胆的个体总是出现在大型社会群体中）；3)个体是否倾向于出现在他们非常适合的环境中。该项目包括一个以实验室为基础的密集实验和在自然环境中对三刺鱼进行的大规模研究，以全面了解为什么某些性格更有可能在某些栖息地或社会环境中出现。这项工作对于理解为什么动物，包括人类，在不同的时间或环境中表现出如此显著的行为变化具有重要意义。这个项目为本科生成为未来的科学家提供了充足的训练机会。该研究的主题，特别是实地部分，对普通受众来说是非常容易理解的，并将在整个加利福尼亚州门多西诺县农村的实地季节向当地公民和度假者展示科学在行动。该项目的数据将在Dryad数字存储库（datadryad.org）中提供。

Consistent individual differences in behavior, analogous to personality in humans, are ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom. Animals can serve as models to study the evolutionary and ecological causes and consequences of personality in ways that are not possible in human psychology. For example, researchers interested in differences in boldness, aggression, and exploratory behavior have studied a fish, named the three-spined stickleback, that has a relatively short lifespan and is easy to care for. Previous studies have shown that different personalities of three-spined stickleback occur in different habitats and social environments in nature. The goal of this project is to determine 1) whether the personality of an individual is shaped by their environment, i.e. via plasticity; 2) if certain personalities consistently use certain environments over time (for example, if bold individuals always occur in large social groups); and 3) whether individuals tend to occur in environments for which they are well-suited. The project comprises an intensive laboratory-based experiment and a large-scale study of three-spined stickleback in their natural environment to provide a complete understanding of why some personalities are more likely to occur in certain habitats or social environments. This work has important implications for understanding why animals, including humans, show such marked variation in behavior that is consistent across time or context. This project provides ample training opportunities for undergraduates to become future scientists. The topic of the research, especially the field component, is highly accessible to a general audience and will be presented as science-in-action to local citizens and vacationers throughout the field season in rural Mendocino County, CA. Data from this project will be made available in the Dryad Digital Repository (datadryad.org).