Meeting Abstract

P1.20  Saturday, Jan. 4 15:30  Food limitation leads to risky decision-making and to tradeoffs with oviposition STAHLSCHMIDT, Z.R.*; O’LEARY, M.E.; ADAMO, S.A.; Georgia Southern University; Dalhousie University; Dalhousie University zstahlschmidt@georgiasouthern.edu

A growing body of research over the past decade indicates that inter-individual variation in behavior can result from behavioral plasticity (adaptive variation in behavior), behavioral types (individuals with consistent behavioral differences across one or more situations), or both. Although oviposition-site selection (OS) is widespread and affects both parents and offspring, it has been overlooked in the context of the behavioral type. Thus, we used the Texas field cricket (Gryllus texensis) to determine if OS could be integrated into the behavioral type paradigm and if a relevant environmental variable (food limitation) influences behavioral type. We found that behavioral type was consistent across contexts because individuals exhibiting riskier (bolder) behavior in a novel environment also exhibited riskier behavior during oviposition. Also, individuals traded off safety with food availability during oviposition—that is, fasted crickets were more likely to choose food over safety (shelter) when making an oviposition decision. Last, individuals traded off feeding with oviposition because, relative to fed crickets, those that were fasted oviposited fewer eggs during overnight trials in which food was available. By integrating a behavior tightly linked to multi-generational fitness with an established behavioral assay (behavior to novel stimuli), we show that behavioral type can be both consistent across contexts and plastic in response to a ubiquitous environmental factor (food limitation).