Summary 1. Efforts to understand the links between evolutionary and ecological dynamics hinge on our ability measure how genes influence phenotypes, fitness population dynamics. Quantitative genetics provides a range of theoretical empirical tools with which achieve this when relatedness individuals within is known. 2. A number recent studies have used type mixed‐effects model, known as animal estimate genetic component phenotypic variation using data collected in field. Here, we provide...

Abstract Linear mixed‐effects models are powerful tools for analysing complex datasets with repeated or clustered observations, a common data structure in ecology and evolution. Mixed‐effects involve fitting procedures make several assumptions, particular about the distribution of residual random effects. Violations these assumptions real datasets, yet it is not always clear how much violations matter to accurate unbiased estimation. Here we address consequences distributional impact missing...

Summary Recent progress has been made on the study of personality in animals, both from a mechanistic and functional perspective. While we start knowing more about proximal mechanisms responsible for consistent differences behaviour between individuals population, little is known yet relationship phenotypic distribution traits, or combinations fitness. Here provide an overview available literature fitness consequences traits natural populations. We by description two case studies that have...

In this paper we show how animal personality could explain some of the large inter‐individual variation in resting metabolic rate (MR) and explore methodological functional linkages between energetics. Personality will introduce variability MR measures because individuals consistently differ their stress response, exploration or activity levels, all which influence measurements made with respirometry doubly‐labelled water technique. Physiologists try to exclude these behavioural influences...

Climate change is predicted to be most severe in northern regions and there has been much interest what extent organisms can cope with these changes through phenotypic plasticity or microevolutionary processes. A red squirrel population the southwest Yukon, Canada, faced increasing spring temperatures food supply advanced timing of breeding by 18 days over last 10 years (6 per generation). Longitudinal analysis females multiple suggests that this parturition date explained a plastic response...

Summary 1. Interest in measuring individual variation reaction norms using mixed‐effects and, more specifically, random regression models have grown apace the last few years within evolution and ecology. However, these are data hungry methods, little effort to date has been put into understanding how much what kind of we need collect order apply usefully reliably. 2. We conducted simulations address three central questions. First, is best sampling strategy sufficient test for models? Second,...

1. Although behaviours can contribute to the heterogeneity in parasite load among hosts, links between consistent individual differences behaviour and parasitic infection have received little attention. We investigated role of host activity exploration on hard tick infestations marked individuals a population Siberian chipmunks Tamias sibiricus introduced suburban French forest over 3 years. 2. Individual activity-exploration profiles were assessed from 106 hole-board tests 73 individuals,...

Abstract We argue that animal temperament is an important concept for wildlife conservation science and review causes consequences of evolutionary changes in traits may occur captive‐breeding programmes. An perspective valid because are heritable, linked to fitness potentially subject intense selection captivity. Natural, sexual artificial can cause permanent shifts temperament, reducing the diversity traits, be critical reintroduction success. Breeding programmes ignore risk leading captive...

Abstract Animal personality is now frequently reported in wild and captive populations. It has been shown to be moderately heritable have potentially important fitness consequences. Variation within a population may maintained by balancing selection if different values of traits are favoured under conditions. We measured 98 female North American red squirrels ( Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Erxleben), examined whether its variation could changing pressures acting via reproductive yearly food...

Abstract Characters which are closely linked to fitness often have low heritabilities (VA/VP). Low could be because of additive genetic variation (VA), that had been depleted by directional selection. Alternatively, may caused large residual (VR=VP – VA) compounded at a disproportionately higher rate than VA across integrated characters. Both hypotheses assume each component quantitative has an independent effect on heritability. However, and VR also covary, in case differences heritability...

Predation plays a central role in evolutionary processes, but little is known about how predators affect the expression of heritable variation, restricting our ability to predict effects predation. We reared families three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus from two populations-one with history fish predation (predator sympatric) and one without naive)-and experimentally manipulated experience during ontogeny. For suite ecologically relevant behavioural ('personality') morphological...

Personality affects many aspects of an individual's behaviour, life history and fitness, has been shown to be moderately heritable in wild populations. Correlations between personality risk‐taking that lead tradeoffs could act maintain variation within a population, but this not yet tested. In study, we used females from marked population North American red squirrels Kluane, Yukon, determine whether predicts the wild, these behaviours result tradeoffs. We measured open field mirror image...

Recent theoretical work suggests that personality is a component of life history, but links between and either age-dependent reproductive success or life-history strategy are yet to be established. Using quantitative genetic analyses on long-term pedigree we estimated indices boldness docility for 105 bighorn sheep rams (Ovis canadensis), born 1983 1999, compared these their history from 2 years age until death. Docility were highly heritable negatively genetically correlated. Docile bold...

The domestic dog has undergone extensive artificial selection resulting in an extreme diversity body size, personality, life‐history, and metabolic traits among breeds. Here we tested whether proactive personalities (high levels of activity, boldness, aggression) are related to a fast "pace life" rates growth, mortality, energy expenditure). Data from the literature provide preliminary evidence that on dogs (through domestication) generated variations personality correlated with life...

1 Personality is highly relevant to ecology and the evolution of fast–slow metabolic life-history strategies. One most important personality traits exploratory behaviour, usually measured on an animal introduced a novel environment (e.g. open-field test). 2 Here, we use unique comparative dataset behaviour muroid rodents test key assumption recent evolutionary model, i.e. that exploration thoroughness positively correlated age at first reproduction (AFR). We then examine how AFR are related...