Correlation between boldness and body mass in natural populations of the 
poeciliid Brachyrhaphis episcopi

Brown, C; Jones, F; Braithwaite, VA

doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01627.x

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Correlation between boldness and body mass in natural populations of the poeciliid Brachyrhaphis episcopi

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Citation

Brown, C., Jones, F., & Braithwaite, V. (2007). Correlation between boldness and body mass in natural populations of the poeciliid Brachyrhaphis episcopi. Journal of Fish Biology, 71(6), 1590-1601. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01627.x.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-000A-5943-7

Abstract

The boldness of individual Brachyrhaphis episcopi, collected from regions of high and low predation, was investigated using two independent assays: (1) the time to emerge from cover and (2) the propensity to leave shoal mates and investigate a novel object. A strong correlation between the two assays was revealed such that fish that emerged from shelter sooner were also more likely to approach a novel object. This is indicative of a boldness personality axis acting across both behavioural contexts. Fish from high-predation areas were bolder than those from low-predation areas and males were bolder than females. A significant correlation between body mass, standard length (LS) and boldness score was also found. In general, bold fish had a greater body mass at a given LS than shy fish. These results suggest that personality traits are strongly influenced by population-specific ecological variables and may have fitness consequences in wild populations.