Early experience affects foraging behavior of wild fruit-bats more than their original behavioral predispositions

Adi Rachum, Lee Harten, Reut Assa, Aya Goldshtein, Xing Chen, Nesim Gonceer, Yossi Yovel
2024 · doi:10.1101/2024.10.10.617636
preprint OA: closed CC-BY-4.0
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The study examined how early-life environmental experience versus original behavioral predispositions shape later individual behavior in Egyptian fruit bats. Newborn bats were raised in captive colonies under either enriched or impoverished conditions, their personality traits were assessed in controlled laboratory tests, and the bats were later released and tracked outdoors with GPS to measure foraging behavior. Bats exposed to enriched conditions early in life showed increasing boldness and exploratory behavior when foraging outdoors, while the bats’ initial predispositions did not predict later foraging outcomes. The paper’s key limitation is that its conclusions pertain to this specific bat species and to the particular enrichment/impoverishment manipulation and foraging measures used. The paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

There are immense consistent inter-individual differences in animal behavior. While many studies have documented such behavioral differences, often referred to as individual personalities, little research has focused on the underlying causes and on determining whether they are innate or based on individual experience. Moreover, most studies on animal personalities have described consistent differences in behavior under laboratory conditions. We aimed to examine the impact of the early experienced environment on individual animal behavior, and to compare it to that of the individual’s original genetic predisposition. Additionally, we explored the correlation between personality traits measured indoors and the animal’s outdoor behavior. We studied Egyptian fruit bats, in which vast behavioral variability and plasticity have already been demonstrated. We raised bats in a captive colony under either enriched or impoverished environments and assessed their personality under controlled laboratory conditions. We then released the bats into the wild and tracked their foraging using GPS. Bats that had experienced an enriched environment during early life displayed increasing boldness and exploratory behavior when foraging outdoors, demonstrating how early-life experience can affect adult behavior. The individuals’ original predispositions did not predict their later foraging behavior. Our findings shed new light on the interplay between innate and experienced-based effects on individual behavior. Significance statement Animals exhibit individual personalities, but how they are shaped is unknown. By employing controlled manipulations on new-born bat pups and GPS-tracking them outdoors as adults, we reveal that the early life conditions bats are exposed to have a significant impact on their foraging behavior as adults. We moreover show that the original individual predispositions of the bats do not predict their behavior. These findings enhance our understanding of the developmental factors that shape animal behavior and emphasize the vital importance of environmental enrichment during early life stages.
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Abstract There are immense consistent inter-individual differences in animal behavior. While many studies have documented such behavioral differences, often referred to as individual personalities, little research has focused on the underlying causes and on determining whether they are innate or based on individual experience. Moreover, most studies on animal personalities have described consistent differences in behavior under laboratory conditions. We aimed to examine the impact of the early experienced environment on individual animal behavior, and to compare it to that of the individual’s original genetic predisposition. Additionally, we explored the correlation between personality traits measured indoors and the animal’s outdoor behavior. We studied Egyptian fruit bats, in which vast behavioral variability and plasticity have already been demonstrated. We raised bats in a captive colony under either enriched or impoverished environments and assessed their personality under controlled laboratory conditions. We then released the bats into the wild and tracked their foraging using GPS. Bats that had experienced an enriched environment during early life displayed increasing boldness and exploratory behavior when foraging outdoors, demonstrating how early-life experience can affect adult behavior. The individuals’ original predispositions did not predict their later foraging behavior. Our findings shed new light on the interplay between innate and experienced-based effects on individual behavior. Significance statement Animals exhibit individual personalities, but how they are shaped is unknown. By employing controlled manipulations on new-born bat pups and GPS-tracking them outdoors as adults, we reveal that the early life conditions bats are exposed to have a significant impact on their foraging behavior as adults. We moreover show that the original individual predispositions of the bats do not predict their behavior. These findings enhance our understanding of the developmental factors that shape animal behavior and emphasize the vital importance of environmental enrichment during early life stages. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Footnotes ↵& Present address: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Department of Collective Behavior, Konstanz 78464, Germany. This revised version of the manuscript addresses all of the reviewers comments and suggestions. Changes include corrections, clarifications, and improvements as requested during the review process.

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License: CC-BY-4.0