Absence of the pace-of-life syndrome in a wild-living population of cooperatively-breeding passerine

Résumé

The pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis posits that consistent between-individual variation in behavioral traits (‘animal personalities’) mediates trade-offs in life-history. Individuals with risk-averse traits are expected to follow a relatively ‘slow’ pace-of-life (long lifespan, delayed reproduction), compared to their riskier, ‘fast’, counterparts. Despite a breadth of empirical research, findings are equivocal, with recent reviews highlighting that the core assumptions of the pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis are likely overlooked. Here, we use long-term data from a closed population of individually-marked Seychelles warblers, whose life-history trade-offs and ecological conditions align with the pace-of-life syndrome framework, but whose risk-averse traits associate negatively, rather than positively with a slow pace-of-life. Specifically, we test for associations between exploratory scores (novel environment and novel object) and three life-history measures (age at first breeding, reproductive lifespan and longevity) as well as lifetime reproductive success as a measure of fitness. We find no evidence for covariation between exploratory personalities and any of the life-history measures or lifetime reproductive success, in either males or females. We thus find no support for the pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis, and demonstrate that whilst preliminary checks prior to testing the pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis are important, alternative mechanisms may loosen selective pressures needed for a pace-of-life syndrome to emerge.

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