Aggressive behavior as a predictor of home range size: findings from both range-restricted and widespread Darwin's finch species

Abstract

Information about an animal's home range (the geographical area in which it accesses resources for survival and reproduction) is vital broadly for understanding animal behavior and specifically for developing conservation management plans. Although personality traits-consistent individual differences in behavior across time and contexts-may affect an animal's home range size, we still lack a breadth of empirical studies across systems to fully appreciate this influence. Here, we tested the relationship between behavioral responses and home range size in two Darwin's finch species on Floreana Island: the critically endangered and range-restricted Medium Tree Finch (Camarhynchus pauper) and the common and widespread Small Ground Finch (Geospiza fuliginosa). Using a combination of rapid-assessment assays during both short-term captivity and in the field, we measured exploration and aggressiveness in males from both species. We then used radio telemetry to measure each bird's home range size over a week-long period. We predicted that (1) fast-exploring individuals would have larger home ranges, and (2) more aggressive individuals would have smaller home ranges. We found that Medium Tree Finches had smaller home ranges than Small Ground Finches, that exploratory behavior was positively correlated with home range size only in Small Ground Finches, and that, in both species, individuals' aggressiveness was negatively correlated with home range size, whereby the more aggressive individuals occupied smaller home ranges. We conclude that behavioral responses that align with major personality traits can predict home range size, which may provide an important tool for the conservation and management of endangered species when, for example, selecting individuals with different personality profiles for reintroduction.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10336-024-02215-7.

Keywords: Aggressiveness; Behavioral traits; Darwin’s finches; Home range; Telemetry.

Fig. 1

We conducted our study in the highlands of Floreana Island (dark mark in top-left inset), one of the southern islands of the Galapagos Archipelago. Our two study sites were Cerro Pajas and Asilo de la Paz (black dots)

Fig. 2

Behavioral variables measured in the same individuals across contexts in Medium Tree Finches (open circles) and Small Ground Finches (filled triangles). a Exploration in the novel environment test (number of unique sectors visites) correlated positively with exploration in the novel object test (inverse latency to approach to 10 m), when considering both species together (r = 0.6, n = 15, p = 0.03). b Aggressiveness during the mirror simulation test (time near mirror) correlated positively with aggressiveness during a simulated territory intrusion (playback response, PC_Aggressiveness) when considering both species together (r = 0.4, n = 35, p = 0.04)

Fig. 3

Relationship between exploration and home range size (log-transformed) differed between Darwin’s finch species. The number of unique sectors visits during a novel environment test a did not predict home range size in Medium Tree Finches, and b was negatively associated with home range size in Small Ground Finches. 95% confidence intervals are shown in grey

Fig. 4

Aggressiveness in the mirror stimulation test (time near mirror, in secs) was negatively associated with home range size (log-transformed) in Medium Tree Finches (open circles) and Small Ground Finches (filled triangles) (r = − 0.5, n = 33, p = 0.001). 95% confidence intervals are shown in grey