Intrapopulation variation in boldness differs while average boldness is similar across populations of a widespread turtle

Abstract

Animal personality is a rapidly growing focus of behavioral ecology and increasingly is found to play a significant role in ecological processes. This study builds upon a growing body of literature on the declining reptile species Terrapene carolina carolina (the eastern box turtle) that shows highly consistent personality traits with probable fitness effects. We used this productive study system to show that spatial variation in ecological interactions has not led to divergence among populations in their average boldness, but that some populations have higher levels of variability among individuals. Furthermore, we highlight sex differences in boldness and a potential role for anthropogenic land use change in shaping boldness of T. c. carolina populations. These findings add to the growing body of literature on animal personality and explore the less commonly discussed phenomena of the absence of among-population variation in personality and the potential importance of levels of behavioral diversity within populations.