8078 H2020 MSC 891915 DynFish

How does the relationship between boldness (the extent to which animals take risks) and food intake shape anti-predator escape responses? The EU-funded DynFish project will answer this question, shedding light on how the mechanisms of the food-mortality trade-off generate personality variation in boldness. Specifically, the project will conduct experimental work on individuals and groups of three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Individuals and groups will be tested in a set-up to precisely control the behaviour of a predator model and study how escape responses vary with individual boldness, food intake and social interactions. The project will also conduct computer simulations to characterise the food-mortality trade-off. Additionally, it will explore the mechanisms underlying individual differences in boldness, and provide new insights into the evolution and maintenance of personality variation, which is common in social species.