Environmental Impacts on Behavior and Personality in the Caviomorph Rodent, Octodon degus

Abstract

Environmental factors can have large impacts in shaping the way that animals behave. Biotic elements, such as predators and conspecifics that individuals interact with, are two environmental factors that animals may encounter on a regular basis. Here, we present the results of two studies examining the relationship of these biotic factors to behavior and personality in the degu (Octodon degus), a social rodent species endemic to central Chile. We found that long-term experimental isolation from predators has not impacted behavior, as indicated by an open field test in this species. We also found that social groups in this species do not adhere to either conformity or social niche specialization expectations with regard to personality, as determined in open field tests. These results raise further questions as to the mechanisms that govern behavior, as well as how personality evolved and is maintained in natural populations.