Sex and reproductive status affect sheltering and exploratory behaviours with high intra-individual variability in crayfish

Abstract

The contexts in which individuals demonstrate behavioural consistency or variability have been the subject of research focus. We studied exploratory and sheltering behaviour in the crayfish F. virilis to understand how these behaviours vary by sex and reproductive readiness and to quantify the repeatability of these behaviours. Crayfish were tested in two sets of three rounds, one in the summer non-reproductive season and another in the autumn reproductive season. Reproductive crayfish spent more time outside the shelter and were more likely to accept a food item than non-reproductive crayfish. In the non-reproductive season, females spent more time outside the shelter than males, and over both seasons, females were more likely to seek and accept a food item. Repeatability estimates were low, indicating high intra-individual variability in these behaviours. Sheltering and exploratory behaviours were not correlated. This indicates sex or reproductive readiness have strong effects on both sheltering and exploratory behaviours.