Animal Personality Essay

1. Introduction

What is animal personality?

Interindividual behavioural differences in wild populations have been widely described during the last decades (Plomin, 1990; Wilson, 1998a, 1998b; Dall et al., 2004; Coppens et al., 2010). Within a population, some individuals can be consistently more active, more aggressive or more prone to take risks than others, even when it might not be the most adaptive response to a challenge. These consistent interindividual behavioural differences are referred to as animal personality (Dall et al., 2004; Réale et al., 2010). Animal personality can be found in several fitness-relevant behaviours such as aggressiveness, exploration, boldness and reproduction (Dall et al., 2004; Réale and Festa-Bianchet, 2003;

The fact that animal personality is consistent within individuals suggests that its ultimate causation has, at least, some intrinsic factors to individuals (Dall et al., 2004; Réale et al., 2007). Previous studies suggested that the neuroendocrine system was involved in emotional reactivity. Differences in its activity would be responsible for the observed behavioural differences (Boissy, 1995). More recent studies narrowed the question down to the brain monoaminergic system, which seems to play a crucial role in behaviour control and modulation

These drugs are among the most prescribed for human consumption. SSRI are used to treat depression and anxiety while dopamine agonistics are used to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson are restless legs syndrome. Unlike cotton wipes or food, chemical substances are difficult to eliminate from sewage waters and often they reach natural waterways. Considering that the monoaminergic system is highly preserved throughout the animal kingdom several ecological implications that need rise from this