Document Type

Honors Thesis

Publication Date

Spring 2019

Abstract

Consistent variation in behavior among individuals of the same species is referred to as animal personality. Personality has been found in a wide variety of species across all taxa, including numerous small mammal species. Animal personality has the potential to affect the life history characteristics of individuals within a population. Particularly, personality may affect the way in which an individual interacts with its environment, be this through home range or microhabitat selection. To further understand how personality affects home range and microhabitat selection in small mammals, we conducted a field study in the Penobscot Experimental Forest, Maine (USA). Three small mammal species are the subjects of this paper, including deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), southern red-backed voles (Myodes gapperi), and northern short-tailed shrews (Blarina brevicauda). A series of linear regression tests reveal that there is no relationship between small mammal personality, home range, and microhabitat selection.

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