The Evolution and Consequences of Animal Personality
Animal personality, or consistent individual differences in behavior among animals within a population or species, has been increasingly studied over the past two decades by behavioral ecologists. The study of animal personality represents a shift from the classic perspective in earlier research that focused on population- or species-wide norms of behavior. To date, papers have documented the existence of animal personalities in taxa as diverse as primates and insects, with individual differences in behavioral traits such as aggressiveness, boldness towards predators, foraging patterns, and sociability. A growing body of literature exists on ancillary topics such as the development of personality, but the evolution and consequences of personality remain relatively unexplored.

Here, we issue a call for papers on these latter topics – specifically, we are looking for studies that go beyond proximate description of animal personalities, and that delve into the immediate and ultimate consequences of this recognized phenomenon. Although manuscripts on all taxa will be considered for this special issue, we are especially interested in those on non-primate taxa, because these taxa are less well-studied in the context of personality.

Full submissions of accepted abstracts should be completed by January 7th, 2022. Authors that require more time should contact communities@peerj.com to request an extension