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Assessing the evolutionary potential of animal populations in the wild is crucial to understanding how they may respond to selection mediated by rapid environmental change (e.g. habitat loss and fragmentation). A growing number of studies have investigated the adaptive role of behaviour, but assessments of its genetic basis in a natural setting remain scarce. We combined intensive biologging technology with genome‐wide data and a pedigree‐free quantitative genetic approach to quantify repeatability, heritability and evolvability for a suite of behaviours related to the risk avoidance‐resource acquisition trade‐off in a wild roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) population inhabiting a heterogeneous, human‐dominated landscape. These traits, linked to the stress response, movement and space‐use behaviour, were all moderately to highly repeatable. Furthermore, the repeatable among‐individual component of variation in these traits was partly due to additive genetic variance, with heritability estimates ranging from 0.21 ± 0.08 to 0.70 ± 0.11 and evolvability ranging from 1.1% to 4.3%. Changes in the trait mean can therefore occur under hypothetical directional selection over just a few generations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first empirical demonstration of additive genetic variation in space‐use behaviour in a free‐ranging population based on genomic relatedness data. We conclude that wild animal populations may have the potential to adjust their spatial behaviour to human‐driven environmental modifications through microevolutionary change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife populations are increasingly exposed to human-induced modifications of their habitats. To cope with anthropogenic stressors, animals can adjust their behaviour—for example, by shifting their activity to more sheltered habitats, or becoming more nocturnal. However, whether use of spatial and temporal adjustments in behaviour may regulate the endocrine response is poorly documented. Here, we analyzed faecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) of wild roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) living in a human-dominated agro-ecosystem. Using Global Positioning System monitoring of 116 individuals, we assessed their spatial behaviour and tested whether proximity to anthropogenic structures (linear distance to built-up areas) and the use of refuge habitats (woodland and hedges) influenced FCM levels. In accordance with our predictions, individuals ranging closer to anthropogenic structures during daytime had higher FCM levels, but this relationship was buffered as use of refuge habitat increased. In addition, this link between proximity to anthropogenic structures and FCM levels disappeared when we analyzed spatial behaviour at night. Finally, FCM levels were higher when the ambient temperature was lower, and during years of low resource availability. Our results demonstrate that the stress levels of large mammals may be strongly influenced by their proximity to anthropogenic activities, but that these effects may be buffered by behavioural adjustments in terms of space use and circadian rhythm. Whereas most studies have focused on the influence of environmental heterogeneity, our analysis highlights the need to also consider the fine-scale spatial response of individuals when studying the hormonal response of wild animals to human disturbance. We emphasize the potential to mitigate this hormonal stress response, and its potential negative consequences on population dynamics, through the preservation or restoration of patches of refuge habitat in close proximity to human infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual differences in behavior may strongly shape life-history trajectories. However, few empirical studies to date have investigated the link between behavioral traits and fitness, especially in wild populations. We measured the impact of coping style in female roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) on early survival of their offspring. Specifically, we expected offspring of proactive mothers, which should be more mobile and aggressive, to survive better than those of reactive females, which should be more passive and react less in stressful contexts. To test this prediction, we accounted for confounding effects of variation in early survival linked to habitat heterogeneity, as we also expected bed-site selection to impact fawn survival. Fawn survival was highly dependent on the interaction between habitat use and the coping style of the mother. As expected, fawns of proactive mothers survived better in open habitats. However, unexpectedly, fawns of reactive mothers had the highest survival in closed habitats. Our findings provide clear evidence that interindividual differences in the coping style of the mother can markedly impact early offspring survival and, thereby, female fitness, in wild populations of mammals. Moreover, we provide evidence that fitness consequences of copying styles are habitat-dependent, providing a possible mechanism for the maintenance of within-population variation in behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way an individual reacts to the risk of predation or disturbance may have important consequences for its immediate and future survival. Risk is likely perceived differently by individuals in relation to among-individual differences in correlated behavioral traits, that is, syndromes or personalities. Given that animals can avoid the risk of predation/disturbance through modification of their habitat use, we might expect individuals of differing behavioral types to adopt contrasting tactics of habitat use when faced with risky or stressful situations. We studied the relationship between habitat use and among-individual variation in behavioral profile in a population of roe deer. We hypothesized that an individual's habitat use tactics should be related to their capacity to cope with risky situations. In particular, we predicted that more reactive (risk-averse) roe deer, with relatively high behavioral response and high body temperature at capture, long flight distances and which were more vigilant during feeding, should use riskier open habitat less, particularly when risk is high. We found that although the use of open habitat during the day was negatively correlated with the indices of reactivity at capture, it was also positively correlated with indices of reactivity while foraging in open habitat. Furthermore, most of the behavioral parameters we measured were intercorrelated and moderately repeatable, potentially indexing personality traits. We conclude that there is substantial interindividual variability in how individuals manage risky situations which imposes constraints on how they are able to exploit high-risk habitats, suggesting the existence of a risk management syndrome in this large herbivore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]