The Davoren Lab @ The World Seabird Twitter Conference (1/3)

Matt Legard, a new Ph.D. student in the Davoren lab, was a recent participant in the world seabird twitter conference. He presented some research from his Masters that was conducted @TheDeepResearch.

(1/4) #WSTC7 #BehaSesh1 Individual personality is found throughout the animal kingdom. Most previous captive studies focused on populations/species not individuals. 13 gentoo 🐧 at The Deep were studied to determine the effects of personality on important husbandry practices.

(2/4) #WSTC7 #BehaSesh1 For personality, behaviour must be consistent over time and across contexts. Responses of 🐧 to public were consistent over 2 years and correlated with boldness ratings by aquarists. Therefore, consistent over time and in novel & familiar contexts.

(3/4) #WSTC7 #BehaSesh1 Bolder 🐧 had nests in areas with more light and ate more food from aquarists, matching other studies with different behaviours due to personality. However, bolder individuals did not breed better, as commonly seen in captivity.

(4/4) #WSTC7 #BehaSesh1 Results highlight the value of including personality in husbandry decisions such as feeding regimes and enclosure design. Increasing reproductive success being a potential #conservation benefit. Thank you Hull Uni and all at The Deep!

Stay tuned for most recaps from the twitter conference!