Familiarity dampens the effect of boldness on coordination in three-spined sticklebacks

What is it about?

In many species, bolder individuals tend to be leaders, and shyer individuals tend to be followers. Here we explore how familiarity, or prior experience, affects an individuals tendency to lead. We found that boldness is a stronger predictor of leadership tendencies in unfamiliar pairs, but in familiar pairs, shyer individuals are more likely to lead. This shows how knowing your social partners can have a dramatic effect on which individuals are willing to lead.

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