Dr Ben Chapman

Ben left the group in summer 2016 to take up a new role at Manchester University. You can see how he described his interests below.

Research Interests

Individual variation is ubiquitous in nature. Animals (and plants) of the same species, and even the same population, vary phenotypically from one another, in their behaviour, morphology, life-history and physiology. What are the ultimate and proximate causes of this variation? What are the evolutionary and ecological consequences of intraspecific behavioural differences, particularly in a world rapidly changing as a result of human impacts?

My current research focuses upon the causes and consequences of such variation, mostly in aquatic systems. I have two main projects at the moment.

The Ecology and Evolution of Animal Migration

For the past 5 years or so I have been studying the winter migration of cyprinid fishes in Scandinavia. Each winter, as the temperature drops, there are mass migrations of fish from shallow lakes into connected streams. We have focused upon studying the seasonal movements of roach Rutilus rutilus, a common freshwater cyprinid fish that dominates the biomass of many shallow lakes to ask fundamental questions about the evolution of migratory behaviour, and also to study the ecological consequences of migration. An interesting aspect of roach migration is that a proportion of the population migrates and the remainder stay resident in the lake the entire year (‘partial migration’). As such this system functions as a natural experiment which allows us to carry out research to identify the ecological drivers of migratory behaviour. Using biocompatible, internally-implanted PIT-tags and fixed antennae stations in the streams, we can follow the movement of individual fish over many years in their natural environment, and quantify between-individual variation in migratory behaviour. This project uses a variety of techniques, including passive telemetry, field sampling, stable isotope analysis, geometric morphometrics, population genetics and behavioural experiments to unravel some of the puzzles of animal migration.

Key papers/Book chapters

•  Chapman BB et al. 2014. Patterns of Animal Migration. In Animal movement across scales, Oxford University Press

•  Chapman BB et al. 2013. A foraging cost of migration for a partially migratory cyprinid fish. PloS One 8 (5), e61223

•  Skov C, Chapman BB et al. 2013. Migration confers survival benefits against avian predators. Biology Letters 9, 20121178

•  Chapman BB et al. 2011. The ecology and evolution of partial migration. Oikos 120, 1764-1775

•  Chapman BB et al. 2011. To boldy go: individual differences in boldness influence migratory tendency. Ecology Letters 14, 871-876

Main collaborators

•  Prof. Christer Bronmark, Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Sweden

•  Prof. Lars-Anders Hansson, Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Sweden

•  Prof. Anders Nilsson, Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Sweden

•  Dr. Jakob Brodersen, EAWAG, Switzerland

•  Dr. Christian Skov, DTU Aqua, Silkeborg, Denmark

•  The CAnMove project

Current and previous PhD & MSc students

•  Kaj Hulthen (PhD student, current): “Causes and consequences of individual variation in anti-predator traits”

•  David Aldven (MSc, completed), now a PhD student at Gothenburg University studying the migration ecology of anadromous salmonids. In his project David studied how individual variation in risk-taking behaviour affected migratory decisions in roach.

•  Elizabeth Arvidsson (MSc, completed), now a PhD student studying animal personality at Antwerp University, Belgium. Lisa’s project focused upon behavioural differences between migrant and resident fish in Lake Krankesjon.

•  Johan Martinsson (MSc, completed), now a PhD student in Nuclear Physics, Lund University. Johan investigated the reproductive costs of migration in his project.

•  Ezgi Ulusu (MSc, completed). Ezgi’s project investigated sex differences in migratory behaviour in cyprinids.

•  Jens Ratcovitch (BSc, completed). Jens also looked at sex differences in migratory strategies in freshwater fish.

•  Jerker Vinterstare (MSc, completed). Jerker studied how experience of risk prior to migration influences migratory decisions in fish.

Causes and Consequences of Animal Personality

The recognition that animals of the same species, and from the same population, often differ consistently in their behaviour is an old insight. However, the past decade has witnessed an explosion of interest in this phenomenon, known as ‘animal personality’. Many fascinating and important questions remain to be addressed in this nascent field of behavioural ecology. What processes are at work to generate and maintain such consistent behavioural diversity over long periods of time? What is the effect of individual variation upon social patterns and processes, such as information transmission, parasite and pathogen spread, mate choice and reproductive behaviours, and collective decision making? What are the ecological implications of personality variation, particularly in an ever-changing world? I currently work with a number of systems to ask these questions, primarily the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus adaptive radiation on the Hebridean island of Norht Uist.

Key papers/Book chapters

•   Nilsson J-A, Chapman BB et al. 2014. Individuality in movement: the role of animal personality. In Animal movement across scales, Oxford University Press

•   Hulthen K, Chapman BB et al. 2014. Express yourself: bold individuals induce enhanced defences. Proc. Roy. Soc. B 281, 20132703

•   Chapman BB et al. 2013. Sex and the syndrome: individual and population level consistency in behaviour in rock pool prawns. PLoS One 8, e59437

•   Chapman BB et al. 2011. To boldy go: individual differences in boldness influence migratory tendency. Ecology Letters 14, 871-876

•   Chapman BB et al. 2011. Behavioural syndromes at multiple scales in Myrmica ants. Animal Behaviour 82, 391-397

Main collaborators

•    Assoc. Prof. Andrew Maccoll, University of Nottingham, UK

•    Johan Ahlgren, PhD student, Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Sweden

•    Prof. Christer Bronmark, Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Sweden

•    Prof. Jan-Ake Nilsson, Evolutionary Ecology, Lund University, Sweden

•    Prof. Anders Nilsson, Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Sweden

•    Prof. William Hughes, University of Sussex, UK

•    Kaj Hulthen, PhD student, Aquatic Ecology, Lund University, Sweden

Current and previous PhD & MSc students

•    Gunnar De Winter (PhD student, current): “The Ecology of Animal Personality”

•    Rafael Arnoni (MSc, current). Rafael is also working on the ecology of animal personality.

•    Henrique Ramalho (MSc, current). Henrique is interested in how behaviour covaries with morphology.

•    Kaj Hulthen (MSc, completed), now a PhD student at Lund University studying anti-predator traits in aquatic systems.

•    Mattias Engman (MSc, completed). Mattias’ project investigated how individual differences in boldness influence learning speed in crucian carp.

•    Alexander Hegg (BSc, completed). Alex studied behavioural syndromes in rock pool prawns.

Other Interests

In my PhD I worked on phenotypic plasticity using Trinidadian guppies as a model species, supervised by Prof. Jens Krause and working closely with Dr. Lesley Morrell of the University of Hull. I still work a little bit with plasticity in inducible defences in crucian carp and behavioural plasticity in guppies, and co-supervise Helen Kimbell in her PhD at the University of Hull. I also co-supervise Abdul Rahman’s PhD at the University of Nottingham. Abdul works on life-history evolution in sticklebacks.

Editorial Work

I am currently a subject editor for Oikos, and guest edited a themed edition on partial migration in 2011 for them.