Collective action or individual choice: Spontaneity and individuality contribute to decision-making in Drosophila

PLoS One. 2021 Aug 26;16(8):e0256560. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256560. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Our own unique character traits make our behavior consistent and define our individuality. Yet, this consistency does not entail that we behave repetitively like machines. Like humans, animals also combine personality traits with spontaneity to produce adaptive behavior: consistent, but not fully predictable. Here, we study an iconically rigid behavioral trait, insect phototaxis, that nevertheless also contains both components of individuality and spontaneity. In a light/dark T-maze, approximately 70% of a group of Drosophila fruit flies choose the bright arm of the T-Maze, while the remaining 30% walk into the dark. Taking the photopositive and the photonegative subgroups and re-testing them reveals the spontaneous component: a similar 70-30 distribution emerges in each of the two subgroups. Increasing the number of choices to ten choices, reveals the individuality component: flies with an extremely negative series of first choices were more likely to show photonegative behavior in subsequent choices and vice versa. General behavioral traits, independent of light/dark preference, contributed to the development of this individuality. The interaction of individuality and spontaneity together explains why group averages, even for such seemingly stereotypical behaviors, are poor predictors of individual choices.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology*
  • Choice Behavior / physiology*
  • Decision Making
  • Drosophila melanogaster / physiology*
  • Light
  • Phototaxis / physiology
  • Principal Component Analysis

Associated data

  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.13472259.v3

Grants and funding

EAG and LMPL are members of the Argentinean National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET). Experiments were financially supported by the University of Regensburg. The writing and review processes of this work were financially supported by CONICET, and an IBRO Return Home Fellowship. EAG current position at the University of Cologne is supported by NeuroNex (DFG grant Bu857-15/1).