Allison M Brehm

• PhD - Ecology and Environmental Sciences
• PostDoc Position at University of Wisconsin–Madison

Many plants rely on animals for seed dispersal, but are all individuals equally effective at dispersing seeds? If not, then the loss of certain individual dispersers from populations could have cascade effects on ecosystems. Despite the importance of seed dispersal for forest ecosystems, variation among individual dispersers and whether land‐use ch...

In recent years individual differences in the behavior of animals, or personalities, have been shown to influence the response of individuals to changing environments and have important ecological implications. As researchers strive to understand and predict the responses of individuals and populations to anthropogenic changes, personality studies...

Understanding factors affecting the functional diversity of ecological communities is an important goal for ecologists and conservationists. Previous work has largely been conducted at the community level; however, recent studies have highlighted the critical importance of considering intraspecific functional diversity (i.e. the functional diversit...

Behavioural tendencies vary consistently among individuals and this variation is known as personality. Previous studies have found that personality traits measured through standardized behavioural tests predict trappability (i.e. ‘trap happy’ versus ‘trap shy’). However, the nature of this relationship is unclear since it has been explored only wit...

Climate change is resulting in shifts in species’ ranges as species inhabit new climatically suitable areas. A key factor affecting range‐shifts is the interaction with predators. Small mammals, being primary seed predators and dispersers in forest ecosystems, may play a major role in determining which plant species will successfully expand and the...

Mice in the genus Peromyscus are abundant and geographically widespread in North America, serving as reservoirs for zoonotic pathogens, including Borrelia burgdorferi ( B. burgdorferi ), the causative agent of Lyme disease, transmitted by Ixodes scapularis ticks. While the white‐footed mouse ( Peromyscus leucopus ( P. leucopus )) is the primary res...

Identifying the factors that affect host–parasite interactions is essential for understanding the ecology and dynamics of vector‐borne diseases and may be an important component of predicting human disease risk. Characteristics of hosts themselves (e.g., body condition, host behavior, immune defenses) may affect the likelihood of parasitism. Howeve...

Despite numerous studies examining the fitness consequences of animal personalities, predictions concerning the relationship between personality and survival are not consistent with empirical observations. Theory predicts that individuals who are risky (i.e. bold, active and aggressive) should have higher rates of mortality; however, empirical evid...

The long‐term effects of intensive forest harvest on sensitive demographic stages of the American black bear ( Ursus americanus ) have been often overlooked. Much of Maine, USA, is covered in forests that are hospitable to bears and commercial timber harvest. To investigate the potential effects of differing intensities of disturbance on black bear...

Variation among individuals is at the root of all evolution by means of natural selection. However, only in recent years has intraspecific behavioral variation been embraced as a potential driver of community and ecosystem processes, rather than considered statistical noise. Animal personalities, or behavioral differences between conspecifics that...

Significance Mutualisms are foundational components of ecosystems and give rise to essential services such as seed dispersal and pollination. Ecologists believe that nearly every species is involved in one or more mutualisms, but it is unknown how consistent behavioral differences among individuals, or personalities, may influence an individual’s r...

Developing cost-effective monitoring protocols is a priority for wildlife conservation agencies worldwide. In particular, developing protocols that cover a wide range of species is highly desirable. Here we applied the ‘umbrella species’ concept to the context of ecological monitoring; specifically testing the hypothesis that protocols developed fo...

Conservationists rarely consider the roles individuals, with their own unique behavior, physiology, and genome, play in shaping ecosystem processes and consequently ecosystem services, but this is changing. An ongoing surge in research on animal personalities (that is, behavioral differences among individuals that are consistent over time and acros...

Ecologists commonly assess ecological patterns at the population level, focusing on the average response of all individuals within a population, but to predict how populations will respond to land‐use change we must understand how changes to habitat differentially affect individuals within a population. For example, forest management is a widesprea...

Millions of dams impair watershed connectivity across the globe and have severely affected migratory fish populations. Fishways offer upstream passage opportunities, but artificial selection may be imposed by these structures. Using juvenile American eel Anguilla rostrata as a model species, we consider whether individual differences in behaviour (...

In many cooperatively breeding mammals, an unrelated dominant pair monopolizes reproduction in the social group while subordinates help to raise their offspring. In Kalahari meerkats (Suricata suricatta), dominant males are usually immigrants while dominant females are natal animals that have not left the group where they were born. However, in aro...

Scatter‐hoarding small mammals act as both seed predators and seed dispersers in forest ecosystems. Their choices regarding consuming or caching seeds must balance the risk of predation with the energy rewards gained from immediate or delayed consumption of seeds. Several factors influence their interaction with seeds, including the individual's pe...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221136.].

In recent years, consistent individual differences in behavior, or personalities, have been a topic of increasing interest as researchers strive to understand and predict the responses of individuals and populations to anthropogenic changes. Behavioral studies in wild populations often require that animals are live trapped before behavioral observa...