Complex sexual-social environments produce high boldness and low aggression behavioral syndromes

Introduction Evidence of animal personality and behavioral syndromes is widespread across animals, yet the development these traits remains poorly understood. Previous research has shown that exposure to predators, heterospecifics, urbanized environments can influence syndromes. Yet, date, early social experiences with conspecifics on adult far less known. We use swordtail fish ( Xiphophorus nigrensis ), a species three genetically-determined male mating strategies (courtship display, coercion, or mixed strategy) assess how different early-life shape development. Methods raised female swordtails from birth adulthood in density-controlled sexual-social treatments varied presence type tactics (coercers only, displayers coercers displayers, mixed-strategists only). At adulthood, we tested females’ boldness, shyness, aggression, sociality, activity. Results found number females were (social complexity) shaped more than any individual strategy. Females reared complex two bolder, shy, aggressive single tactic (either courtship only coercion Complex produced (correlations between aggression activity, shyness interaction activity), whereas simple did not. Discussion Importantly, characteristics socially-induced differ those driven by predation, but converge emerging animals urban environments. Our findings suggest complexity environment shapes facilitate information gathering. Furthermore, our highlights previously overlooked sexual selection as significant contributing factor diverse