Behavior across time and space – how large scale “trait-based” approaches can shape behavioral ecology

Abstract Understanding the responses of organisms to environmental change is critical to tackling the grand challenges of 21st century biology. Fields such as ecophysiology and ecology have embraced these challenges and “re-invented” themselves in part by shifting the scale of scientific enquiry and utilizing large-scale comparative approaches. Behavioural research has not yet realized this potential to the same extent. In this paper, we argue that adopting a trait-based approach at large spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales can advance the field of behavioral ecology and address emerging questions in biology. We surveyed the literature in relevant ecology and behavior journals between 1981 and 2020 and found that ecological journals have changed markedly over time, specifically in their focus on understanding interspecific trait variation at broad taxonomic, spatial and temporal scales. This pattern is not apparent for animal behavior, where intra-specific and often intra-population scale of scientific enquiry has mostly been the focus over the last four decades. We argue that behavioral plasticity can be a critical first response to environmental change that might buffer or even lower the risk of extinction. To estimate the capacity of populations or species to respond to change behaviorally, we propose a comparative approach- spatially, temporally or taxonomically- that systematically captures variation in key traits with broad implications for conservation and community ecology. Further, we provide guidance in the methods and resources required to apply a trait-based approach to animal behavior.