Behavioral syndromes, a term coined by behavioral ecologists, are suites of correlated behaviors that are consistently different among individuals across situations (e.g. feeding behavior on range pastures and in the feedlot), context (e.g. boldness in feeding, anti-predator, and mating behavior), and time. Because behavioral syndromes are consistent over time and context they can limit an animal's ability to adapt to varying environments and therefore can affect animal performance. The objectives of this study were to: 1) characterize behavioral syndromes in mature Brangus (Bos indicus influenced) cows in the Chihuahuan Desert; and 2) explore correlations among personality traits and their connections with cow performance. We found significant correlations between SCR (supplement consumption rate, a previously identified criterion to classify cows into behavioral types) and: dominance scores (r = 0.96; P < 0.01), shy proactive tendencies during shyness-boldness tests (r = 0.61; P = 0.04), area explored (r = -0.57; P= 0.07), feed neophobia, and both distance travelled (r = -0.68; P = 0.02) and habitat preference (-0.59; P = 0.06) on rangeland. We also found significant behavior - performance correlations including dominance rank vs. number of calves produced over a dam's life time (r = 0.56; P = 0.06), and calving Julian day (early vs. late calving) vs. area explored on rangeland (r = -0.59; P = 0.07), movement time and rate from water (r = -0.58; P = 0.08), and shade preference (r = -0.79; P < 0.01). Brangus cows exhibited suites of correlated behaviors that appeared to affect their individual performance. Our results highlight the importance of considering entire syndromes when selecting cows that exhibit rangeland-adapted behaviors.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.