ABS 2023
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Individual Variation in Behavioral Flexibility, Habitat Use and Foraging Behavior in the Florida Scrub-Jay
Kelsey B. McCune. Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States

Human-modified environments are increasing, causing rapid changes that other species must adjust to. As environmental changes occur too quickly for genetic adaptation, individual behavioral response is key to survival. Behavioral flexibility, a cognitive trait that relates to the ability to quickly change behavior through learning when circumstances change, has been linked to variation in interspecific ability to persist in human-modified environments. However, the impact of intraspecific variation in flexibility on persistence under environmental change has not been well studied. The federally threatened Florida scrub-jay primarily resides in fire-maintained scrub oak habitat, but some individuals are able to persist in suburban areas. I present my research comparing habitat use, foraging behavior and behavioral flexibility between scrub-jays in pristine scrub habitat and those in suburban environments. Results from this work will inform the characteristics of individuals adapted to human-modified environments and could inform future land acquisitions in more developed areas to better connect the highly fragmented and increasingly inbred scrub-jay populations across the state.