Differential Avoidance Responses to Chemical Cues from Familiar and Unfamiliar Conspecifics by Male Iberian Rock Lizards (Lacerta monticola) (original) (raw)

Abstract

We conducted a field study to analyze spatial relationships among male Iberian Rock Lizards, Lacerta monticola. We then used the same individuals in a laboratory experiment to test whether avoidance responses of a male lizard in a previously unknown area is affected by presence of scents of familiar and unfamiliar resident males. Time spent attempting to escape in presence of unfamiliar odors was significantly higher than in presence of familiar odors suggesting avoidance of unfamiliar scent marks, which may lower the costs of aggressive interactions. Our results are concordant with previous studies in which differential tongue-flick rates showed discrimination between odors of familiar and unfamiliar males of L. monticola.

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Pedro Aragón, Pilar López, and José Martín "Differential Avoidance Responses to Chemical Cues from Familiar and Unfamiliar Conspecifics by Male Iberian Rock Lizards (Lacerta monticola)," Journal of Herpetology 37(3), 583-585, (1 September 2003). https://doi.org/10.1670/192-02N

Accepted: 1 March 2003; Published: 1 September 2003