Social influences on female choice in green anole lizards ( Anolis carolinensis (original) (raw)
Related papers
Aggressive experience alters place preference in green anole lizards, Anolis carolinensis
Animal Behaviour, 2006
Males of many species establish territories from which they exclude conspecifics, and experience can influence the defence and stability of territorial boundaries. We used a conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure to determine whether engaging in a form of behaviour associated with territorial defence, aggressive behaviour, was rewarding for male green anoles and whether aggressive experience could alter the spatial/contextual preferences of these territorial lizards. When approached by a male conspecific, or when exposed to their reflection in a mirror, many male anoles show species-typical aggressive behaviours. We repeatedly exposed male anoles to a mirror or the nonreflective back of the mirror in opposing sides of a CPP apparatus that consisted of two contextually distinct chambers connected by a central tunnel. Control animals (N ¼ 10) were exposed to the back of the mirror in both sides of the apparatus. Following conditioning, animals that showed aggressive behaviour (N ¼ 13) when exposed to the mirror during conditioning increased the time that they spent in the side of the apparatus paired with the mirror relative to baseline. In contrast, the preferences of nonaggressive (N ¼ 8) and control animals were unchanged. These findings suggest that engaging in aggressive behaviour (and not simply seeing a conspecific) is rewarding for male green anoles and that aggression-related reward and associative learning could influence the formation and/or maintenance of stable territories.
Mating order-dependent female mate choice in the polygynandrous common lizard Lacerta vivipara
Oecologia, 2010
Recent studies indicate that directional female mate choice and order-dependent female mate choice importantly contribute to non-random mating patterns. In species where females prefer larger sized males, disentangling different hypotheses leading to non-random mating patterns is especially difficult, given that male size usually correlates with behaviours that may lead to non-random mating (e.g. size-dependent emergence from hibernation, male fighting ability). Here we investigate female mate choice and order-dependent female mate choice in the polygynandrous common lizard (Lacerta vivipara). By sequentially presenting males in random order to females, we exclude non-random mating patterns potentially arising due to intra-sexual selection (e.g. male-male competition), trait-dependent encounter probabilities, trait-dependent conspicuousness, or trait-dependent emergence from hibernation. To test for order-dependent female mate choice we investigate whether the previous mating history affects female choice. We show that body size and body condition of the male with which a female mated for the first time were bigger and better, respectively, than the average body size and body condition of the rejected males. There was a negative correlation between body sizes of first and second copulating males. This indicates that female mate choice is dependent on the previous mating history and it shows that the female's choice criteria are non-static, i.e. non-directional. Our study therefore suggests that context-dependent female mate choice may not only arise due to genotypeenvironment interactions, but also due to other female mating strategies, i.e. order-dependent mate choice. Thus context-dependent female mate choice might be more frequent than previously thought.
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2012
Female choice can powerfully influence the evolution of male phenotypes. In territorial species, it is challenging to determine the targets of female choice because male traits (e.g., behavior and morphology) are often correlated with territory. We sought to elucidate if and how females specifically evaluate male traits in a territorial species. In this study, we presented female fence lizards, Sceloporus undulatus, with two potential mates to examine mate choice in the absence of territory cues. Females associated more with males possessing better body condition, longer heads, and wider throat badges, and that performed more shudder behavior, which females responded to by approaching shuddering males and performing push-ups. A post hoc decision tree analysis suggests that the strongest predictor of female association was an overall quality index that incorporates all of these traits, rather than individual traits. Male snout-vent length, head width, abdominal badge width, and push-up behavior did not affect female association. Further research on why these traits, which are known to correlate with fitness, do not appear to be used by females when selecting mates would improve our understanding of the evolution of male traits. Our study reveals that females of this territorial species possess the ability to use multiple male traits interactively to make fitness-relevant mate choice decisions in the absence of direct territory cues.
Female mate choice in the non-territorial lizard Ameiva plei (Teiidae)
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 1997
Mate choice by females has been documented in a variety of taxa. Female mate choice in species lacking male resource control or paternal care might occur if preferred males provide protection from harassment. Female mate choice was investigated in a natural population of the non-territorial lizard Ameiva plei (Teiidae). Consort pairs were allowed to form naturally. Consort males were signi®cantly larger than nonconsort males. After removal of consort males, thè`a bandoned'' female's reaction to the ®rst male who approached her was recorded. Females rejected all small males. Female preference for large males was signi®cantly higher than preference for small males. Large males may be better equipped to guard the females from harassment and behavior of large males is less harassing than behavior of small males, thereby aording the female increased foraging time.
Multimodal female mate choice in a polymorphic flat rock lizard
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2022) 76:77, 2022
Sexual selection is a driver of morphological and behavioral diversity. It may also play a role in the maintenance of behavioral and morphological polymorphisms. Adaptive theory predicts that males advertise individual quality through one or more signal paths and that females choose better quality mates based on those signals. Here, we use mate choice experiments in two different signaling modes (chemical and visual), to test whether females of a color cryptic-polymorphic lizard have a preference between two co-occurring male morphs (black and yellow) with alternative behavioral types. We test whether females use visual (males' coloration) and/or chemical cues to choose male morphs. Furthermore, we assess whether continuous costly color expression influences female choice and whether male conspicuousness in their natural background predicts female mate choice. We show that females prefer the aggressive black-morph males based on chemical cues. Females prefer more conspicuous males as mates, and coloration at polymorphic ventral part of the body also contributes to higher conspicuousness of these males. Our study adds to the knowledge of intersexual selection for multi-component signals and opens possibilities for future research to explore the roles of complementary signal modes. Significance statement Sexual selection can drive the evolution of a great diversity of behavioral and morphological features and has puzzled naturalists ever since Darwin. We studied sexual selection in the striped lava lizard (Tropidurus semitaeniatus), a species endemic to Northeast Brazil. This species is known to have two different "types" of males (yellow or black). In our study, we conducted mate choice experiments to test whether females prefer males based on chemical and/or visual cues. Black males tend to be more aggressive and dominant, and we showed that females prefer these males based on their scent. We show that females prefer males that are more conspicuous within their natural habitat, and that ventral polymorphic coloration is related to female preference. Our study highlights the complexity of animal signals and contributes to our understanding of sexual selection and the role of complementary signal modes.
Integrative and Comparative Biology, 2007
Synopsis Males and females are known to differ in a whole suite of characteristics, such as morphology, physiology, ecology, and behavior. Intersexual differences are generally believed to arise because of differences in selective pressures on either sex. In this study, we investigated whether intersexual differences in escape behavior exist in lizards of the genus Anolis, and whether these could be explained by intersexual differences in body size and/or microhabitat use. To do so, we compared the behavioral response to an approaching human predator in the field in males and females of 12 Anolis species. We found that ecomorphs and sexes differ greatly with respect to escape behavior. Twig anoles have the shortest approach distance (i.e., distance between the observer and the lizard when it starts fleeing) and final distance (i.e., distance between the observer and the lizard when it stops moving), compared with the other ecomorphs. The distance fled, on the contrary, is greatest in twig anoles. Also, females flee less soon and run over shorter distances than do males. Since twig anoles are considered the most cryptic anoles, and females may be less conspicuous than males, these results corroborate the idea that well camouflaged animals allow predators to come closer. The interspecific variation in sexual dimorphism in escape behavior, however, cannot be explained by the interspecific variation in sexual size dimorphism or sexual dimorphism in microhabitat use. Thus, escape behavior appears determined by different factors in males and females.
High Costs of Female Choice in a Lekking Lizard
PLoS ONE, 2007
Although the cost of mate choice is an essential component of the evolution and maintenance of sexual selection, the energetic cost of female choice has not previously been assessed directly. Here we report that females can incur high energetic costs as a result of discriminating among potential mates. We used heart rate biologging to quantify energetic expenditure in lek-mating female Galá pagos marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus). Receptive females spent 78.9623.2 kJ of energy on mate choice over a 30-day period, which is equivalent to ,L of one day's energy budget. Females that spent more time on the territories of high-quality, high-activity males displayed greater energetic expenditure on mate choice, lost more mass, and showed a trend towards producing smaller follicles. Choosy females also appear to face a reduced probability of survival if El Niñ o conditions occur in the year following breeding. These findings indicate that female choice can carry significant costs, and suggest that the benefits that lek-mating females gain through mating with a preferred male may be higher than previously predicted.
The role of scent marks in female choice of territories and refuges in a lizard (Podarcis hispanica)
Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2011
Female mate choice based on male phenotypic traits is controversial in lizards, particularly in territorial species. In this study, we examine female choice of male scent marks in a territorial lacertid lizard (Podarcis hispanica) in which scent marks have been shown to signal male size (i.e., an important determinant of competitive ability in this species). Females were simultaneously exposed to three naturalized 4 m 2 choice areas bearing: (1) no scent marks (i.e., control), (2) scent marks of large males, and (3) scent marks of small males. Although female lizards preferentially associated with scent marked choice areas, we found no evidence that females chose territories marked by large males. Furthermore, in response to experimentally induced dusk at the end of choice trials, females preferentially took shelter in refuges scent marked by small males. Our results suggest that, like males in this species, females are able to use male scent marks to assess the body size of resident territorial males, but do not show a preference for territories occupied by large males.
Female choice on male quantitative traits in lizards — why is it so rare?
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 1995
Female choice on the basis of male traits has been described in an array of taxa but has rarely been demonstrated in reptiles. In the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis), and possibly in other non-territorial reptiles, a male's contribution to a female's fitness is restricted to his genes. In order to choose males of high genetic quality, females have to trade the fitness gain against the costs of active choice. In a Swedish population of sand lizards, long-lived males sired offspring with higher embryonic survival compared to offspring sired by short-lived males. In spite of this female sand lizards did not mate selectively with older and/or larger males. There appeared to be no reliable cues to male longevity; age-specific male body size was highly variable. Furthermore, estimates of male nuptial coloration did not covary with ectoparasite load and, hence, females cannot use male coloration as a cue to heritable resistance to pathogenic parasite effects. When cues to male genetic quality are poor, or inaccurate, and males make no parental investment, we predict that female choice will be rare. Sand lizard females mating with many partners lay clutches with higher hatching success. Thus, females may obtain "good genes" for their young by multiple mating, thereby avoiding costs associated with mate choice.