Meeting Abstract

95.2  Sunday, Jan. 6  Staged Interactions between female pairs and male pairs of Anolis carolinensis and Anolis sagrei Lizards EDWARDS, JE*; LAILVAUX, SP; University of New Orleans, Louisiana; University of New Orleans, Louisiana edjessicaedwards@gmail.com

The introduced lizard Anolis sagrei is known to commonly replace Anolis carolinensis as the most abundant anole of urban areas and other open environments. Although studies of interspecific interactions typically focus on males, interactions between females also might play an important role in shaping habitat use within multi-species communities. To measure interspecific aggressive behaviour in each sex, we caught 90 A. carolinensis and A. sagrei males and females of various sizes and randomly matched female-female and male-male pairs in staged interspecific interactions in lab. We examined whether species identity, bite force, dewlap size and body size affected the outcome of interspecific interactions, and tested the prediction that bite force and size would be the most important determinants of interaction outcomes in both sexes. Preliminary analyses suggest that interactions between female conspecifics may potentially play a larger role than interactions between males.