MCMILLAN, D.M.*; VANHOOYDONCK, B.; HERREL, A.; MEYERS, J.J.; IRSCHICK, D.I.; Tulane Univetsity; University of Antwerp ; University of Antwerp ; Northern Arizona University; Tulane University: Does the context of honest signaling change across populations?

The idea that sexual signals should be honest signals of an animals intrinsic performance capacities is well established in behavioral ecology, but less information exists about whether the context of honest signaling changes with population structure. We investigated whether the context of honest signaling in green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) differs between two closely related, but highly divergent populations (a native swamp population and an enclosed campus population). Anoles in these two populations differ dramatically in habitat structure, display behavior, morphology, and escape behavior. We investigated whether the relative size of the dewlap (an extendable throatfan) in male green anoles was an honest indicator of relative bite force by collecting large samples of male lizards in the two populations. We collected data on both the intensity of predation pressure in the two habitats, as well as anole densities to ensure that differences in honest signaling were attributable to differences in habitat and consequently, social structure. We found that several aspects of sexual signaling differed between the populations, which we attributed to the greater potential for sexual selection in the enclosed Tulane population.