Meeting Abstract

78.4  Monday, Jan. 6 11:00  A functional approach to the dewlap in Anolis sagrei DRIESSENS, T*; VANHOOYDONCK, B; VAN DAMME, R; University of Antwerp, Belgium; University of Antwerp, Belgium; University of Antwerp, Belgium tess.driessens@uantwerpen.be

The dewlap of Anolis lizards, an extendable flap of skin attached to their throat, presents a classic example of a highly variable and complex signaling device. Even though the dewlap has been suggested to play a role in male-male competition, female mate choice, species recognition and/or predator defense, the exact function and evolutionary flexibility of this structure remain poorly understood. Our study incorporates a functional approach to the anoline dewlap, using Anolis sagrei as model species. Specifically, we examined whether certain dewlap components (i.e. size, colour and pattern) have a specific signaling function and if this implies certain costs or benefits. Therefore, a suite of physiological (body condition, immune response), behavioural (predator interactions, male-male and male-female interactions, female mate choice) and performance traits (bite force, clinging capacity, sprinting speed, jumping capacity) were obtained from the same individuals under fully-controlled laboratory conditions, and linked to the individual dewlap components. We focused on both sexes of A. sagrei, as selective pressures on signaling traits often differ between sexes and previous studies on anoles are strongly biased towards the male dewlap only.