Age dependent search behavior in the Colorado Checkered Whiptail Aspidoscelis neotesselata


SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
2021 VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING (VAM)
January 3 – Febuary 28, 2021

Meeting Abstract


79-2  Sat Jan 2  Age dependent search behavior in the Colorado Checkered Whiptail Aspidoscelis neotesselata Pedersen, RW*; Liu, EF; Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO; University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS rachael_pedersen@yahoo.com

Differences in age and body size lead to distinct physiological abilities and needs, which can be reflected in behavioral differences between adults and juveniles. Detailed examination of movement can lend insight into how adults and juveniles vary the priorities of foraging, thermoregulating, and escaping predators. We examined variation in movement and microhabitat use patterns of adult and juvenile Colorado Checkered Whiptail lizards, Aspidoscelis neotesselata hypothesizing that movement path measurements and patterns of space use would vary among foraging lizards based on age class. We determined movement paths by conducting 1-h focal observations wherein we followed 30 foraging lizards and marked their position every 30 s. We then measured the distances and angles between each marked location and recorded the microhabitat occupied at each location. Both movement paths and microhabitat use differed between age classes. Adults had longer step lengths (straight-line distances between consecutive positions) and path lengths (sum of all step lengths), using larger areas overall than juveniles. Direction and duration of each movement path segment also differed, with adults making more long, forward movements, while juveniles made more short, lateral moves. Further, age classes differed in their microhabitat use; adults spent more time in mountain mahogany shrubs and open spaces, whereas juveniles more commonly occupied juniper trees, dead wood, and grasses. Movement patterns differed both within and between age classes depending on microhabitat type. Contrasts in movement and microhabitat use likely reflect age-specific differences in foraging requirements and abilities, although thermoregulation might also play a role. Further investigations are merited.

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