Meeting Abstract
Many species express variation in behavioral types, such that individuals within a population may consistently express a type of behavior that differs from others. Yet often behavior is context-driven, where individual responses may differ when individuals are presented with a potential competitor versus a potential mate. Behavioral syndromes occur when individuals who fall within one behavioral type continuously present this behavior type across a number of different situations, regardless of context. Here, we studied the repeatability of male Anolis distichus lizard behavior to examine whether social display or locomotor behaviors are consistent across multiple social contexts. Additionally, we analyzed whether physiological or morphological variation across males is associated with the repeatability of these behaviors. In this study we performed two replicates of each of three trials (male-female, male-male, and nonsocial Open Field Tests) to record social behaviors (dewlap and push-up displays), and general movements. We then measured the mass, head size, dewlap area, and SVL (snout-vent-length) of each lizard, and collected physiological measures of liver mass, fat pad mass, and hematocrit levels. We found that individual A. distichus behaviors were generally consistent within each type of trial, and their average movement and display behaviors were consistent across the different tests. We did not find support for associations between physiological or morphological traits and behavior. In sum, these lizards exhibited behavioral consistency both within and across social contexts, raising the possibility that these traits may be associated with a behavioral syndrome.
