Meeting Abstract

P3.220  Sunday, Jan. 6  Competition for thermal resources between males in complex landscapes RUSCH, T. W. *; SEARS, M. W.; ANGILLETTA, M. J.; Arizona State University; Clemson University; Arizona State University trusch@asu.edu

When resources become concentrated in space, dominant members of a species can prevent subordinate members from accessing those resources. We studied the way that male lizards (Sceloporus jarrovi) competed for thermal resources in simple and complex environments. First, we measured thermoregulatory performance in small laboratory arenas with a single heat source. Under these conditions, lizards thermoregulated more accurately in isolation than they did in the presence of a larger lizard. Then, we measured thermoregulatory performance in large outdoor arenas with either a clumped or patchy distribution of shade. Each pair of lizards experienced both treatments in random order. We predicted that lizards would compete less intensely in patchy arenas than they would in clumped arenas. We will report the effect of these thermal landscapes on the accuracies of thermoregulation and levels of plasma corticosterone.