Meeting Abstract
Organismal fitness is determined by a myriad of underlying morphological, physiological and genetic traits. In turn, selection may act differentially on these traits due to ecological factors such as population density, habitat quality, parasitism, or predation. The result is a mosaic of organism-environment correlations that ultimately govern individual reproductive success, and the adaptive landscape across populations. Today, anthropogenic habitat management is increasingly necessary, and problematic. By definition, management alters the habitat, often with a particular goal in mind (e.g. understory removal), and thus may alter the ecology of the constituent species. Understanding these effects has yet to receive considerable attention for many small, non-game, non-threatened species. In North America, both long leaf pine and Florida scrub habitats maintain 3% or less of their historic range, and are intensely managed. Our work suggests that Florida Scrub Lizards (Sceloporus woodi) suffer greater predation risk and lower population densities in clear cut stands of Florida scrub compared to burned long-leaf stands. Long-leaf and scrub populations are also shown to differ in ectoparasite load. In this study, we will investigate if male color badge brightness is correlated to stand type and/or ectoparasite load. We also quantify and compare sprint performance and endurance to establish a mechanistic understanding of predation, parasitism, and differential fitness in managed landscapes.
