Meeting Abstract

P3.173  Monday, Jan. 6 15:30  Individual variation in locomotor performance and behavior in Northern Curly-tailed Lizards (Leiocephalus carinatus) DIAMOND, K. M.*; GIFFORD, M. E.; POWELL, R.; Clemson Univ.; Univ. of Arkansas, Little Rock; Avila Univ. kmdiamo@clemson.edu

Leiocephalus carinatus is a territorial sit-and-wait predatory lizard native to Cuba and the Bahamas that utilizes diverse display behaviors (e.g., head-bobs, pushups, and tail-curls). We explored patterns of variation in display patterns within and among individual lizards and tested whether laboratory measures of performance correlated with field measurements of behavior. We sampled 45 lizards along a 1060m stretch of beach that was isolated from other populations. We measured endurance capacity and maximal sprinting speed for each lizard and released them at sites of capture for subsequent behavioral observations. We used mixed-effects models to test for consistent individual differences in performance and behavior and for individual-level correlations between performance and field behaviors. Sprinting speed, field display intensity, and movement rates of lizards exhibited consistent individual differences (i.e., they were repeatable), but with considerable variation between the sexes and among traits. Sprinting speed was not correlated with either measure of field behavior. Unlike sprint speed, endurance was significantly correlated with field display intensity in the complete dataset and for males alone. Contrary to patterns observed among species, endurance did not correlate with movement rates at the individual-level. These may indicate that display intensity is an honest signal of endurance in male Leiocephalus. Our results are among the first demonstrating repeatability of behavioral traits of field-active lizards and intersexual variation in patterns of repeatability, and provide confirmation of correlations between laboratory measures of performance and behaviors of free-ranging lizards.