Meeting Abstract

S8-1.2  Jan. 6  Sex differences in locomotor performance and thermoregulation in reptiles: behavioral and ecological implications LAILVAUX, S; University of Antwerp slailvau@ua.ac.be

Males and females from several animal taxa differ in locomotor performance abilities such as sprinting and jumping. These performance dimorphisms may be explained at least partially by sex differences in physiology. In ectotherms such as reptiles, however, thermal ecology places an additional constraint on realized locomotor performance capacities. I review recent studies on reptiles examining sex differences in locomotor capacity and thermoregulatory behaviour, and discuss the potential importance of such differences for several aspects of male and female ecology; for example, the interaction between sex, performance and temperature in Platysaurus intermedius lizards results in males and females using different behavioral strategies to evade predators. I also consider the evidence for divergence in male and female optimal performance temperatures. Finally, I point to several potentially important areas for future research.