Territory owners, floaters, and sneaker males use different behavioral strategies in green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis)


SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
2021 VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING (VAM)
January 3 – Febuary 28, 2021

Meeting Abstract


19-5  Sat Jan 2  Territory owners, floaters, and sneaker males use different behavioral strategies in green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) Bush, JM*; Ellison, M; Simberloff, D; University of Tennessee Knoxville; Oklahoma State University; University of Tennessee Knoxville jbush15@vols.utk.edu http://jordanbush.org

Many studies have explored the mechanisms behind territory establishment and dominant-submissive dynamics in Anolis lizards. Much of this work has focused on the behaviors of large territorial males, with little attention paid to non-territorial floaters and small “sneaker” males. In this study, we explored behavioral differences between males exhibiting different territorial behaviors, particularly focusing on their interactions with each other and with females. We recorded the behaviors of 12 captive populations of green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) with 12 individuals each (6 males, 6 females) housed in semi-natural enclosures. We categorized males as territory owners, floaters, or sneakers using criteria of site fidelity and defensive behaviors and compared interactions within and between each category using linear mixed effects models. Half of the males in our populations displayed non-territorial phenotypes, demonstrating that these males likely make up an important component of anoles’ social landscape in the wild. Furthermore, each category was characterized by different behaviors, with territory owners engaging in the most behavioral interactions and sneakers behaving more similarly to females than to other males across all variables measured. Females also differentiated between territorial and non-territorial males, directing more displays at territory owners despite high home range overlap with floaters and sneakers. This study supports the female mimicry hypothesis for sneaker males in anoles and indicates the importance of considering the diversity of territorial strategies employed by green anole lizards in studies of their spatial and social behaviors.

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