Meeting Abstract
Selective pressures such as predation, resource availability, and disease influence all animals. To counterbalance these often conflicting demands, many species possess unique morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations that increase survival in their environment. Predation, an ever-present selection pressure, is well-suited for studying the relationship between behavior, morphology, and physiology, as the effectiveness of antipredator behaviors may vary depending on a variety of environmental and functional characteristics. Chameleons are a particularly adept model to study the relationship between these adaptations as previous work suggests that antipredator strategies vary significantly with body size and habitat type. Further, their unique morphological and physiological traits, which have adapted in response to their largely arboreal lifestyle, produce relatively slow locomotion, which is poorly suited for fleeing. While fleeing is still a viable strategy, chameleons may also undergo cryptic color changes or behave aggressively to avoid predation. We have examined the functional basis for variation in antipredator behavioral decisions in veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) of three different size classes. To do so, we categorized observed antipredator behaviors during mock predation trials and then quantified the performance capacities underlying each potential strategy (e.g., sprint speed and acceleration for fleeing, degree of color change for crypsis, and bite force for aggression) in every individual. Our results indicate that individual differences in performance capacities underlying each behavior influence which response is performed during mock predation trials. The relevance of functional capacities in behavioral decisions provides further insight into the relationship between behavior, environment, and physiology.
