Meeting Abstract
In many taxa, colorful morphological features are used to advertise individual quality to conspecifics. Variation in these traits can lead to variation in reproductive success, therefore resulting in directional selection on this signal. In the prairie lizard, Sceloporus consobrinus, males exhibit bright blue patches on their abdomens and throats, the ontogeny of which is related to increased testosterone levels at sexual maturity. Patch size and color is variable between individuals, but it is currently unknown if variation in size and color is related to variation in testosterone levels. Since many traits that signal individual quality, and therefore influence reproductive success, are related to testosterone levels (e.g. performance, territory size), it would seem that these patches would serve as an honest indicator of quality themselves. Here, we use a population of prairie lizards in central Arkansas to address this question. We collected patch color and size measurements, testosterone levels, and endurance times on 45 male lizards, and territory size measurements on 45 males and 51 females (female overlap serves as a good proxy for male reproductive success) in the summer of 2016. Using multiple regression and path analysis, we examine how patch color serves as an indicator of male quality (as measured by endurance, territory size, and reproductive success) and how testosterone mediates the expression of this signal.
