Meeting Abstract
Color can communicate complex social information, particularly in animals that have the ability to change color rapidly. One example of this phenomenon occurs in Anolis lizards, which can change their dorsal coloration between their base color and dark brown within seconds. While color changes occur frequently during anole social interactions, it is not fully understood what color communicates. To determine whether male and female green anoles (A. carolinensis) use color similarly in social interactions, and to determine if lizard behavior and morphology are associated with body color, we collected 12 lizards of each sex. We first performed daily color checks to establish whether an individual’s predominant color was green or brown. Next, in a series of behavioral trials, lizards were paired with a lizard of the opposite sex for two weeks, and then a novel lizard of the opposite sex or a familiar lizard of the opposite sex (i.e., the original pairing) for one day. Finally, lizards were sequentially paired with four same-sex lizards in a series of dominance trials. Results showed that females were green in 40-87% of color checks, while males were green 13-100% of the time, and that no morphological trait was associated with this variation. However, when paired with females, males with a predominant green color were more likely to perch in open areas, suggesting that green color indicates a bolder personality. Predominantly green males also displayed more often and won more dominance trials when paired with other males. While female color was not associated with behavior in same sex trials, females were more likely to be green in a trial with a novel male than a familiar one. These results suggest that body color plays different roles in male and female social interactions.
