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Campos SM, Rojas V, Wilczynski W. Arginine vasotocin impacts chemosensory behavior during social interactions of Anolis carolinensis lizards. Horm Behav 2020; 124:104772. [PMID: 32439348 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In reptiles, arginine vasotocin (AVT) impacts the performance of and response to visual social signals, but whether AVT also operates within the chemosensory system as arginine vasopressin (AVP) does in mammals is unknown, despite social odors being potent modifiers of competitive and appetitive behavior in reptiles. Here, we ask whether elevated levels of exogenous AVT impact rates of chemical display behavior (e.g. tongue flicks) in adult males, and whether conspecific males or females can chemically discriminate between competitor males based on differing levels of exogenous AVT in green anoles (Anolis carolinensis). We injected wild-caught green anole males with either AVT (AVT-Males) or a vehicle control (CON-Males) solution, then presented treated males with a conspecific stimulus (Intruder-Male or Intruder-Female) and filmed 30-minute interactions. We found that AVT-Males were faster than CON-Males to perform a tongue flick to conspecifics, and faster to chemically display toward Intruder-Females, suggesting AVT increased male interest in available chemical information during social encounters. Intruders performed more lip smack behavior when interacting with AVT-Males than with CON-Males, and Intruder-Males performed more tongue flick behavior when interacting with AVT-Males than with CON-Males, suggesting anoles can discriminate between conspecifics based on exogenous AVT levels. We also found a reduction in Intruder movement behavior when Intruders were paired with AVT-Males. This study provides empirical support for AVT-mediated chemosensory behavior in reptilian social interactions, in a microsmatic lizard species, suggesting the mechanism by which mammalian AVP and non-mammalian AVT mediate chemosensory behavior during social interactions may be evolutionarily conserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Campos
- Georgia State University, Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Valentina Rojas
- Universidad del Bío-Bío, Concepción, Chile; Universidad Catolica del Maule, Talca, Chile
| | - Walter Wilczynski
- Georgia State University, Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Quipildor M, Abdala V, Santa Cruz Farfán R, Lobo F. Evolution of the cloacal and genital musculature, and the genitalia morphology in liolemid lizards (Iguania: Liolaemidae) with remarks on their phylogenetic bearing. AMPHIBIA-REPTILIA 2018. [DOI: 10.1163/15685381-00003139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we describe the intra- and interspecific anatomical variations of cloacal and related muscles of male and female genitalia in species of five iguanian genera (three liolemid:Ctenoblepharys,Liolaemus, andPhymaturusplusDiplolaemusleopardinusandTropidurusmelanopleurusas outgroups). We found variations (seventeen characters) in topology, origin and insertion areas, tendon morphology and size of the musculature of this region. We also describe the variations of hemipeneal morphology, which is especially notable for the hemipenis ofC. adspersa,D. leopardinus, andT. melanopleurus, as this is first time they are described in the literature. Among the most significant findings are the identification of three new muscles, two of them inserted on the roof of the cloacal chamber (anterior and posterior cloacal retractor) and the third inserted superficially in the floor of the cloaca, just before anterior to the precloacal glands row (superficialis cloacalis retractor). We report sexual dimorphism in seven muscle characters. Musculature related to hemiclitoris is reduced in proportion to its size in comparison to the degree of development of male genitalia and associated musculature. The evolution of characters was traced on the known phylogenetic hypotheses of relationships among families. Characters taken from the cloacal/genital myology bring similar support to the liolaemid tree even rooting the analysis using different outgroups. In addition, a phylogenetic study using only myological characters was performed. In this case,C. adspersawas found to be more related toLiolaemusspecies instead of being basal toLiolaemusplusPhymaturus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías Quipildor
- IBIGEO (Instituto Bio y Geociencias del NOA), CONICET-unas, 9 de Julio 14, Rosario de Lerma, 4405 Salta, Argentina
| | - Virginia Abdala
- IBN (Instituto de Biología Neotropical), CONICET-UNT, Horco Molle s/n, Cátedra de Biología General, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e IML, UNT, San Miguel de Tucumán, 4000 Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Roy Santa Cruz Farfán
- Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional de San Agustín, Alcides Carrión s/n, Arequipa, Perú
| | - Fernando Lobo
- IBIGEO (Instituto Bio y Geociencias del NOA), CONICET-unas, 9 de Julio 14, Rosario de Lerma, 4405 Salta, Argentina
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Baeckens S, Driessens T, Van Damme R. Intersexual chemo-sensation in a "visually-oriented" lizard, Anolis sagrei. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1874. [PMID: 27069809 PMCID: PMC4824904 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
While the conspicuous visual displays of anoles have been studied in great depth, the possibility that these lizards may also interact through chemical signalling has received hardly any consideration. In this study, we observed the behaviour of male brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) when introduced into an environment previously inhabited by female conspecifics, and compared it to when they were introduced into an untreated environment. The males in our tests exhibited significantly more elaborate display behaviour (i.e., greater number of dewlap extensions and head-nods) and a significantly greater number of tongue extrusions while in the cage formerly occupied by females than when placed in the untreated, control cage. The absolute numbers of tongue extrusions, however, were relatively low in comparison to average tongue-flick rates of 'true' chemically-oriented lizards. Our results strongly suggest that the males were capable of detecting chemical cues left behind by the females. These observations provide the first evidence of intersexual chemo-sensation in an anole lizard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Baeckens
- Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp , Wilrijk , Belgium
| | - Tess Driessens
- Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp , Wilrijk , Belgium
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp , Wilrijk , Belgium
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Yang C, Wang L. Histological and morphological observations on tongue of Scincella tsinlingensis (Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae). Micron 2016; 80:24-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2015.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2015] [Revised: 09/14/2015] [Accepted: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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5
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Martín J, López P. Condition-dependent chemosignals in reproductive behavior of lizards. Horm Behav 2015; 68:14-24. [PMID: 24952102 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2014] [Revised: 06/07/2014] [Accepted: 06/10/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Chemosignals and Reproduction". Many lizards have diverse glands that produce chemosignals used in intraspecific communication and that can have reproductive consequences. For example, information in chemosignals of male lizards can be used in intrasexual competition to identify and assess the fighting potential or dominance status of rival males either indirectly through territorial scent-marks or during agonistic encounters. Moreover, females of several lizard species "prefer" to establish or spend more time on areas scent-marked by males with compounds signaling a better health or body condition or a higher genetic compatibility, which can have consequences for their mating success and inter-sexual selection processes. We review here recent studies that suggest that the information content of chemosignals of lizards may be reliable because several physiological and endocrine processes would regulate the proportions of chemical compounds available for gland secretions. Because chemosignals are produced by the organism or come from the diet, they should reflect physiological changes, such as different hormonal levels (e.g. testosterone or corticosterone) or different health states (e.g. parasitic infections, immune response), and reflect the quality of the diet of an individual. More importantly, some compounds that may function as chemosignals also have other important functions in the organism (e.g. as antioxidants or regulating the immune system), so there could be trade-offs between allocating these compounds to attending physiological needs or to produce costly sexual "chemical ornaments". All these factors may contribute to maintain chemosignals as condition-dependent sexual signals, which can inform conspecifics on the characteristics and state of the sender and allow making behavioral decisions with reproductive consequences. To understand the evolution of chemical secretions of lizards as sexual signals and their relevance in reproduction, future studies should examine what information the signals are carrying, the physiological processes that can maintain the reliability of the message and how diverse behavioral responses to chemosignals may influence reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Martín
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Pilar López
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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Scott ML, Llewelyn J, Higgie M, Hoskin CJ, Pike K, Phillips BL. Chemoreception and mating behaviour of a tropical Australian skink. Acta Ethol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-015-0213-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Siegel DS, Trauth SE, Rheubert JL, Rabe B, Ruopp B, Miralles A, Murray CM, Aldridge RD. Novel Cloacal Glands in Snakes: The Phylogenetic Distribution of Ventral Urodaeal Glands in Thamnophiini. HERPETOLOGICA 2014. [DOI: 10.1655/herpetologica-d-13-00097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dustin S. Siegel
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63103, USA
| | - Stanley E. Trauth
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72467, USA
| | | | - Brian Rabe
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63103, USA
| | - Brenton Ruopp
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63103, USA
| | - Aurélien Miralles
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle & Evolutive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Montpellier, France
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Khannoon ER, Lunt DH, Schulz S, Hardege JD. Divergence of Scent Pheromones in Allopatric Populations ofAcanthodactylus boskianus(Squamata: Lacertidae). Zoolog Sci 2013; 30:380-5. [DOI: 10.2108/zsj.30.380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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10
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Khannoon ER. Secretions of pre-anal glands of house-dwelling geckos (Family: Gekkonidae) contain monoglycerides and 1,3-alkanediol. A comparative chemical ecology study. BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bse.2012.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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11
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Discrimination of conspecifics’ chemicals may allow Spanish terrapins to find better partners and avoid competitors. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Vitamin E supplementation increases the attractiveness of males' scent for female European green lizards. PLoS One 2011; 6:e19410. [PMID: 21552540 PMCID: PMC3084291 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2011] [Accepted: 03/31/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In spite that chemoreception is important in sexual selection for many animals, such as reptiles, the mechanisms that confer reliability to chemical signals are relatively unknown. European green lizards (Lacerta viridis) have substantial amounts of α-tocopherol ( = vitamin E) in their femoral secretions. Because vitamin E is metabolically important and can only be attained from the diet, its secretion is assumed to be costly. However, its role in intraspecific communication is unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we experimentally show that male European green lizards that received a dietary supplement of vitamin E increased proportions of vitamin E in their femoral secretions. Furthermore, our experiments revealed that females preferred to use areas scent marked by males with experimentally increased vitamin E levels in their secretions. Finally, female preferences were stronger when vitamin E differences between a pair of males' secretions were larger. Conclusions/Significance Our results demonstrate that female green lizards are able to discriminate between males based on the vitamin E content of the males' femoral secretions. We suggest that the possible cost of allocating vitamin E to secretions, which might be dependent on male quality, may be a mechanism that confers reliability to scent marks of green lizards and allows their evolution as sexual signals.
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Khannoon ER, El-Gendy A, Hardege JD. Scent marking pheromones in lizards: cholesterol and long chain alcohols elicit avoidance and aggression in male Acanthodactylus boskianus (Squamata: Lacertidae). CHEMOECOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00049-011-0076-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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14
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New compounds, sexual differences, and age-related variations in the femoral gland secretions of the lacertid lizard Acanthodactylus boskianus. BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bse.2011.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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15
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Social behavior and pheromonal communication in reptiles. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2010; 196:729-49. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-010-0551-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2010] [Revised: 05/14/2010] [Accepted: 06/13/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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16
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Cooper WE, Vitt LJ. Ethological Isolation, Sexual Behavior and Pheromones in the Fasciatus Species Group of the Lizard Genus Eumeces. Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1987.tb00664.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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17
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Cooper WE, Vitt LJ. Blue Tails and Autotomy: Enhancement of Predation Avoidance in Juvenile Skinks. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1985.tb00518.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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18
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Cooper WE, Vitt LJ. Tracking of Female Conspecific Odor Trails by Male Broad-headed Skinks (Eumeces laticeps). Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1986.tb00587.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Cooper WE. Chemosensory Recognition of Familiar and Unfamiliar Conspecifics by the Scincid Lizard Eumeces laticeps. Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1996.tb01139.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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20
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Cooper WE, Vitt LJ. Thermal Dependence of Tongue-flicking and Comments on Use of Tongue-flicking as an Index of Squamate Behavior. Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1986.tb00582.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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21
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A case of reproductive character displacement in female palmate newts (Lissotriton helveticus). C R Biol 2009; 332:548-57. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crvi.2009.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2008] [Revised: 02/02/2009] [Accepted: 02/02/2009] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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22
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Van Dyk DA, Evans CS. Familiar–unfamiliar discrimination based on visual cues in the Jacky dragon, Amphibolurus muricatus. Anim Behav 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Imparato BA, Antoniazzi MM, Rodrigues MT, Jared C. Morphology of the femoral glands in the lizardAmeiva ameiva (teiidae) and their possible role in semiochemical dispersion. J Morphol 2007; 268:636-48. [PMID: 17458886 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Many lizards have epidermal glands in the cloacal or femoral region with semiochemical function related to sexual behavior and/or territorial demarcation. Externally, these glands are recognized as a row of pores, opening individually in the center of a modified scale. In many species the pores are used as systematic characters. They form a glandular cord or, in some species, a row of glandular beads below the dermis, and are connected to the exterior through the ducts, which continuously liberate a solid secretion. Dead cells, desquamated from the secretory epithelium, constitute the secretion, known as "a secretion plug." The present work focuses on the morphology of the femoral glands of the teiid lizard Ameiva ameiva, correlating it to the way in which the secretion is deposited in the environment. The results here obtained are compared to those available for other lizards and amphisbaenians. We observed that the diameter of the glandular pores did not show significant differences between males and females. The glands comprise germinative and secretory cells, which pass through at least three stages of differentiation, during which an accumulation of cytoplasmic granules, with a glycoprotein content, occurs. The cells eventually die and desquamate from the secretory epithelium, forming a secretory plug mostly constituted by juxtaposed nonfragmented secretory cells. Because of the arrangement of the rosette-like scales surrounding the femoral pores, we suggest that when the animal is in a resting position, with its femoral regions touching the ground, these scales may be involved in the breakage of their respective plugs, depositing tiny portions on the substrate. In this manner, it seems that the method for signal dispersion in this species involves specifically adapted structures and does not simply involve the chance breakage of the plug, as the gland secretes it. Signal dispersion must also be intimately associated with the animal's movement within its territory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz A Imparato
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular, Instituto Butantan, CEP 05503-900, São Paulo, Brazil
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24
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Aragón P, Massot M, Gasparini J, Clobert J. Socially acquired information from chemical cues in the common lizard, Lacerta vivipara. Anim Behav 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.11.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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25
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Hibbitts TJ, Whiting MJ. Do male barking geckos (Ptenopus garrulus garrulus) avoid refuges scented by other males? AFR J HERPETOL 2005. [DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2005.9635533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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26
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Head ML, Keogh JS, Doughty P. Male southern water skinks (Eulamprus heatwolei) use both visual and chemical cues to detect female sexual receptivity. Acta Ethol 2005. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-005-0003-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Woolley SC, Sakata JT, Crews D. Evolutionary insights into the regulation of courtship behavior in male amphibians and reptiles. Physiol Behav 2004; 83:347-60. [PMID: 15488550 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2004.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Comparative studies of species differences and similarities in the regulation of courtship behavior afford an understanding of evolutionary pressures and constraints shaping reproductive processes and the relative contributions of hormonal, genetic, and ecological factors. Here, we review species differences and similarities in the control of courtship and copulatory behaviors in male amphibians and reptiles, focusing on the role of sex steroid hormones, the neurohormone arginine vasotocin (AVT), and catecholamines. We discuss species differences in the sensory modalities used during courtship and in the neural correlates of these differences, as well as the value of particular model systems for neural evolution studies with regard to reproductive processes. For example, in some genera of amphibians (e.g., Ambystoma) and reptiles (e.g., Cnemidophorus), interspecific hybridizations occur, making it possible to compare the ancestral with the descendant species, and these systems provide a window into the process of behavioral and neural evolution as well as the effect of genome size. Though our understanding of the hormonal and neural correlates of mating behavior in a variety of amphibian and reptilian species has advanced substantially, more studies that manipulate hormone or neurotransmitter systems are required to assess the functions of these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Woolley
- Section for Integrative Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, Patterson Laboratories, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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28
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Chemosensory Recognition of Its Lizard Prey by the Ambush Smooth Snake, Coronella austriaca. J HERPETOL 2004. [DOI: 10.1670/177-03n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Edwards A, Jones SM, Davies NW. Sex and season influence gonadal steroid biosynthetic pathways, end-product production and steroid conjugation in blotched blue-tongued lizards (Tiliqua nigrolutea). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2003; 134:131-8. [PMID: 14511983 DOI: 10.1016/s0016-6480(03)00243-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
We examined differences in gonadal steroid production and biosynthetic pathway activity with changing reproductive condition and between sexes in the scincid lizard, Tiliqua nigrolutea. We observed clear seasonal and sexual variation in the production of androgens and steroid conjugates, but detected no 17beta-estradiol or 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone produced by the gonads. An alternative steroid, more polar than estradiol, was detected: an investigation of this steroid is reported separately [Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 129 (2002) 114]. There were seasonal and sex-related differences in steroid biosynthetic pathway activity. The Delta5 pathway metabolite, dehydroepiandrosterone, was detected only in males, and only from incubations using regressed testicular tissue. There was also a seasonal difference between the sexes in rates of progesterone accumulation, although the absence of corresponding elevated plasma concentrations suggests that the role of progesterone switches from a directly acting hormone to a precursor for others during the reproductive cycle in females. These results suggest that within the traditional view that vertebrate biosynthetic pathway activity and end-products are phylogenetically conserved, there is likely to be considerably species- and/or genus-specific variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Edwards
- School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252-05, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
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Cooper WE, Pèrez-Mellado V. Pheromonal discriminations of sex, reproductive condition, and species by the lacertid lizard Podarcis hispanica. THE JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY 2002; 292:523-7. [PMID: 12115935 DOI: 10.1002/jez.10089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In some vertebrate taxa, pheromones provide important information about species, sex, reproductive condition, kinship, and even individual identity. Because they possess highly developed nasal chemosensory systems, lizards are capable of many chemical discriminations, but many aspects of their pheromonal communication remain poorly understood even in major families. We report that males of a lacertid lizard, Podarcis muralis, are capable of differential response to surface chemical cues from conspecific males and females, from gravid and nongravid females, and from conspecific females and females of the closely related sympatric congener, P. bocagei carbonelli. In 60 sec trials in which stimuli from the femoral, cloacal, lateral, and upper body surfaces were presented to males on cotton swabs, males tongue-flicked at significantly higher rates to stimuli from conspecific females than males, from conspecific nongravid than gravid females, and from conspecific than heterospecific females. Responses to stimuli from conspecific males did not differ from those to distilled water. Together with previous findings that males can distinguish between chemical cues from familiar and unfamiliar males, these findings suggest that pheromones provide male P. hispanica important information regarding the presence of sexual rivals and the reproductive condition of potential mates without visually encountering other lizards. A growing body of literature indicates that lacertids are capable of sophisticated pheromonal discriminations that may play important roles in their social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- William E Cooper
- Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805, USA.
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Font E, Desfilis E. Chemosensory Recognition of Familiar and Unfamiliar Conspecifics by Juveniles of the Iberian Wall Lizard Podarcis hispanica. Ethology 2002. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0310.2002.00782.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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López P, Martín J, Cuadrado M. Pheromone-mediated intrasexual aggression in male lizards,Podarcis hispanicus. Aggress Behav 2002. [DOI: 10.1002/ab.90017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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33
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Klukowski M, Ireland M, Nelson CE. Interaction of Testosterone and Social Stimuli on the Feeding Behavior of Male Mountain Spiny Lizards, Sceloporus jarrovi. COPEIA 2001. [DOI: 10.1643/0045-8511(2001)001[0966:iotass]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Lopez P, Martin J. Pheromonal Recognition of Females Takes Precedence over the Chromatic Cue in Male Iberian Wall Lizards Podarcis hispanica. Ethology 2001. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0310.2001.00724.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Martínez-Marcos A, Ubeda-Bañón I, Halpern M. Neural substrates for tongue-flicking behavior in snakes. J Comp Neurol 2001; 432:75-87. [PMID: 11241378 DOI: 10.1002/cne.1089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Snakes deliver odorants to the vomeronasal organ by means of tongue-flicks. The rate and pattern of tongue-flick behavior are altered depending on the chemical context. Accordingly, olfactory and vomeronasal information should reach motor centers that control the tongue musculature, namely, the hypoglossal nucleus (XIIN); however, virtually nothing is known about the circuits involved. In the present work, dextran amines were injected into the tongue of garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) to identify the motoneurons of the XIIN. Tracers were then delivered into the XIIN to identify possible afferents of chemical information. Large injections into the XIIN yielded retrograde labeling in two chemosensory areas: the medial amygdala (MA) and the lateral posterior hypothalamic nucleus (LHN). Smaller injections only yielded labeled neurons in the LHN. In fact, the MA, which receives afferents from the accessory olfactory bulb, the rostroventral lateral cortex, and the nucleus sphericus, projects to the LHN. Injections into the MA did not show terminal labeling in the XIIN but in an area lateral to it. However, injections into the LHN gave rise not only to labeled fibers in the XIIN but also to retrograde labeling in the MA, thus confirming the chemosensory input to LHN. Injecting different fluorescent tracers into the tongue and into the LHN corroborated the projection from the LHN to the XIIN. The present report investigates further connections of the olfactory and vomeronasal systems and describes the afferent connections to XIIN in a nonmammalian vertebrate. The circuit for tongue-flicking behavior described herein should be evaluated using functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Martínez-Marcos
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Health Science Center at Brooklyn, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York 11203, USA
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Aragon P, Lopez P, Martin J. Size-Dependent Chemosensory Responses to Familiar and Unfamiliar Conspecific Faecal Pellets by the Iberian Rock-Lizard, Lacerta monticola. Ethology 2000. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0310.2000.00638.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Abstract
Research on fluctuating asymmetry (FA)-mediated sexual selection has focused almost exclusively on visual signals and ignored chemical communication despite the fact that many species rely on chemical signals for attracting mates. Female mate choice based on visual traits appears to be rare in lizards. However, the femoral glands of male lizards produce pheromones which might transmit chemical information about an individual's developmental stability. Therefore, we hypothesized that mate choice may be based on chemical cues. We analysed the effect of the developmental stability levels of males on the attractiveness of males' scents to females in a laboratory experiment with the lizard Lacerta monticola. When we offered two males of similar body size, females preferentially associated with the scents of males with low FA in their femoral pores and also with the scents of males with a higher number of femoral pores. This suggested that the females were able to discriminate the FA of the males by chemical signals alone and that the females preferred to be in areas marked by males of high quality, thus increasing their opportunities of mating with males of high quality. We suggest that the quality and/or amount of male pheromones could communicate the heritable genetic quality of a male to the female and thereby serve as the basis for adaptive female choice in lizards.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Martín
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
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Abstract
We wanted to examine whether a relation between foraging strategy, morphology, the mechanics of tongue protrusion, and prey chemical detection and discrimination exists in agamid lizards. Tongue-flick behavior was observed in two species of this family: Uromastix acanthinurus and Plocederma stellio. Potential prey chemical discrimination by means of tongue flicking was examined by using applicator tests. Tongue flicks were subsequently recorded by high-speed video in combination with the electrical activity of a number of jaw and hyolingual muscles. The kinematics of jaws and tongue and the muscle activity patterns were quantified. To investigate if the observed differences in tongue-flick behavior (mainly in the frequency of use) are translated into corresponding differences in tongue morphology, the tongues of both species were examined by light and scanning electron microscopy. The species differed mainly in the surface morphology of the foretongue and in the abundance and distribution of taste buds on the tongue and oral cavity. These differences can be related to behavioural observations; whereas U. acanthinurus readily uses tongue flicks to detect and discriminate between food items, P. stellio does not. However, differences in tongue-flick mechanics (kinematics, electromyograms) between both species were minor. Based on the data gathered in this study and from previously published data, an evolutionary transformation series leading to the complex tongue-flick cycles as observed in snakes is proposed. The required morphological and mechanical changes that accompany such an evolutionary sequence are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Herrel
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp (UIA), Belgium.
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Chemical discrimination by tongue-flicking in lizards: A review with hypotheses on its origin and its ecological and phylogenetic relationships. J Chem Ecol 1994; 20:439-87. [PMID: 24242066 DOI: 10.1007/bf02064449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/1993] [Accepted: 09/29/1993] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Tongue-flicking is a synapomorphy of squamate reptiles functioning to sample chemicals for vomerolfactory analysis, which became possible in primitive squamates when ducts opened from the vomeronasal organs to the roof of the mouth. Extant iguanian lizards in families that do not use the tongue to sample chemical prey cues prior to attack partially protrude it in two feeding contexts: during capture by lingual prehension and after oral contact with prey. These lizards do not exhibit strike-induced chemosensory searching. Lingual prey prehension is present in iguanian lizards and inSphenodon, the sister taxon of Squamata. During attempts to capture prey, the tongues of primitive squamates inevitably made incidental contact with environmental substrates bearing chemicals deposited by prey, conspecifics, and predators. Such contact presumably induced selection for tongue-flicking and ability to identify biologically important chemicals. Most iguanian lizards are ambush foragers that use immobility as a major antipredatory defense. Because tongue-flicking at an ambush post would not allow chemical search beyond the vicinity of the head and would render them easier for predators and prey to detect, typical iguanians tongue-flick neither while foraging nor to identify predators. They do detect pheromones by tongue-flicking. Scleroglossan lizards are typically active foragers that rely on speed to escape. Being freer to move the tongue, they have evolved lingual sampling allowing detection of chemical cues of conspecifics, predators, and prey, as well as strike-induced chemosensory searching, some can follow pheromone trails by tongue-flicking. Some families have lingual morphology and behavior specialized for chemosensory sampling. In varanids and snakes, the taxa showing the greatest lingual specialization, additional prey-related chemosensory behaviors have evolved. In iguanian and scleroglossan families that have secondarily adopted the foraging mode typical of the other taxon, prey chemical discrimination involving tongue-flicking and strike-induced chemosensory searching are typical for the foraging mode rather than the taxon. Because foraging mode and state of prey chemical discrimination are stable within squamate families and to a large extent in higher taxa, both features have been retained from the ancestral condition in most families. However, in three cases in which foraging mode has changed from its ancestral state, the state of prey chemical discrimination has also changed, indicating that prey chemical discrimination is adaptively adjusted to foraging mode. Indeed, acquisition of lingually mediated prey chemical discrimination may have made feasible the evolution of active foraging, which in turn appears to have profoundly influenced the further evolution of squamate chemosensory structures and behavior, placing a selective premium on features enhancing the tongue's efficiency as a chemical sampling device. The advent of tongue-flicking to sample prey chemicals and thus detect hidden prey may have allowed generalist (cruise) or ambush foragers, if early squamates were such, to become specialists in active foraging. Alternatively, if the common ancestors of squamates were active foragers, the adoption of ambush foraging would have selected against participation of the tongue in locating prey. Acting jointly, tongue-flicking and active foraging have had momentous consequences for squamate diversification. Specialization for active foraging would appear to have had ramifying effects on antipredatory defenses, body form, territoriality, mating systems, and reproductive physiology.
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Cooper WE. Elevation in tongue-flick rate after biting prey in the broad-headed skink,Eumeces laticeps. J Chem Ecol 1992; 18:455-67. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00994244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/1991] [Accepted: 11/06/1991] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Cooper WE, Alberts AC. Tongue-flicking and biting in response to chemical food stimuli by an iguanid lizard (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) having sealed vomeronasal ducts: Vomerolfaction may mediate these behavioral responses. J Chem Ecol 1991; 17:135-46. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00994427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/1990] [Accepted: 08/21/1990] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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42
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Cooper WE. Chemical detection of predators by a lizard, the broad-headed skink (Eumeces laticeps). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1990. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.1402560206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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A comparative analysis of scoring methods for chemical discrimination of prey by squamate reptiles. J Chem Ecol 1990; 16:45-65. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01021267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/1989] [Accepted: 03/17/1989] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Strike-induced chemosensory searching occurs in lizards. J Chem Ecol 1989; 15:1311-20. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01014832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/1988] [Accepted: 06/23/1988] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Cooper WE, Vitt LJ. Prey odor discrimination by the broad-headed skink (Eumeces laticeps). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1989. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.1402490104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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46
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Deferred agonistic behavior in a long-lived scincid lizard Eumeces laticeps. Oecologia 1987; 72:321-326. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00377558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/1986] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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47
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Cooper WE, Grastka WR. Lingual responces to chemical fractions of urodaeal glandular pheromone to the skinkEumeces laticeps. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1987. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.1402420302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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48
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Cooper WE, Burns N. Social significance of ventrolateral coloration in the fence lizard, Sceloporus undulatus. Anim Behav 1987. [DOI: 10.1016/s0003-3472(87)80277-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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49
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Cooper WE, Garstka WR. Discrimination of male conspecific from male heterospecific odors by male scincid lizards (Eumeces laticeps). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1987. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.1402410212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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50
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Chemoreceptive and behavioural responses of the common lizard Lacerta vivipara to snake chemical deposits. Anim Behav 1986. [DOI: 10.1016/s0003-3472(86)80266-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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