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Jensen TR, Zeiträg C, Osvath M. The selfish preen: absence of allopreening in Palaeognathae and its socio-cognitive implications. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1467-1476. [PMID: 37256500 PMCID: PMC10442270 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01794-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Preening behaviours are widespread in extant birds. While most birds appear to autopreen (self-directed preening), allopreening (preening directed at conspecifics) seems to have emerged only in certain species, but across many families. Allopreening has been hypothesised to reinforce mutual relationships and cooperation between individuals, and to underpin various socio-cognitive abilities. Palaeognathae is a bird group exhibiting neurocognitively plesiomorphic traits compared to other birds. They share many features with non-avian paravian dinosaurs and are thus important for the study of cognitive evolution in birds. Despite this, and the important correlation of allopreening with many complicated social behaviours, allopreening has not been systematically studied in Palaeognathae. Therefore, we examined the preening behaviours in four species of palaeognaths: common ostriches (Struthio camelus), greater rheas (Rhea americana), emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae), and elegant crested tinamous (Eudromia elegans). We compared findings with common ravens (Corvus corax), a neognath species known for its allopreening and complex social cognition. We found autopreening, but no allopreening, in the palaeognath species, while both autopreening and allopreening was found in common ravens. The absence of allopreening in Palaeognathae suggests an emergence of this behaviour within Neognathae. We contextualise our results in relation to the socio-cognitive underpinnings of allopreening and its implications for the understanding of the evolution of socio-cognitive abilities in non-avian paravian dinosaurs and early birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Rejsenhus Jensen
- Department of Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Cognitive Zoology Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Claudia Zeiträg
- Department of Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Cognitive Zoology Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Mathias Osvath
- Department of Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Cognitive Zoology Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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2
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Langbein J, Moreno-Zambrano M, Siebert K. How do goats "read" 2D-images of familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics? Front Psychol 2023; 14:1089566. [PMID: 37275711 PMCID: PMC10236219 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1089566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
To study individual recognition in animals, discrimination tasks are often conducted by presenting 2D images of real conspecifics. However, animals may discriminate the images merely as visual stimulus combinations without establishing referential relationships to the individuals depicted. In the current study, we investigated whether goats are able to discriminate photos of familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics, whether they not only process the photos as visual stimuli, but also understand them as virtual copies of real conspecifics and whether they grasp the concept of familiarity. Using a computer-controlled learning device, in three tests, goats of two experimental groups (A and B) had to discriminate portrait (Te1), profile (Te2) or headless body photos (Te3) of conspecifics. Tests were presented as 4-choice tasks, with one photo from Group A (rewarded) plus three photos from Group B (distractors). That is, the rewarded photo was familiar to Group A, but unfamiliar to Group B. Finally, in a reversal test (Te4) we reversed this principle. The goats learned the discriminations in Te1 to Te3 within two (Te1 and Te2) and three training days (Te3), respectively, and they needed between 91 [CL (66, 126)] and 174 [CL (126, 241)] trials to reach the learning criterion, with no statistically significant differences between the groups. In Te4, in contrast, the animals took 403 [Group A; CL (291, 557)] and 385 [Group B; CL (286, 519)] trials, respectively, to learn the task. The lack of spontaneous preferences for the photo of the familiar conspecific in the pretests of Te1 to Te3 in Group A, as well as the lack of differences in the number of trials to learn the discriminations between both groups, do not at first glance suggest that the goats established a correspondence between real conspecifics and their 2D representations. However, the higher number of trials in Te4 suggests that both groups formed the learning rule of choosing either the known (Group A) or the unknown goat (Group B) over the course of Te1 to Te3 and then failed after the rule was reversed, providing evidence that goats can associate 2D photos of conspecifics with real animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Langbein
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Mauricio Moreno-Zambrano
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Katrin Siebert
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Dummerstorf, Germany
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3
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Scali S, Sacchi R, Gozzo E, Chiesa S, Coladonato AJ, Zuffi MAL, Mangiacotti M. The size of a smell: assessment of rival’s relative size from femoral secretions in the common wall lizards, Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768). Behav Ecol 2023. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Animal communication depends on signals conveying information to a receiver who must perceive and decode them. Signals involved in territoriality are usually complex stimuli that should be correctly interpreted to avoid unnecessary conflicts. Lacertids use both visual and chemical stimuli in modulating their aggressive response against conspecifics and the rival’s size is one of the most important information, affecting the success probability in combat. To assess the actual ability of decoding information about a rival’s size based on its chemical stimulus alone, 60 males of Podarcis muralis were tested for three consecutive days in an arena bearing a mirror (to simulate an equal-sized intruder), and the chemical cues (femoral secretions) from an unknown individual of different size. Significant differences were observed in tongue-flicks number, which grew as the size difference between the focal lizard and the secretion donor decreased. This can be interpreted as the need for the lizard to better evaluate the potential competitor’s characteristics. The size difference also affected the number of bites against the mirror. They increased when the size of the focal lizard was larger than the donor triggering the aggressive response with a higher probability of winning the contest. This confirms that the focal lizard had correctly decoded the information about the opponent’s size by chemical stimulus. Although previous studies have shown that some components of the chemical signals are potentially informative about the signaler’s size, this is the first demonstration that male P. muralis is actually able to decode and use such information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Scali
- Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano , Corso Venezia 55, I-20121 Milano , Italy
| | - Roberto Sacchi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università di Pavia , Viale Torquato Taramelli 24, I-27100, Pavia , Italy
| | - Elisabetta Gozzo
- Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano , Corso Venezia 55, I-20121 Milano , Italy
| | - Stefano Chiesa
- Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano , Corso Venezia 55, I-20121 Milano , Italy
| | - Alan J Coladonato
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università di Pavia , Viale Torquato Taramelli 24, I-27100, Pavia , Italy
| | - Marco A L Zuffi
- Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università di Pisa , Via Roma 79 , I-56011 Calci, PI , Italy
| | - Marco Mangiacotti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università di Pavia , Viale Torquato Taramelli 24, I-27100, Pavia , Italy
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4
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Grieco F. Vocal behaviour reveals asymmetries in neighbour relationships in a semi-colonial raptor, the Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops. BEHAVIOUR 2022. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Territorial animals often reduce aggression towards familiar neighbours compared to unfamiliar conspecifics. However, variation in the response to different neighbours is less known. In this work, I examined the territorial behaviour of male scops owls during countersinging interactions with two familiar neighbours and I asked whether vocal behaviour of the focal male reflected dear-enemy relationships. Analysis revealed that the focal male’s vocal frequency was associated with (1) the degree of instability of the territory boundary shared with a neighbour and (2) the motivation to persist in the dyadic interaction with that neighbour. Patterns of movement directed to specific individuals suggest that scops owls do discriminate between neighbours. A case of partial territory takeover was observed that was accompanied by temporal changes in vocal frequency in one of the opponents, confirming that vocal frequency is a flexible, context-dependent feature of the relationship of neighbouring scops owls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Grieco
- Independent Researcher, Rietveldlaan 64, 6708 SB Wageningen, The Netherlands
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5
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Domínguez‐Godoy MA, Hudson R, Montoya B, Bastiaans E, Díaz de la Vega‐Pérez AH. Too cool to fight: Is ambient temperature associated with male aggressive behavior in the mesquite lizard? J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M. A. Domínguez‐Godoy
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
- Laboratorio de Herpetología Departamento de Zoología Instituto de Biología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - R. Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - B. Montoya
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
| | - E. Bastiaans
- State University of New York College at Oneonta Oneonta NY USA
| | - A. H. Díaz de la Vega‐Pérez
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología‐Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
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6
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Individual recognition and long-term memory of inanimate interactive agents and humans in dogs. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1427-1442. [PMID: 35513745 PMCID: PMC9652224 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01624-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Investigation of individual recognition (IR) is difficult due to the lack of proper control of cues and previous experiences of subjects. Utilization of artificial agents (Unidentified Moving Objects: UMOs) may offer a better approach than using conspecifics or humans as partners. In Experiment 1, we investigated whether dogs are able to develop IR of UMOs (that is stable for at least 24 h) or that they only retain a more generalised memory about them. The UMO helped dogs to obtain an unreachable ball and played with them. One day, one week or one month later, we tested whether dogs display specific behaviour toward the familiar UMO over unfamiliar ones (four-way choice test). Dogs were also re-tested in the same helping context and playing interaction. Subjects did not approach the familiar UMO sooner than the others; however, they gazed at the familiar UMO earlier during re-testing of the problem solving task, irrespectively of the delay. In Experiment 2, we repeated the same procedure with human partners, applying a two-way choice test after a week delay, to study whether lack of IR was specific to the UMO. Dogs did not approach the familiar human sooner than the unfamiliar, but they gazed at the familiar partner earlier during re-testing. Thus, dogs do not seem to recognise an individual UMO or human after a short experience, but they remember the interaction with the novel partner in general, even after a long delay. We suggest that dogs need more experience with a specific social partner for the development of long-term memory.
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Werba JA, Stuckert AM, Edwards M, McCoy MW. Stranger danger: A meta-analysis of the dear enemy hypothesis. Behav Processes 2021; 194:104542. [PMID: 34818561 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The dear enemy hypothesis predicts that territorial individuals will be less aggressive toward known neighbors than to strangers. This hypothesis has been well studied and there is a wealth of data demonstrating its prevalence in some taxa. However, a quantitative synthesis is needed to test the generality of the phenomenon, identify key mechanisms driving the behavior, and guide future research. In this study, we conduct a meta-analysis and, we test the importance of the location of intrusion, the type of experiment conducted (field, laboratory, or neutral arenas), and the sex and breeding status of territory holders, on the occurrence of dear enemy behavior. We also test how various ecological and life history traits, such as territory type, stimulus of intrusion, and taxonomic group, affect the magnitude of dear enemy behavior. We find that this phenomenon is common and that taxonomic class and breeding status are correlated with the expression of dear enemy behaviors. Further, we found that the way authors measure aggression influences the likelihood of identifying dear enemy responses, and thus we discuss potential pitfalls of dear enemy studies. Considering this conclusion, we discuss future lines of inquiry that could more directly examine the mechanisms of the dear enemy phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jo A Werba
- Department Ecosystem Sciences and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Adam Mm Stuckert
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03857, USA
| | - Matthew Edwards
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Michael W McCoy
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville NC 27858, USA
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8
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Mangiacotti M, Baeckens S, Scali S, Martín J, Van Damme R, Sacchi R. Evolutionary and biogeographical support for species-specific proteins in lizard chemical signals. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The species-specific components of animal signals can facilitate species recognition and reduce the risks of mismatching and interbreeding. Nonetheless, empirical evidence for species-specific components in chemical signals is scarce and mostly limited to insect pheromones. Based on the proteinaceous femoral gland secretions of 36 lizard species (Lacertidae), we examine the species-specific component potential of proteins in lizard chemical signals. By quantitative comparison of the one-dimensional electrophoretic patterns of the protein fraction from femoral gland secretions, we first reveal that the protein composition is species specific, accounting for a large part of the observed raw variation and allowing us to discriminate species on this basis. Secondly, we find increased protein pattern divergence in sympatric, closely related species. Thirdly, lizard protein profiles show a low phylogenetic signal, a recent and steep increase in relative disparity and a high rate of evolutionary change compared with non-specifically signal traits (i.e. body size and shape). Together, these findings provide support for the species specificity of proteins in the chemical signals of a vertebrate lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Mangiacotti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Simon Baeckens
- Laboratory for Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - José Martín
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Laboratory for Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Roberto Sacchi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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9
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Burghardt GM, Partin AM, Pepper HE, Steele JM, Liske SM, Stokes AE, Lathan AN, Springer CM, Jenkins MS. Chemically mediated self-recognition in sibling juvenile common gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) reared on same or different diets: evidence for a chemical mirror? BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Although self-recognition or self-awareness has been studied with the visually-based mirror test, passed by several species, primarily apes, the possibility of a chemically-based analogue is controversial. Prior studies suggested that chemical self-recognition may occur in some squamate reptiles. To evaluate this possibility, we studied 24 individually housed gartersnakes, Thamnophis sirtalis, raised from birth on either earthworm or fish diets and tested 12 male and 12 female snakes with cage liners that were either clean, their own, or from same-sex siblings fed their own or the opposite diet. Tongue flicking and activity were recorded in 30-minute video-recorded trials in a balanced design. After initial habituation to the stimuli, male, but not female, snakes discriminated between their own stimuli and those from littermates fed the same diet. Combined with other data and studies, the possibility that a chemical ‘mirror’ form of self-recognition exists in squamate reptiles is supported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon M. Burghardt
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
| | - Adam M. Partin
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
| | - Harry E. Pepper
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
| | - Jordan M. Steele
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
| | - Samuel M. Liske
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
| | - Allyson E. Stokes
- Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
| | - Ariel N. Lathan
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
| | - Cary M. Springer
- Office of Information Technology, Research Computing Support, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
| | - Matthew S. Jenkins
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
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10
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Rodríguez-Ruiz G, Recio P, López P, Martín J. Foraging decisions of rock lizards may be dependent both on current rival assessment and dear enemy recognition. Behav Processes 2021; 192:104494. [PMID: 34481897 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Foraging strategies aim to maximize the amount of food obtained while minimizing searching costs. To reduce these costs, animals use different strategies based on the use of personal or social information to exploit food patches. At the same time, the social attraction for food resources could increase competition intensity for them. Prior experiences of animals regarding social risk and the foreknowledge of the competitors might drive the foraging strategies. In this paper, we examined experimentally whether rock lizards used behavioural strategies to reduce the risks of foraging in presence of potential competitors. We measured the foraging behaviour of a lizard resident to a territory (i.e. terrarium), in the presence of both familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics (potential competitors). We considered whether foraging choices between two food sources of different value (i.e. quantity) are influenced by familiarity with the intruder and the evaluation of its competitive ability based on body size differences between lizards. We found differences in the number of attacks performed to the best food source, with more attacks when the intruder was unfamiliar. The results suggest evidence of both dear enemy recognition and current rival assessment modulate the foraging choices depending on the identity and the social relationship with the intruder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Rodríguez-Ruiz
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC Madrid, Spain.
| | - Pablo Recio
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar López
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC Madrid, Spain
| | - José Martín
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC Madrid, Spain
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11
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Moss JB, While GM. The thermal environment as a moderator of social evolution. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2890-2910. [PMID: 34309173 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Animal sociality plays a crucial organisational role in evolution. As a result, understanding the factors that promote the emergence, maintenance, and diversification of animal societies is of great interest to biologists. Climate is among the foremost ecological factors implicated in evolutionary transitions in social organisation, but we are only beginning to unravel the possible mechanisms and specific climatic variables that underlie these associations. Ambient temperature is a key abiotic factor shaping the spatio-temporal distribution of individuals and has a particularly strong influence on behaviour. Whether such effects play a broader role in social evolution remains to be seen. In this review, we develop a conceptual framework for understanding how thermal effects integrate into pathways that mediate the opportunities, nature, and context of social interactions. We then implement this framework to discuss the capacity for temperature to initiate organisational changes across three broad categories of social evolution: group formation, group maintenance, and group elaboration. For each category, we focus on pivotal traits likely to have underpinned key social transitions and explore the potential for temperature to affect changes in these traits by leveraging empirical examples from the literature on thermal and behavioural ecology. Finally, we discuss research directions that should be prioritised to understand the potentially constructive and/or destructive effects of future warming on the origins, maintenance, and diversification of animal societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanette B Moss
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, TAS, 7005, Australia
| | - Geoffrey M While
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, TAS, 7005, Australia
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12
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Scali S, Mangiacotti M, Sacchi R, Coladonato AJ, Falaschi M, Saviano L, Rampoldi MG, Crozi M, Perotti C, Zucca F, Gozzo E, Zuffi MAL. Close encounters of the three morphs: Does color affect aggression in a polymorphic lizard? Aggress Behav 2021; 47:430-438. [PMID: 33682154 DOI: 10.1002/ab.21961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Color polymorphism is genetically controlled, and the process generating and maintaining morphs can affect speciation/extinction rates. Color badges are useful signals in intraspecific communication because they convey information about alternative strategies and can potentially decrease unnecessary conflicts among different color morphs. Competition and aggressive interactions among color morphs can contribute to polymorphism maintenance. This could lead to an uneven spatial distribution of morphs in a population because the local frequency of each morph establishes the intensity of the competition and the fitness of each male. We used a polymorphic lizard, Podarcis muralis, to assess if aggression varies among morphs under two contrasting hypotheses: a heteromorphic versus homomorphic aggression. We used laboratory mirror tests after lizard color manipulation, and we verified the consistency of results with an analysis of the spatial distribution of morphs in a wild population. Both the experiments confirmed that aggression is more common during homomorphic than heteromorphic contests. The adoption of alternative behavioral strategies that minimize risks and costs could facilitate the stable coexistence of the phenotypes and reduce competition. A bias in aggression would advantage rarer morph, which would suffer less harassment by common morphs obtaining a fitness advantage. This process would be negatively-frequency-dependent and would stabilize polymorphism, possibly contributing to sympatric speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Scali
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology Natural History Museum of Milan Milano Italy
| | - Marco Mangiacotti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Pavia Pavia Italy
| | - Roberto Sacchi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Pavia Pavia Italy
| | | | - Mattia Falaschi
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy University of Milan Milano Italy
| | - Luca Saviano
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology Natural History Museum of Milan Milano Italy
| | | | - Matteo Crozi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Pavia Pavia Italy
| | - Cesare Perotti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Pavia Pavia Italy
| | - Francesco Zucca
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Pavia Pavia Italy
| | - Elisabetta Gozzo
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology Natural History Museum of Milan Milano Italy
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13
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Kawamoto A, Le Galliard JF, Badiane A. The role of social costs as a mechanism enforcing the honesty of ultraviolet-reflecting signals in a lizard. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
According to animal signalling theory, social costs incurred by aggressive conspecifics are one mechanism maintaining signal honesty. Although our understanding of signal evolution has much improved for pigment-based colours, the mechanisms maintaining the honesty of structural colour signals, such as ultraviolet (UV), remain elusive. Here, we used the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) to test whether the honesty of UV-reflecting signals displayed on male throats is under social control. To do so, we staged agonistic interactions between non-manipulated focal males and opponents of either larger or smaller body size. We manipulated the UV component of the male throat colour patch to create small cheaters with UV-enhanced throats, large cheaters with UV-reduced throats, and their respective controls. In support of a conventional signal hypothesis, focal males were aggressive towards large cheaters and became submissive when these large cheaters retaliated, and were less submissive against small cheaters. However, that focal males were not more aggressive towards small cheaters contradicts our initial predictions. We confirm that male UV reflectance and bite force were good predictors of contest outcomes in control conditions. Overall, we provide partial evidence suggesting that social costs enforce UV signal honesty in common lizards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kawamoto
- Institut d’écologie et des sciences de l’environnement (IEES), CNRS, IRD, INRA, Sorbonne Université, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Jean-François Le Galliard
- Institut d’écologie et des sciences de l’environnement (IEES), CNRS, IRD, INRA, Sorbonne Université, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
- Centre de recherche en écologie expérimentale et prédictive (CEREEP-Ecotron IleDeFrance), Département de biologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, PSL Research University, UMS 3194, 11 Chemin de Busseau, 77140 Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, France
| | - Arnaud Badiane
- Institut d’écologie et des sciences de l’environnement (IEES), CNRS, IRD, INRA, Sorbonne Université, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
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14
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Morais AR, Siqueira MN, Márquez R, Bastos RP. Do male Boana goiana (Lutz, 1968) (Anura: Hylidae) discriminate between the calls of neighbours and strangers? BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Neighbour-stranger discrimination is an important mechanism in social behaviour, as it allows the individual to avoid the high energetic costs of repeated agonistic interactions with neighbours. In some anuran species, the owners of territories respond more aggressively towards strangers than neighbours. Here, we investigated whether gladiator frog, Boana goiana, males discriminate between neighbours and strangers. This is a lek-breeding species; therefore, it does not defend fixed territories which are associated with a specific resource. We conducted a playback field experiment with a repeated-measures design, based on three treatments: (i) neighbour’s call in initial position, (ii) stranger’s call in initial position, and (iii) neighbour’s call in new position. We did not observe any systematic modification in the acoustic properties (call duration, dominant frequency, repetition rate) of the advertisement and short aggressive calls of B. goiana males given in response to our playback treatments. Our results indicate that B. goiana males do not exhibit vocally mediated ‘dear enemy’ relationships. We discuss the possible ecological and social factors that may have impeded the evolution of ‘dear enemy’ relationships in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro R. Morais
- Laboratory of Vertebrate Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, Goiano Federal Institute, Campus Rio Verde, Rio Verde, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Mariana N. Siqueira
- Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Rio Verde University, Rio Verde, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Rafael Márquez
- Fonoteca Zoológica, Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Museum of Natural History (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales – CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rogério P. Bastos
- Department of Ecology, Biological Sciences Institute, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
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15
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Baeckens S, Whiting MJ. Investment in chemical signalling glands facilitates the evolution of sociality in lizards. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202438. [PMID: 33593182 PMCID: PMC7935108 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of sociality and traits that correlate with, or predict, sociality, have been the focus of considerable recent study. In order to reduce the social conflict that ultimately comes with group living, and foster social tolerance, individuals need reliable information about group members and potential rivals. Chemical signals are one such source of information and are widely used in many animal taxa, including lizards. Here, we take a phylogenetic comparative approach to test the hypothesis that social grouping correlates with investment in chemical signalling. We used the presence of epidermal glands as a proxy of chemical investment and considered social grouping as the occurrence of social groups containing both adults and juveniles. Based on a dataset of 911 lizard species, our models strongly supported correlated evolution between social grouping and chemical signalling glands. The rate of transition towards social grouping from a background of ‘epidermal glands present’ was an order of a magnitude higher than from a background of ‘no epidermal glands’. Our results highlight the potential importance of chemical signalling during the evolution of sociality and the need for more focused studies on the role of chemical communication in facilitating information transfer about individual and group identity, and ameliorating social conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Baeckens
- Functional Morphology Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.,Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Martin J Whiting
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
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16
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Subjective resource value affects aggressive behavior independently of resource-holding-potential and color morphs in male common wall lizard. J ETHOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-021-00690-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
AbstractGame theory models predict the outcome of a dyadic contest to depend on opponents’ asymmetries in three main traits: resource-holding potential (RHP), resource value (RV) and aggressiveness. Using male common wall lizards Podarcis muralis, a polymorphic species showing three discrete morphs (white, yellow, and red), we investigated how the aggressive behavior varies according to a change in subjective RV and color morphs, while controlling for the asymmetry in RHP (using mirrors). By comparing the aggression of the same individual towards its mirror image in two different arenas (familiar = high subjective RV; novel = low subjective RV), we showed that lizard aggressive behavior was more intense and prolonged in the familiar arena than in the new one, thus supporting the occurrence of a direct relationship between motivation and aggression in this species. We also found the overall aggressiveness to differ from individual to individual, supporting the general hypothesis that aggressiveness is a trait associated with personality. By contrast, no effect of morphs was detected, ruling out the occurrence of morph specific variation in the aggressiveness. Our results highlight that an individual’s motivation and personality might be as important as RHP and RV in the resolution of animal contests.
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17
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Carvalho ALG, Jeckel AM, Nisa C, Luna MC, Piantoni C. A novel epidermal gland type in lizards (α-gland): structural organization, histochemistry, protein profile and phylogenetic origins. Zool J Linn Soc 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Chemical signalling is an essential component of the communication system of lizards, and epidermal glands are responsible for producing semiochemicals that regulate many behavioural interactions. Two types of epidermal glands have been previously described for lizards: follicular and generation glands. Generation glands are characterized by the aggregation of novel glandular cell types in the epithelium and the lack of a lumen or external pore. Despite the fact that several subtypes of generation glands have been recognized over the years, the morphology, taxonomic distribution, function and evolutionary origins of generation glands remain nearly unexplored in Neotropical clades. Here, we describe a novel escutcheon-type generation gland (‘α-gland’) for lizards of the South American family Tropiduridae, characterize its structural and ultrastructural organization, and study the homology of the constituent parts in a phylogenetic framework. The α-glands emerged in the ancestor of Eurolophosaurus, Plica, Strobilurus, Tropidurus and Uracentron, and are found in at least 39 species with diverse ecological habits. We preliminarily analysed the protein profile of α-glands and discovered differential expression of protein components between sexes. Our investigations change the general view about epidermal gland homology, leading us to argue that generation and follicular glands are possibly more closely related functionally and evolutionarily than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- André L G Carvalho
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo. Rua do Matão, Travessa, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Adriana M Jeckel
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo. Rua do Matão, Travessa, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Carolina Nisa
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo. Rua do Matão, Travessa, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - María Celeste Luna
- División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’. Av. Ángel Gallardo, Buenos Aires, DJR, Argentina
| | - Carla Piantoni
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo. Rua do Matão, Travessa, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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18
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Testing the Functionality of Lipids from Feces in the Conspecific Recognition of the Weeping Lizard, Liolaemus chiliensis. J HERPETOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1670/19-074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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19
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Ramiro CN, Martín J, da Silva Junior PI, Pinto HBA, Magalhães Júnior AJC, Abrahão C, Rodrigues MT. Chemical characterization of the lipids in femoral gland secretions of wild male tegu lizards, Salvator merianae (Squamata, Teiidae) in comparison with captive-bred males. Z NATURFORSCH C 2020; 75:443-449. [PMID: 32598329 DOI: 10.1515/znc-2020-0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Although chemical interactions play an essential role in lizard social behavior, the chemical composition of the femoral gland secretions that many lizards use for communication is known for only a few species, mainly European Lacertids. The tegu lizard, Salvator merianae, is the only species of the Teiidae family for which there is available information on lipids in femoral secretions, but only for captive bred males from Argentina. Here, based on mass spectra obtained by GC-MS, we found 69 lipophilic compounds in femoral gland secretions of wild males S. merianae from Brazil, including cholesterol and high amounts of saturated fatty acids (mainly hexadecanoic and octadecanoic). We found contrasting differences between wild and captive-bred males, which lack cholesterol but present high amount of 9,12-octadecadienoic acid. These within-species differences between wild and captive lizards strongly suggest the important influence of different diets on the chemical composition of the femoral gland secretion and suggest caution when interpreting results from captive animals, even in the same species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina N Ramiro
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brazil
| | - José Martín
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, 28006, Spain
| | | | - Hugo B A Pinto
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Répteis e Anfíbios, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação e Biodiversidade, Goiânia, Goiás, 74605-090, Brazil
| | - Arnaldo José C Magalhães Júnior
- Colegiado Acadêmico de Ciências da Natureza, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, São Raimundo Nonato, Piauí, 64770-000, Brazil
| | - Carlos Abrahão
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Répteis e Anfíbios, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação e Biodiversidade, Goiânia, Goiás, 74605-090, Brazil
| | - Miguel T Rodrigues
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brazil
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Raya-García E, Suazo-Ortuño I, Campos-García J, Martín J, Alvarado-Díaz J, Mendoza-Ramírez E. Chemical signal divergence among populations influences behavioral discrimination in the whiptail lizard Aspidoscelis lineattissimus (squamata: teiidae). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02931-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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21
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Martín J, Raya García E, Ortega J, López P. How to maintain underground social relationships? Chemosensory sex, partner and self recognition in a fossorial amphisbaenian. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0237188. [PMID: 32813706 PMCID: PMC7437723 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintaining social relationships depends on the ability to recognize partners or group members against other individuals. This is especially important in animals with relatively stable social groups. The amphisbaenian Trogonophis wiegmanni is a semi blind fossorial reptile that spends its entire life underground where it interacts with mates and social partners. In this environment, visual cues are limited. Chemosensory cues may rather allow conspecific social and partner recognition. We recorded the number of tongue-flick (TF) rates of T. wiegmanni amphisbaenians to scents of both sexes with different pairing social bonds (familiar vs. unfamiliar) presented on cotton swabs to test discrimination of social groups. As seen from a rise in the number of TFs, males discriminated unfamiliar females from unfamiliar males. This suggests that chemical cues may be used by males to locate new mates. In contrast, females detected scent of unfamiliar conspecifics, but did not show sex discrimination. Both males and females discriminated the scent of an individual with which they had formed a pair bond from an unfamiliar individual of the same sex as the partner. Also, males, but not females, were capable of self-recognition, suggesting that scent marks of males in home ranges may provide individual information in intrasexual relationships. We conclude that conspecific discrimination based on chemical cues may allow the maintenance of social relationships and relatively stable pairs in fossorial reptiles inhabiting visually restricted environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Martín
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Ernesto Raya García
- Laboratorio de Herpetología, Instituto de Investigaciones sobre los Recursos Naturales, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia Michoacán, México
| | - Jesús Ortega
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Pilar López
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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22
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Response behaviour of native lizards and invading wall lizard to interspecific scent: implications for invasion success. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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23
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Proteins from femoral gland secretions of male rock lizards Iberolacerta cyreni allow self—but not individual—recognition of unfamiliar males. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02847-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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24
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When neighbors cheat: a test of the dear enemy phenomenon in southern red-backed salamanders. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02838-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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25
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Distant neighbours: friends or foes? Eurasian beavers show context-dependent responses to simulated intruders. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2792-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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26
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Where to do number two: Lizards prefer to defecate on the largest rock in the territory. Behav Processes 2019; 167:103937. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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27
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Rapid learning of a spatial memory task in a lacertid lizard (Podarcis liolepis). Behav Processes 2019; 169:103963. [PMID: 31545992 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Mammals and birds are capable of navigating to a goal using learned map-like representations of space (i.e. place learning), but research assessing this navigational strategy in reptiles has produced inconclusive results, in part due to the use of procedures that do not take account of the peculiarities of reptilian behavior and physiology. Here I present a procedure suitable for testing spatial cognition that exploits a naturally evolved, ethologically relevant ability common to many lizards (i.e. refuge seeking behavior). The procedure requires lizards to learn the location of an open refuge inside a rectangular arena containing artificial refuges in every corner, using distal extramaze visual cues and with no local cues marking the location of the open refuge. The procedure probes the lizards' place learning ability and effectively rules out the use of egocentric and response-based strategies. The described procedure was successfully used to demonstrate place learning in a lacertid lizard (Podarcis liolepis). Over the course of two weeks of training both the latency to entering the open refuge and the number of corners visited in each trial decreased gradually, indicating that learning had taken place in over 60% of the lizards tested. These results confirm that, under certain circumstances, lizards are capable of navigating to a goal using a place learning strategy.
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28
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Mayer M, Frank SC, Zedrosser A, Rosell F. Causes and consequences of inverse density‐dependent territorial behaviour and aggression in a monogamous mammal. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:577-588. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Mayer
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences University of South‐Eastern Norway Bø Norway
- Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Rønde Denmark
| | - Shane C. Frank
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences University of South‐Eastern Norway Bø Norway
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences University of South‐Eastern Norway Bø Norway
- Department of Integrative Biology Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | - Frank Rosell
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences University of South‐Eastern Norway Bø Norway
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29
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Mangiacotti M, Pezzi S, Fumagalli M, Coladonato AJ, d'Ettorre P, Leroy C, Bonnet X, Zuffi MAL, Scali S, Sacchi R. Seasonal Variations in Femoral Gland Secretions Reveals some Unexpected Correlations Between Protein and Lipid Components in a Lacertid Lizard. J Chem Ecol 2019; 45:673-683. [PMID: 31407198 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-019-01092-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Animals modulate intraspecific signal shape and intensity, notably during reproductive periods. Signal variability typically follows a seasonal scheme, traceable through the expression of visual, acoustic, chemical and behavioral patterns. The chemical channel is particularly important in lizards, as demonstrated by well-developed epidermal glands in the cloacal region that secrete lipids and proteins recognized by conspecifics. In males, the seasonal pattern of gland activity is underpinned by variation of circulating androgens. Changes in the composition of lipid secretions convey information about the signaler's quality (e.g., size, immunity). Presumably, individual identity is associated with a protein signature present in the femoral secretions, but this has been poorly investigated. For the first time, we assessed the seasonal variability of the protein signal in relation to plasma testosterone level (T), glandular activity and the concentration of provitamin D3 in the lipid fraction. We sampled 174 male common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) over the entire activity season. An elevation of T was observed one to two months before the secretion peak of lipids during the mating season; such expected delay between hormonal fluctuation and maximal physiological response fits well with the assumption that provitamin D3 indicates individual quality. One-dimensional electrophoretic analysis of proteins showed that gel bands were preserved over the season with an invariant region; a result in agreement with the hypothesis that proteins are stable identity signals. However, the relative intensity of bands varied markedly, synchronously with that of lipid secretion pattern. These variations of protein secretion suggest additional roles of proteins, an issue that requires further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Mangiacotti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 24, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
- Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano, Corso Venezia 55, Milan, Italy.
| | - Stefano Pezzi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 24, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Marco Fumagalli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "L. Spallanzani", Unit of Biochemistry, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Alan Jioele Coladonato
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 24, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- LEEC Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Chloé Leroy
- LEEC Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Xavier Bonnet
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS UMR 7372 - Université de La Rochelle, 405 Route de La Canauderie, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Marco A L Zuffi
- Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Università di Pisa, Via Roma 79, I-56011, Calci, PI, Italy
| | - Stefano Scali
- Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano, Corso Venezia 55, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Sacchi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 24, 27100, Pavia, Italy
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30
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Sheehan MJ, Campbell P, Miller CH. Evolutionary patterns of major urinary protein scent signals in house mice and relatives. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:3587-3601. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Polly Campbell
- Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology University of California – Riverside Riverside CA USA
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31
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Mangiacotti M, Fumagalli M, Cagnone M, Viglio S, Bardoni AM, Scali S, Sacchi R. Morph-specific protein patterns in the femoral gland secretions of a colour polymorphic lizard. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8412. [PMID: 31182789 PMCID: PMC6557888 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44889-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Colour polymorphism occurs when two or more genetically-based colour morphs permanently coexist within an interbreeding population. Colouration is usually associated to other life-history traits (ecological, physiological, behavioural, reproductive …) of the bearer, thus being the phenotypic marker of such set of genetic features. This visual badge may be used to inform conspecifics and to drive those decision making processes which may contribute maintaining colour polymorphism under sexual selection context. The importance of such information suggests that other communication modalities should be recruited to ensure its transfer in case visual cues were insufficient. Here, for the first time, we investigated the potential role of proteins from femoral gland secretions in signalling colour morph in a polymorphic lizard. As proteins are thought to convey identity-related information, they represent the ideal cues to build up the chemical modality used to badge colour morphs. We found strong evidence for the occurrence of morph-specific protein profiles in the three main colour-morphs of the common wall lizard, which showed both qualitative and quantitative differences in protein expression. As lizards are able to detect proteins by tongue-flicking and vomeronasal organ, this result support the hypothesis that colour polymorphic lizards may use a multimodal signal to inform about colour-morph.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Mangiacotti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 24, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Marco Fumagalli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "L.Spallanzani", Unit of Biochemistry, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Maddalena Cagnone
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Unit of Biochemistry, University of Pavia, Via T. Taramelli 3, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Simona Viglio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Unit of Biochemistry, University of Pavia, Via T. Taramelli 3, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Bardoni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Unit of Biochemistry, University of Pavia, Via T. Taramelli 3, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefano Scali
- Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano, Corso Venezia 55, 20121, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Sacchi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 24, 27100, Pavia, Italy
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32
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Broekhuis F, Madsen EK, Keiwua K, Macdonald DW. Using GPS collars to investigate the frequency and behavioural outcomes of intraspecific interactions among carnivores: A case study of male cheetahs in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213910. [PMID: 30943236 PMCID: PMC6447186 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Intraspecific interactions between individuals or groups of individuals of the same species are an important component of population dynamics. Interactions can be static, such as spatial overlap, or dynamic based on the interactions of movements, and can be mediated through communication, such as the deployment of scent marks. Interactions and their behavioural outcomes can be difficult to determine, especially for species that live at low densities. With the use of GPS collars we quantify both static and dynamic interactions between male cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and the behavioural outcomes. The 99% home-ranges of males overlapped significantly while there was little overlap of the 50% home-ranges. Despite this overlap, male cheetahs rarely came into close proximity of one another, possibly because presence was communicated through frequent visits to marking posts. The minimum distance between individuals in a dyad ranged from 89m to 196m but the average proximity between individuals ranged from 17,145 ± 6,865m to 26,367 ± 11,288m. Possible interactions took place more frequently at night than by day and occurred mostly in the 50% home-range of one individual of a dyad or where cores of both individuals overlapped. After a possible encounter male cheetahs stayed in close proximity to each other for up to 6 hours, which could be the result of a territory defence strategy or the presence of a receptive female. We believe that one of the encounters between a singleton and a 5-male coalition resulted in the death of the singleton. Our results give new insights into cheetah interactions, which could help our understanding of ecological processes such as disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Femke Broekhuis
- Kenya Wildlife Trust, Nairobi, Kenya
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney, United Kingdom
| | - Emily K. Madsen
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney, United Kingdom
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Ortega J, Martín J, Crochet PA, López P, Clobert J. Seasonal and interpopulational phenotypic variation in morphology and sexual signals of Podarcis liolepis lizards. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211686. [PMID: 30875384 PMCID: PMC6419997 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Widespread species often show extensive phenotypic variation due to the contrasting abiotic and biotic factors that shape selective pressures in different environments. In this context, the gradual and predictable patterns of variation in climatic and environmental conditions found in mountain areas offer a great opportunity to explore intraspecific phenotypic variation. For instance, temperature is negatively correlated with altitude and virtually all aspects of the behavior and physiology of ectotherms are sensitive to body temperature. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that morphology, dorsal and ventral coloration and the chemical profile of femoral secretions show interpopulational and seasonal variation in the lacertid lizard (Podarcis liolepis). We compared lizards from three populations inhabiting lowland and highland habitats in the French Pyrenees that were closely related genetically. We found that highland lizards were larger, stockier, had longer heads and more femoral pores and had a darker dorsal coloration than lowland ones. In addition, we detected interpopulational differences in both the abundance and the richness of chemical compounds in the glandular secretions, and we also found seasonal variation in the overall chemical composition. Dorsal and ventral coloration differed seasonally and between populations. Ventral and dorsal brightness were higher in lowland than in highland lizards in the reproductive season whereas the reversed trend was found in the non-reproductive season but only for dorsal brightness. In addition, all lizards had browner dorsal coloration in the non-reproductive season, and lowland lizards were greener in the reproductive season. By integrating information from both visual and chemical systems, our works offers a comprehensive view of how these lizards communicate in a multimodal context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Ortega
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, C.S.I.C., Madrid, Spain
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - José Martín
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, C.S.I.C., Madrid, Spain
| | - Pierre-André Crochet
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Montpellier, CNRS-UMR 5175, France
| | - Pilar López
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, C.S.I.C., Madrid, Spain
| | - Jean Clobert
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, Moulis, France
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34
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First experimental evidence that proteins from femoral glands convey identity-related information in a lizard. Acta Ethol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-018-00307-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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35
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Ma WJ, Higham JP. The role of familiarity in signaller-receiver interactions. J R Soc Interface 2018; 15:20180568. [PMID: 30958228 PMCID: PMC6303790 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In animal communication, individuals of species exhibiting individual recognition of conspecifics with whom they have repeated interactions, receive signals not only from unfamiliar conspecifics, but also from individuals with whom they have prior experience. Empirical evidence suggests that familiarity with a specific signaller aids receivers in interpreting that signaller's signals, but there has been little theoretical work on this effect. Here, we develop a Bayesian decision-making model and apply it to the well-studied systems of primate ovulation signals. We compare the siring probability of learner males versus non-learner males, based on variation in their assessment of the best time to mate and mate-guard females. We compare males of different dominance ranks, and vary the number of females, and their cycle synchrony. We find strong fitness advantages for learners, which manifest very quickly. Receivers do not have to see the full range of a signaller's signals in order to start gaining familiarity benefits. Reproductive asynchrony and increasing the number of females both enhance learning advantages. We provide theoretical evidence for a strong advantage to specific learning of a signaller's range of signals in signalling systems. Our results have broad implications, not only for understanding communication, but in elucidating additional fitness benefits to group-living, the evolution of individual recognition, and other characteristics of animal behavioural biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Ji Ma
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY, USA
| | - James P. Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY, USA
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36
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37
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Male Scent Gland Signals Mating Status in Greater Spear-Nosed Bats, Phyllostomus hastatus. J Chem Ecol 2018; 44:975-986. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-018-1003-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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38
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Londoño C, Bartolomé A, Carazo P, Font E. Chemosensory enrichment as a simple and effective way to improve the welfare of captive lizards. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Londoño
- Ethology Lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology; University of Valencia; Valencia Spain
| | - Alicia Bartolomé
- Ethology Lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology; University of Valencia; Valencia Spain
| | - Pau Carazo
- Ethology Lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology; University of Valencia; Valencia Spain
| | - Enrique Font
- Ethology Lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology; University of Valencia; Valencia Spain
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39
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Moskát C, Hauber ME, Bán M, Fülöp A, Geltsch N, Marton A, Elek Z. Are both notes of the common cuckoo's call necessary for familiarity recognition? Behav Processes 2018; 157:685-690. [PMID: 29559339 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) are best known for their simple two-note calls ("cu-coo"), which are uttered only by males during the breeding season. A previous playback study revealed that territorial males were more tolerant toward playbacks of the calls of familiar, neighbouring individuals than toward unfamiliar, stranger simulated intruders, exhibiting the classical "dear-enemy" phenomenon. Here we experimentally assessed whether the acoustic cues for familiarity recognition are encoded in the first and/or second note of these simple calls. To do so, we played mixed sound files to radio-tagged cuckoos, where the first part of the two-note calls was taken from strangers and the second part from neighbours, or vice versa. As controls, we used behavioural data from two-note neighbour and two-note stranger call playbacks. Cuckoos responded consistently to the two types of mixed sound files. When either the first or second note of the call was taken from a stranger and the other note from a neighbour, they responded to these sound files similarly to two-note playbacks of strangers: they approached the speaker of the playbacks more closely and the calling response-latency to playbacks was longer than to familiar controls. These findings point to the importance of both notes in familiarity recognition. We conclude that familiarity recognition in male common cuckoos needs the complete structure of the two-note cuckoo call, which is characteristic for this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Csaba Moskát
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group, a Joint Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Biological Institute of the Eötvös Loránd University and the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Márk E Hauber
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Miklós Bán
- MTA-DE Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Attila Fülöp
- MTA-DE Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Nikoletta Geltsch
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group, a Joint Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Biological Institute of the Eötvös Loránd University and the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Marton
- MTA-DE Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Elek
- MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group, a Joint Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Biological Institute of the Eötvös Loránd University and the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
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40
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Christensen C, Radford AN. Dear enemies or nasty neighbors? Causes and consequences of variation in the responses of group-living species to territorial intrusions. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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41
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Frohnwieser A, Pike TW, Murray JC, Wilkinson A. Perception of artificial conspecifics by bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps). Integr Zool 2018; 14:214-222. [PMID: 29316228 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Artificial animals are increasingly used as conspecific stimuli in animal behavior research. However, researchers often have an incomplete understanding of how the species under study perceives conspecifics, and, hence, which features are needed for a stimulus to be perceived appropriately. To investigate the features that bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) attend to, we measured their lateralized eye use when assessing a successive range of stimuli. These ranged through several stages of realism in artificial conspecifics, to see how features such as color, the presence of eyes, body shape and motion influence behavior. We found differences in lateralized eye use depending on the sex of the observing bearded dragon and the artificial conspecific, as well as the artificial conspecific's behavior. Therefore, this approach can inform the design of robotic animals that elicit biologically-meaningful responses in live animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas W Pike
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
| | - John C Murray
- School of Computer Science, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
| | - Anna Wilkinson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK.,Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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42
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Iglesias-Carrasco M, Head ML, Martín J, Cabido C. Increased temperature disrupts chemical communication in some species but not others: The importance of local adaptation and distribution. Ecol Evol 2017; 8:1031-1042. [PMID: 29375776 PMCID: PMC5773306 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental conditions experienced by a species during its evolutionary history may shape the signals it uses for communication. Consequently, rapid environmental changes may lead to less effective signals, which interfere with communication between individuals, altering life history traits such as predator detection and mate searching. Increased temperature can reduce the efficacy of scent marks released by male lizards, but the extent to which this negative effect is related to specific biological traits and evolutionary histories across species and populations have not been explored. We experimentally tested how increased temperature affects the efficacy of chemical signals of high‐ and low‐altitude populations of three lizard species that differ in their ecological requirements and altitudinal distributions. We tested the behavioral chemosensory responses of males from each species and population to male scent marks that had been incubated at one of two temperatures (cold 16°C or hot 20°C). In high‐altitude populations of a mountain species (Iberolacerta monticola), the efficacy of chemical signals (i.e., latency time and number of tongue flicks) was lower after scent marks had been exposed to a hot temperature. The temperature that scent marks were incubated at did not affect the efficacy of chemical signals in a ubiquitous species (Podarcis muralis) or another mountain species (I. bonalli). Our results suggest that specific ecological traits arising through local adaptation to restricted distributions may be important in determining species vulnerability to climatic change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maider Iglesias-Carrasco
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology National Museum of Natural Sciences Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) Madrid Spain.,Department of Herpetology Aranzadi Science Society Donostia-San Sebastián Spain
| | - Megan L Head
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics Research School of Biology Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - José Martín
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology National Museum of Natural Sciences Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) Madrid Spain
| | - Carlos Cabido
- Department of Herpetology Aranzadi Science Society Donostia-San Sebastián Spain
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43
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García-Roa R, Megía-Palma R, Ortega J, Jara M, López P, Martín J. Interpopulational and seasonal variation in the chemical signals of the lizard Gallotia galloti. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3992. [PMID: 29230352 PMCID: PMC5721911 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Communicative traits are strikingly diverse and may vary among populations of the same species. Within a population, these traits may also display seasonal variation. Chemical signals play a key role in the communication of many taxa. However, we still know far too little about chemical communication in some vertebrate groups. In lizards, only a few studies have examined interpopulational variation in the composition of chemical cues and signals and only one study has explored the seasonal effects. Here we sampled three subspecies of the Tenerife lizards (Gallotia galloti) and analyze the lipophilic fraction of their femoral gland secretions to characterize the potential interpopulational variation in the chemical signals. In addition, we assessed whether composition of these secretions differed between the reproductive and the non-reproductive season. We analyzed variations in both the overall chemical profile and the abundance of the two main compounds (cholesterol and vitamin E). Our results show interpopulational and seasonal differences in G. gallotia chemical profiles. These findings are in accordance with the high interpopulational variability of compounds observed in lizard chemical signals and show that their composition is not only shaped by selective factors linked to reproductive season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto García-Roa
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Rodrigo Megía-Palma
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús Ortega
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Jara
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - Pilar López
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - José Martín
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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44
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Vicente NS, Halloy M. Interaction between visual and chemical cues in a Liolaemus lizard: a multimodal approach. ZOOLOGY 2017; 125:24-28. [DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2017.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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45
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Titone V, Marsiglia F, Mangiacotti M, Sacchi R, Scali S, Zuffi MAL. Better to be resident, larger or coloured? Experimental analysis on intraspecific aggression in the ruin lizard. J Zool (1987) 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- V. Titone
- Natural History Museum; University of Pisa; Calci Pisa Italy
| | - F. Marsiglia
- Natural History Museum; University of Pisa; Calci Pisa Italy
| | - M. Mangiacotti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences; University of Pavia; Pavia Italy
| | - R. Sacchi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences; University of Pavia; Pavia Italy
| | - S. Scali
- Natural History Museum; Milano Italy
| | - M. A. L. Zuffi
- Natural History Museum; University of Pisa; Calci Pisa Italy
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46
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García-Roa R, Carazo P. Digest: Chemical communication and sexual selection in lizards. Evolution 2017; 71:2535-2536. [PMID: 28940364 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto García-Roa
- Ethology lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Pau Carazo
- Ethology lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
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47
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MacGregor HEA, Lewandowsky RAM, d'Ettorre P, Leroy C, Davies NW, While GM, Uller T. Chemical communication, sexual selection, and introgression in wall lizards. Evolution 2017; 71:2327-2343. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E. A. MacGregor
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Tasmania; Hobart Tasmania 7001 Australia
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute; University of Oxford; Oxford OX1 3PS United Kingdom
| | - Rachel A. M. Lewandowsky
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Tasmania; Hobart Tasmania 7001 Australia
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute; University of Oxford; Oxford OX1 3PS United Kingdom
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology; University of Paris 13; Sorbonne Paris Cité 93430 Villetaneuse Paris France
| | - Chloé Leroy
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology; University of Paris 13; Sorbonne Paris Cité 93430 Villetaneuse Paris France
| | - Noel W. Davies
- Central Science Laboratory; University of Tasmania; Hobart, Tasmania 7001 Australia
| | - Geoffrey M. While
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Tasmania; Hobart Tasmania 7001 Australia
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute; University of Oxford; Oxford OX1 3PS United Kingdom
| | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute; University of Oxford; Oxford OX1 3PS United Kingdom
- Department of Biology; Lund University; Sölvegatan 37 223 62 Lund Sweden
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48
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Sáiz J, García-Roa R, Martín J, Gómara B. Fast, sensitive, and selective gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the target analysis of chemical secretions from femoral glands in lizards. J Chromatogr A 2017; 1514:110-119. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2017.07.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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49
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García-Roa R, Jara M, Baeckens S, López P, Van Damme R, Martín J, Pincheira-Donoso D. Macroevolutionary diversification of glands for chemical communication in squamate reptiles. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9288. [PMID: 28839252 PMCID: PMC5570929 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-09083-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemical communication plays a central role in social, sexual and ecological interactions among animals. However, the macroevolutionary diversification of traits responsible for chemical signaling remains fundamentally unknown. Most research investigating evolutionary diversification of glands responsible for the production of chemical signals has focused on arthropods, while its study among vertebrates remains neglected. Using a global-scale dataset covering > 80% (7,904 species) of the living diversity of lizards and snakes (squamates), we investigate rates, trajectories and phylogenetic patterns of diversification of their follicular glands for chemical communication. We observed these glands in 13.66% of species, that their expression has varying phylogenetic signal among lineages, and that the crown squamate ancestor lacked follicular glands, which therefore originated and diversified subsequently during their evolutionary history. Additionally, our findings challenge the longstanding view that within squamates the Iguania are visually oriented while Scleroglossa are chemically-oriented, given that Iguania doubles Scleroglossa in the frequency of glands. Our phylogenetic analyses identified stabilizing selection as the best model describing follicular gland diversification, and revealed high rates of disparity. We provide the first global-scale analysis investigating the diversification of one of the main forms of communication among reptiles, presenting a macroevolutionary angle to questions traditionally explored at microevolutionary scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto García-Roa
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences - Spanish Research Council (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain. .,Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Brayford Campus, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, United Kingdom.
| | - Manuel Jara
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Brayford Campus, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Baeckens
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Functional Morphology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Pilar López
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences - Spanish Research Council (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Functional Morphology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - José Martín
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences - Spanish Research Council (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Pincheira-Donoso
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Brayford Campus, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, United Kingdom
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50
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Ibáñez A, Menke M, Quezada G, Jiménez-Uzcátegui G, Schulz S, Steinfartz S. Diversity of compounds in femoral secretions of Galápagos iguanas (genera: Amblyrhynchus and Conolophus), and their potential role in sexual communication in lek-mating marine iguanas ( Amblyrhynchus cristatus). PeerJ 2017; 5:e3689. [PMID: 28828277 PMCID: PMC5563446 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Chemical signals are widely used in the animal kingdom, enabling communication in various social contexts, including mate selection and the establishment of dominance. Femoral glands, which produce and release waxy secretions into the environment, are organs of central importance in lizard chemical communication. The Galápagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is a squamate reptile with a lek-mating system. Although the lekking behaviour of marine iguanas has been well-studied, their potential for sexual communication via chemical cues has not yet been investigated. Here we describe the diversity of the lipophilic fraction of males’ femoral gland secretions among 11 island populations of marine iguanas, and compare it with the composition of its sister species, the Galápagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus). We also conducted behavioural observations in marine iguana territorial males in order to explore the possible function of these substances in the context of male dominance in leks. Methods Femoral secretions were analysed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and chromatography with a flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) in order to characterise the lipophilic composition. To understand the potential role of femoral secretions in marine iguana intraspecific communication, territorial males were sampled for their femoral glands and monitored to record their head bob rate—a territorial display behaviour in males—as well as the number of females present in their leks. Results We found that the gland secretions were composed of ten saturated and unsaturated carboxylic acids ranging in chain length between C16 and C24, as well as three sterols. Cholesterol was the main compound found. Intriguingly, land iguanas have a higher diversity of lipophilic compounds, with structural group of lipids (i.e. aldehydes) entirely absent in marine iguanas; overall the chemical signals of both species were strongly differentiated. Lipid profiles also differed among populations of marine iguanas from different islands, with some islands demonstrating a high diversity of lipophilic compounds (i.e. full spectra of compounds), and others lacking one or more compounds. Among the compounds most frequently found missing were 11- and 13-eicosenoic acids. Gland secretions of males with a better body condition and with a higher dominance status (i.e. those accompanied by females and with higher head bob display) were proportionately richer in C20-unsaturated fatty acids (11-eicosenoic acid). Discussion Land and marine iguanas strongly diverged in their chemical composition of the femoral glands likely due to ecological differences between both species. Despite that marine iguana populations varied in their femoral gland composition that was not related to their genetic structure. Our results indicated that 11-eicosenoic acid may play an important role in intraspecific chemical communication in marine iguanas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Ibáñez
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Markus Menke
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Galo Quezada
- Dirección Parque Nacional Galápagos, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador
| | | | - Stefan Schulz
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Sebastian Steinfartz
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
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