Locomotor Capacity and Social Dominance in Male Lizards
نویسندگان
چکیده
Physiological capacities may constrain behavioural options and hence have important ecological consequences. We tested the hypothesis that social dominance is related to capacities for locomotor performance in territorial male lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis Baird & Girard). We first measured the maximal sprint speed and stamina of individual lizards in the laboratory. Pairs of size-matched males were then placed into a novel laboratory arena and allowed to compete for access to a basking site under a heat lamp. The lizard that physically controlled the basking site was judged the 'winner' of a dominance interaction (winner vs loser status was confirmed by quantitative scoring of behaviour). Winners of these dyadic encounters had significantly higher sprint speeds in 14 of 20 cases, with winners averaging 16.5% faster than losers. Stamina, however, did not differ between winners and losers. Key-words: Behaviour, dominance, locomotion, performance, speed, stamina
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