Conspecific chemical cues facilitate mate trailing by invasive Argentine black and white tegus

Richard, Shannon A.; Bukovich, Isabella M. G.; Tillman, Eric A.; Jayamohan, Sanjiv; Humphrey, John S.; Carrington, Paige E.; Bruce, William E.; Kluever, Bryan M.; Avery, Michael L.; Parker, M. Rockwell

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0236660

Cited by 4 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…merianae . We also expected to see sex differences in behavior and performance similar to what we observed recently, and we compared our results from the current study to those of Richard, Bukovich et al [ 25 ].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…The tegus were adult body size (average male snout-to-vent length [SVL] = 39.8 cm, mass = 2.9 kg; female SVL = 36.7 cm, mass = 2.0 kg) and presumed to be sexually mature ( S1 Table ). All experimental animals were maintained individually in outdoor enclosures as described elsewhere [ 25 ]. Food was provided one to three days each week, depending on animal activity and appetite; water was provided ad libitum .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This temporal window for conducting behavioral trials with Argentine tegus in North Florida is later than the identified breeding season for this species in South Florida (March) [ 30 ], but the delay in reproductive timing between these sites is expected given their differences in seasonal climate patterns. Further, comparing the results of these trials to those of Richard, Bukovich, et al [ 25 ] was a secondary goal, thus the timing and design of the experiments was aligned with that study. All behavioral testing methods involving the husbandry and use of live vertebrates were approved by the IACUC of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (study protocol QA-2901), and field collection and housing of wild Argentine black and white tegus was approved by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tegus, similar to other teiid lizards, rely on chemical cues to track mates [ 25 ], and the production of these chemical cues is tied to seasonal reproductive physiology and activity. In both sexes, sex hormones (androgens, estrogens) reach peak circulating levels following brumation in their native range (September-December; South America) [ 26 , 27 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, our research group reported that both male and female S . merianae can use scent trails from conspecifics to locate potential mates during the breeding season [ 25 ]. We also discovered significant sex differences in chemosensory behaviors, notably that females demonstrated higher precision and faster decision-making than males in the same scent trailing apparatus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Skin lipids alone enable conspecific tracking in an invasive reptile, the Argentine black and white tegu lizard (Salvator merianae)

Parker,

Tillman,

Nazarian

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Locating potential mates in non-native habitats is one of the most important challenges faced by invasive vertebrate species. The Argentine black and white tegu lizard (Salvator merianae) is a major invasive reptile species in the contiguous United States and is rapidly expanding its range across Florida and the Southeast, in part due to inadequate management strategies and tools. Because a wide array of reptiles, especially squamates (snakes and lizards), have been well-studied for their reliance on chemical cues to locate conspecifics, our project aimed to isolate chemical cues from tegus and assess the ability of adult males and females to use only these cues to make navigation decisions within a Y-maze. Previously, we found that both males and females can follow conspecific scent trails, but the nature of the specific cues used by the tegus was unknown. In this study, we extracted skin lipids from male and female shed skins acquired during the breeding season then tested the extracts for bioactivity at different dilutions prior to Y-maze trials. Both sexes showed positive reactions (e.g., tongue-flicking, nose taps, scratching) to 2:1 skin lipid:hexane dilutions. In the Y-maze, males (n = 7) and females (n = 7) were run in three types of trailing scenarios with these skin lipid extracts: Male-only (pooled lipid extracts from male shed skins), Female-only (extracts from female shed skins), and Male vs. female. Regardless of the tegu lipid type present, tegus preferred to follow the conspecific lipid trail when paired with a neutral control (peanut oil; 2:1 dilution). They also preferred opposite-sex skin lipid trails when paired with same-sex skin lipid trails. We analyzed our results further by comparing them to those of Richard, Bukovich, et al. (2020). We found a synchronization effect of the skin lipids: sex differences in behavior detectable in the scent trail trials were absent when only conspecific skin lipids were present in the environment. Our results indicate that skin lipids alone are sufficient to facilitate mate tracking in S. merianae, these chemical cues induce reliable behavior, and extracted skin lipids have potential for modifying movement patterns of an invasive reptile in their non-native range. If leveraged in concert with current tegu management strategies (i.e., trapping), extracted skin lipids have the potential to bolster management efficacy but field trials are a requisite next step.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%