Home-range fidelity in the Australian sleepy lizard, Tiliqua rugosa

Bull, C. Michael; Freake, Michael J.

doi:10.1071/zo99021

Cited by 69 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…They form monogamous partnerships for 6 to 8 weeks before mating in early November, and these partnerships re-form over successive years (28)(29)(30). They maintain long-term, stable home ranges of approximately 4 ha (31,32), which overlap extensively (27). Within the home range, there are between two and four areas of core activity, each usually centered around a refuge site (32), although individual lizards use multiple refuge sites over their active season (33).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Variation and Survival of Salmonella enterica Subspecies in a Population of Australian Sleepy Lizards (Tiliqua rugosa)

Parsons

Bull

Gordon

2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

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bThe life cycles of many enteric bacterial species require a transition between two very distinct environments. Their primary habitat is the gastrointestinal tract of the host, while their secondary habitat, during transmission from one host to another, consists of environments external to the host, such as soil, water, and sediments. Consequently, both host and environmental factors shape the genetic structure of enteric bacterial populations. This study examined the distribution of four Salmonella enterica subspecies in a population of sleepy lizards, Tiliqua rugosa, in a semiarid region of South Australia. The lizards living within the 1,920-m by 720-m study site were radio tracked, and their enteric bacteria were sampled at regular intervals throughout their active seasons in the years 2001, 2002, and 2006. Four of the six subspecies of S. enterica were present in this population and were nonrandomly distributed among the lizards. In particular, S. enterica subsp. diarizonae was restricted to lizards living in the most shaded parts of the study site with an overstorey of Casuarina trees. Experiments undertaken to investigate the survival of S. enterica cells under seminatural conditions revealed that cell survival decreased with increased exposure to elevated temperatures and UV light. Among the three S. enterica subspecies tested, S. enterica subsp. diarizonae consistently had an average expected life span that was shorter than that observed for the other two subspecies. There was no indication in the data that there was any competitive dominance hierarchy among the S. enterica subspecies within individual hosts. Thus, the nonrandom distribution of S. enterica subspecies in this population of lizards appears to be driven by their different survival characteristics in the external environment.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Variation and Survival of Salmonella enterica Subspecies in a Population of Australian Sleepy Lizards (Tiliqua rugosa)

Parsons

Bull

Gordon

2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…In early spring 2012, we established four 500 Â 500 m sites within the study area, separated by 0.5e1.0 km. We considered these sites to be independent because individual lizards have stable home ranges that are normally less than 200 m across (Bull & Freake, 1999). We used a onefactorial design with two replicates.…”

Section: Study Site and Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environment modulates population social structure: experimental evidence from replicated social networks of wild lizards

et al. 2016

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Social structure is a fundamental component of a population that drives ecological and evolutionary processes ranging from parasite transmission to sexual selection. Nevertheless, we have much to learn about factors that explain variation in social structure. We used advances in biologging and social network analysis to experimentally test how the local habitat, and specifically habitat complexity, modulates social structure at different levels in wild populations. Sleepy lizards, Tiliqua rugosa, establish nonrandom social networks that are characterized by avoidance of some neighbours and frequent interactions with one opposite-sex individual. Using synchronous GPS locations of all adult lizards, we constructed social networks based on spatial proximity of individuals. We increased habitat structural complexity in two study populations by adding 100 short fences across the landscape. We then compared the resulting movement behaviour and social structure between these populations and two unmanipulated populations. Social connectivity (network density) and social stability, measured at weekly intervals, were greater in populations with increased habitat structural complexity. The level of agonistic interaction (quantified as scale damage) was also higher, indicating a fitness cost of greater social connectivity. However, some network parameters were unaffected by increased complexity, including disassortative mixing by sex, and at the individual level, social differentiation among associates (coefficient of variation of edge weights) and maximal interaction frequencies (maximal edge weight). This suggests divergent effects of changed ecological conditions on individual association behaviour compared to the resulting social structure of the population. Our results contrast with those from studies of more gregarious species, in which higher structural complexity in the environment relaxed the social connectivity. This shows that the response to altered ecological conditions can differ fundamentally between species or between populations, and we suggest that it depends on their tendency for gregarious behaviour.

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“…In this study we did not attempt to observe whether lizards responded in any way to the deposited scats. Nevertheless, given the established use of olfactory cues in this species, and that sleepy lizard home ranges remain stable for many years (Bull & Freake, 1999), having scats located throughout the home range may be adequate indication to conspecifics that the core home range is occupied. The need to mark specific refuges may not be necessary.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Early in the austral spring (September), sleepy lizards form monogamous pairs for 6-8 weeks, until mating in early November, after which the pair splits up, until reuniting in the following season Bull, 2000). Sleepy lizards are not territorial, but have overlapping home ranges (3 -9 ha) (Bull & Freake, 1999), although they have exclusive core areas representing 20% -33% of the total home range, that are strongly associated with refuge sites (bushes, accumulated leaf litter and wombat/rabbit burrows) (Kerr et al, 2003;Kerr & Bull, 2006b). Male and female pairs also have strongly overlapping core home range areas (Kerr & Bull, 2006b), as do mothers and their offspring (Bull & Baghurst, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scatting behaviour of the sleepy lizard,Tiliqua rugosa

Fenner

Majoros

Bull

2015

Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia

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The use of chemical signals for communication is wide spread in many animal taxa.Squamates in particular have a highly developed vomeronasal system and investigate chemical signals through tongue flicking. In some lizard species, individuals have been shown to be able use chemical signals, including those from faeces (scats), for discriminating between kin and conspecifics and members and non-members of social groups. The Australia scincid lineage Egernia, is one group that has an unusually high number of species reported to produce scat piles close to their refuge sights. In this paper we explore the scatting behaviour of the sleepy lizard, Tiliqua rugosa, a member of the Egernia lineage to determine whether there is any evidence of an aggregated deposition pattern of scats by this lizard, similar to other member species in the lineage. We found that unlike related species that appear to use scat piles as social markers, sleepy lizards do not deposit scats in any systematic latrine system, or in piles to indicate occupancy of an area. Rather, they appear to be scatting haphazardly inside their home range. A conclusion from this comparison is that 2 scat piling in the Egernia lineage is associated more with refuge defence than with social aggregation.

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Home-range fidelity in the Australian sleepy lizard, Tiliqua rugosa

Cited by 69 publications

References 31 publications

Spatial Variation and Survival of Salmonella enterica Subspecies in a Population of Australian Sleepy Lizards (Tiliqua rugosa)

Spatial Variation and Survival of Salmonella enterica Subspecies in a Population of Australian Sleepy Lizards (Tiliqua rugosa)

Environment modulates population social structure: experimental evidence from replicated social networks of wild lizards

Scatting behaviour of the sleepy lizard,Tiliqua rugosa

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