Mate fidelity in an Australian lizard Trachydosaurus rugosus

Bull, C. Michael

doi:10.1007/bf00303057

Cited by 95 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…They are predominantly active from spring to early summer (late August to December) (26,27). 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).…”

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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“…Young sleepy lizards spend no time in nests and do not physically associate with their parents or siblings (Bull and Baghurst 1998); hence, they acquire fewer ticks and experience a relatively lower degree of exposure to H. mariae. A higher proportion of adult lizards have ticks, probably because they associate more with other adults, particularly during the 6-to 8-week pairing period each spring (Bull 1988) when pairs of lizards frequently share refuges . A previous survey has shown that lizards in pairs have higher numbers of attached ticks than do unpaired lizards (Bull and Burzacott 1993).…”

Section: Host Sex and Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and intensity of the blood parasite Hemolivia mariae in a field population of the skink Tiliqua rugosa

Smallridge¹,

Bull²

2000

Parasitol Res

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The impacts of virulent parasites on humans or domestic animals are well documented. Less is known of the impact of parasites in natural host-parasite associations. A population of the Australian sleepy lizard Tiliqua rugosa is infected with the blood microparasite Hemolivia mariae, which is transmitted by the ectoparasitic tick Amblyomma limbatum. In most infected lizards a very small proportion, usually < 1%, of red blood cells are infected. A study of the prevalence of the microparasite in the field population found no difference either over 5 years of study or among times within a lizard activity season. Juvenile and sub-adult lizards and larger adults were less frequently infected with H. mariae than were other adults. In sub-adults this was related to a lower level of tick infestation. In adults, male and female lizards were equally frequently infected with H. mariae, but the presence or absence of ticks was not predictive of infection. The lizards' body condition was measured as the residual of the regression of log snout-vent length against log body mass. In female lizards the body condition was not affected by infection. In males the body condition declined over the sampling period each year, probably as a result of mate attendance. The body condition was poorer in male lizards with H. mariae infection than in uninfected males. Possible explanations for the associations of microparasites and host lizards are discussed.

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“…First, we predicted that many of these interactions would be agonistic and that we should expect to find evidence of higher levels of aggression. The second prediction was derived from the important exception to conspecific avoidance, which is that sleepy lizards form stable pair bonds and often stay in close proximity to one other individual for much of each day during early spring (Bull, 1988;Leu, Bashford, et al, 2010, Leu, Kappeler, & Bull, 2011. This typically results in a high coefficient of variation in interaction rates among associates.…”

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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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Mate fidelity in an Australian lizard Trachydosaurus rugosus

Cited by 95 publications

References 9 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)

Prevalence and intensity of the blood parasite Hemolivia mariae in a field population of the skink Tiliqua rugosa

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

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