Some Remarks on Herbivorous Lizards

Szarski, Henryk

doi:10.2307/2406186

Cited by 34 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…However, gape distance and bite force are not the only attributes that covary with body size. For instance, larger lizards are typically subjected to lower predation pressures, thus allowing them to spend considerable amounts of time searching for and processing fruits (Szarski 1962). Larger lizards also have a larger absolute intestinal tract volume and surface area, thus facilitating the resorption of nutrients from food (King 1996).…”

Section: Frugivory In Jamaican Anolismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternatively high lizard densities (strong intraspecific competition) may also force certain individuals to include alternative food items in their diet (i.e., density compensation; see MacArthur et al 1972;Case 1975;Case et al 1979). Additionally, as the number and diversity of lizard predators is often much lower on islands compared to mainland areas, this may allow animals to forage for longer periods of time, and to spend more time digesting plant matter (Szarski 1962).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Frugivory in polychrotid lizards: effects of body size

et al. 2004

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As more data have become available on lizard diets in the past few decades, researchers have stressed the importance of lizards as pollinators and seed dispersers. Whereas large body size has been traditionally put forward as a major biological factor "allowing" herbivory and frugivory in lizards, a recent review of frugivory and seed dispersal by lizards showed that frugivory might be considered to be a typical island phenomenon, independent of body size. Here we show that frugivory is correlated with lizard body size among a group of syntopic Anolis species in Jamaica, with larger species eating more fruit. Additionally, the size of the fruits consumed is significantly related to lizard body size. Multiple regression analyses show that this is largely a pure body size effect as head shape or residual bite force are uncorrelated to overall fruit size. Moreover, we demonstrate that among polychrotid (Anolis-like) lizards in general, those that consume fruit are on average larger than those that do not. Lizards from the mainland were not significantly different in body size from island species. We thus suggest that fruit consumption in polychrotid lizards is mediated by large body size whether living on islands or not.

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Section: Frugivory In Jamaican Anolismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frugivory in polychrotid lizards: effects of body size

et al. 2004

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“…Pough (1973) attributes this observation to the larger amount of protein in a carnivorous diet. According to Szarski (1962), digesting plant material is more difficult than digesting animal material. Fuentes and Di Castri (1975) showed experimentally that three out of five Liolaemus species from Chile tend towards herbivory and that these species are present in environments with low insect abundance and marked fluctuations in the availability of these prey.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet of the lizard Liolaemus occipitalis in the coastal sand dunes of southern Brazil (Squamata-Liolaemidae)

Verrastro

Ely

2015

Braz. J. Biol.

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Knowledge of a species' diet provides important information on adaptation and the relationship between the organism and its environment. The genus Liolaemus occurs in the southern region of South America and is an excellent model to investigate the adaptive processes of vertebrate ecology in ecosystems of this region of the world. Liolaemus occipitalis is an endangered species that inhabits the coastal sand dunes of southern Brazil. This species is the most abundant vertebrate in this environment, and it presents unique adaptation characteristics to the restinga environment. The present study analyzed this lizard's diet to verify similarities or differences between this species and other species of the same genus. Specimens were collected monthly from January 1996 to December 1997. The number of items, frequency of occurrence and volume of each prey taxon were determined. Arthropods were identified to the order level, and plant material was identified as flower, fruit, seed and leaves. Variations in the diet of males and females, adults and juveniles and seasons were also analyzed. The data indicate that Liolaemus occipitalis is a generalist, "sit-and-wait" or ambush predator as well as omnivorous, feeding on both arthropods and plant material. Significant ontogenetic differences were verified. Juveniles are more carnivorous, and the intake of plant material increases with size and age. Seasonal differences in diet composition were also observed. In the spring, arthropod and plant materials were more diversified and, therefore, consumed more often.Keywords: Liolaemus, southern Brazil, restinga, foraging, seasonal variation. Dieta do lagarto Liolaemus occipitalis nas dunas costerias do sul do Brasil(Squamata-Liolaemidae) ResumoO conhecimento sobre a dieta de uma espécie traz informações importantes sobre a adaptação e relações entre o organismo e seu ambiente. O gênero Liolaemus, que ocorre na região austral da América do Sul, tem-se mostrado como excelente modelo em ecologia de vetebrados para entender os processos adaptativos nos ecossistemas desta região do mundo. Liolaemus occipitalis é uma espécie ameaçada de extinção que habita as dunas costeiras do extremo sul do Brasil. É o vertebrado mais abundante neste ambiente e apresenta características peculiares de adaptação aos ambientes de restingas. No presente estudo analisou-se a dieta deste lagarto com o intuito de verificar se há diferenças com as espécies do gênero ou segue o mesmo padrão. Foram realizadas coletas mensais entre janeiro/96 e dezembro/97. Determinou-se o número de itens, a frequência de ocorrência e o volume de cada táxon de presa, identificados até o nível de ordem, no caso dos artrópodes, e como flor, fruto, semente e folhas o material vegetal. Foram analisadas as variações da dieta entre machos e fêmeas, entre adultos e jovens, e também entre as estações. Os dados indicam que Liolaemus occipitalis possui uma dieta onívora consumindo tanto artrópodes como material vegetal. Caracteriza-se por ser um predador generalista, forrageando ...

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“…Only 3% of the known lizard species have a diet constituting only (strictly herbivorous lizards) or almost exclusively plant material (Szarski 1962;Sokol 1967;Pough 1973;Iverson 1982;Rand et al 1990, King 1996Van Damme 1999;Cooper and Vitt 2002). Herbivorous lizards, especially folivores, are usually larger than omnivores (Sokol 1967;Pough 1973;Zimmerman and Tracy 1989), chew their food (Szarski 1962;Ostrom 1963;Sokol 1967), have a relatively long intestine (Iverson 1982;Zimmerman and Tracy 1989), and have an intestinal fauna and flora that aids cellulose digestion (Szarski 1962;Nagy 1972;Iverson 1982;Zimmerman and Tracy 1989). Omnivorous lizards lack such specializations and tend to consume the softest parts of plants, such as flowers and fruits, which are, in general, easily digestible and contain high proportions of lipids, sugars, carbohydrates, organic acids and proteins (Ostrom 1963;Pérez-Mellado and Corti 1993;Fialho et al 2000;Cooper and Vitt 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Assimilation efficiency (balance between the ingested and excreted calories) tends to be lower in herbivorous and omnivorous lizards than in carnivorous ones (Pough 1973), which results in slower growth rates (Iverson 1982;Schluter 1984) and reduced fecundity (Szarski 1962;Iverson 1982). However, there are some advantages related to the consumption of plant matter, because plants represent a source of water and nutrients (Nagy 1973;Pietruszka et al 1986;Marken Lichtenbelt 1993;Fialho et al 2000;Rocha 2000), and an alternative food supply during periods or in environments of low arthropod availability (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%