RT Journal Article
T1 Longitudinal effects of habitat quality, body condition, and parasites on colour patches of a multiornamented lizard
A1 Megía Palma, Rodrigo
A1 Merino, Santiago
A1 Barrientos Yuste, Rafael
AB Ontogeny is expected to be a determinant factor affecting production of colour patches in lizards, while immune challenges or sudden weight loss may impair the maintenance of pigment-based coloration within a breeding season. We translocated males of the lizard Psammodromus algirus between two sampling plots that differed in distance to a road, vegetation structure, and predator abundance. We analysed variation in spectral reflectance of their colour patches the same and the following year. The change in the reflectance of the lizard colour patches within the first breeding season was explained by the interaction between plot and treatment, but not body condition. The maintenance of the breeding coloration was impaired only in those males translocated close to the road, probably reflecting that it is a poor-quality habitat for P. algirus. The following year, lizards that produced a more elaborate coloration were those that increased their body condition and controlled some parasitic infections, although suffered an increase of others. This study shows that colour patch production is plastic in P. algirus. Lizards increasing parasites or losing weight reduced pigmentation, although habitat quality can cushion these negative effects on pigmentation. However, not all parasites constrain the investment in coloration. In fact, some increased in those lizards that allocated more pigments to colour patches. In conclusion, longitudinal studies following experimental manipulation can contribute to understand pigment allocation rules in lizards.
PB Springer
SN 0340-5443
YR 2022
FD 2022-05-23
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/105179
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/105179
LA eng
NO Megía-Palma R, Merino S, Barrientos R. Longitudinal effects of habitat quality, body condition, and parasites on colour patches of a multiornamented lizard. Behav Ecol Sociobiol. 2022;76(6):73.
NO 2022 Acuerdos transformativos CRUE
NO BioPolis
NO Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
NO Comunidad de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 30 jun 2024