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No evidence for differential sociosexual behavior and space use in the color morphs of the European common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis)

Abalos, Javier LU orcid ; Pérez i de Lanuza, Guillem ; Bartolomé, Alicia ; Liehrmann, Océane ; Laakkonen, Hanna LU ; Aubret, Fabien ; Uller, Tobias LU ; Carazo, Pau and Font, Enrique (2020) In Ecology and Evolution 10(20). p.10986-11005
Abstract

Explaining the evolutionary origin and maintenance of color polymorphisms is a major challenge in evolutionary biology. Such polymorphisms are commonly thought to reflect the existence of alternative behavioral or life-history strategies under negative frequency-dependent selection. The European common wall lizard Podarcis muralis exhibits a striking ventral color polymorphism that has been intensely studied and is often assumed to reflect alternative reproductive strategies, similar to the iconic “rock–paper–scissors” system described in the North American lizard Uta stansburiana. However, available studies so far have ignored central aspects in the behavioral ecology of this species that are crucial to assess the existence of... (More)

Explaining the evolutionary origin and maintenance of color polymorphisms is a major challenge in evolutionary biology. Such polymorphisms are commonly thought to reflect the existence of alternative behavioral or life-history strategies under negative frequency-dependent selection. The European common wall lizard Podarcis muralis exhibits a striking ventral color polymorphism that has been intensely studied and is often assumed to reflect alternative reproductive strategies, similar to the iconic “rock–paper–scissors” system described in the North American lizard Uta stansburiana. However, available studies so far have ignored central aspects in the behavioral ecology of this species that are crucial to assess the existence of alternative reproductive strategies. Here, we try to fill this gap by studying the social behavior, space use, and reproductive performance of lizards showing different color morphs, both in a free-ranging population from the eastern Pyrenees and in ten experimental mesocosm enclosures. In the natural population, we found no differences between morphs in site fidelity, space use, or male–female spatial overlap. Likewise, color morph was irrelevant to sociosexual behavior, space use, and reproductive success within experimental enclosures. Our results contradict the commonly held hypothesis that P. muralis morphs reflect alternative behavioral strategies, and suggest that we should instead turn our attention to alternative functional explanations.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
alternative strategies, color polymorphism, free-ranging population, mesocosm, Podarcis muralis, social behavior
in
Ecology and Evolution
volume
10
issue
20
pages
20 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • pmid:33144943
  • scopus:85092181366
ISSN
2045-7758
DOI
10.1002/ece3.6659
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9ac4c165-52fc-4e5e-be12-cd75dfcd86a2
date added to LUP
2020-10-22 15:41:06
date last changed
2024-10-03 09:42:51
@article{9ac4c165-52fc-4e5e-be12-cd75dfcd86a2,
  abstract     = {{<p>Explaining the evolutionary origin and maintenance of color polymorphisms is a major challenge in evolutionary biology. Such polymorphisms are commonly thought to reflect the existence of alternative behavioral or life-history strategies under negative frequency-dependent selection. The European common wall lizard Podarcis muralis exhibits a striking ventral color polymorphism that has been intensely studied and is often assumed to reflect alternative reproductive strategies, similar to the iconic “rock–paper–scissors” system described in the North American lizard Uta stansburiana. However, available studies so far have ignored central aspects in the behavioral ecology of this species that are crucial to assess the existence of alternative reproductive strategies. Here, we try to fill this gap by studying the social behavior, space use, and reproductive performance of lizards showing different color morphs, both in a free-ranging population from the eastern Pyrenees and in ten experimental mesocosm enclosures. In the natural population, we found no differences between morphs in site fidelity, space use, or male–female spatial overlap. Likewise, color morph was irrelevant to sociosexual behavior, space use, and reproductive success within experimental enclosures. Our results contradict the commonly held hypothesis that P. muralis morphs reflect alternative behavioral strategies, and suggest that we should instead turn our attention to alternative functional explanations.</p>}},
  author       = {{Abalos, Javier and Pérez i de Lanuza, Guillem and Bartolomé, Alicia and Liehrmann, Océane and Laakkonen, Hanna and Aubret, Fabien and Uller, Tobias and Carazo, Pau and Font, Enrique}},
  issn         = {{2045-7758}},
  keywords     = {{alternative strategies; color polymorphism; free-ranging population; mesocosm; Podarcis muralis; social behavior}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{20}},
  pages        = {{10986--11005}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Ecology and Evolution}},
  title        = {{No evidence for differential sociosexual behavior and space use in the color morphs of the European common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis)}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6659}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/ece3.6659}},
  volume       = {{10}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}