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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Incredible Shrinking Dewlap: Signal Size, Skin Elasticity, And Mechanical Design In The Green Anole Lizard (Anolis Carolinensis), Simon Lailvaux, Jack Leifer, Bonnie Kircher, Michele Johnson
The Incredible Shrinking Dewlap: Signal Size, Skin Elasticity, And Mechanical Design In The Green Anole Lizard (Anolis Carolinensis), Simon Lailvaux, Jack Leifer, Bonnie Kircher, Michele Johnson
Michele A Johnson
The expression of male secondary sexual traits can be dynamic, changing size, shape, color, or structure over the course of different seasons. However, the factors underlying such changes are poorly understood. In male Anolis carolinensis lizards, a morphological secondary sexual signal called the dewlap changes size seasonally within individuals. Here, we test the hypothesis that seasonal changes in male dewlap size are driven by increased use and extension of the dewlap in spring and summer, when males are breeding, relative to the winter and fall. We captured male green anole lizards prior to the onset of breeding and constrained the …
Relationships Among Reproductive Morphology, Behavior, And Testosterone In A Natural Population Of Green Anole Lizards, Michele Johnson, Rachel Cohen, Joseph Vandecar, Juli Wade
Relationships Among Reproductive Morphology, Behavior, And Testosterone In A Natural Population Of Green Anole Lizards, Michele Johnson, Rachel Cohen, Joseph Vandecar, Juli Wade
Michele A Johnson
Laboratory studies of reproductive systems have long supported the idea that neural and/or muscular structures used frequently are often enhanced in size. However, field studies integrating behavioral, morphological, and hormonal data are needed to better understand relationships in natural environments. We examined a natural population of green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) to determine whether variation in reproductive morphology both within and between the sexes paralleled differences in courtship and copulatory behaviors and circulating testosterone levels. Display rate in males was positively correlated with the sizes of the cartilage supporting the dewlap (a throat fan used in courtship and aggression) and …