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Hudel L, Kappeler PM. Sex-specific movement ecology of the shortest-lived tetrapod during the mating season. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10053. [PMID: 35710848 PMCID: PMC9203456 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14156-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex-specific reproductive strategies are shaped by the distribution of potential mates in space and time. Labord’s chameleon (Furcifer labordi) from southwestern Madagascar is the shortest-lived tetrapod whose life-time mating opportunities are restricted to a few weeks. Given that these chameleons grow to sexual maturity within about three months and that all individuals die soon after breeding, their mating strategies should be adapted to these temporal constraints. The reproductive tactics of this or any other Malagasy chameleon species have not been studied, however. Radio-tracking and observations of 21 females and 18 males revealed that females exhibit high site fidelity, move small cumulative and linear distances, have low corresponding dispersal ratios and small occurrence distributions. In contrast, males moved larger distances in less predictable fashion, resulting in dispersal ratios and occurrence distributions 7–14 times larger than those of females, and males also had greater ranges of their vertical distribution. Despite synchronous hatching, males exhibited substantial inter-individual variation in body mass and snout-vent length that was significantly greater than in females, but apparently unrelated to their spatial tactics. Females mated with up to 6 individually-known mates, but frequent encounters with unmarked individuals indicate that much higher number of matings may be common, as are damaging fights among males. Thus, unlike perennial chameleons, F. labordi males do not seem to maintain and defend territories. Instead, they invest vastly more time and energy into locomotion for their body size than other species. Pronounced variation in key somatic traits may hint at the existence of alternative reproductive tactics, but its causes and consequences require further study. This first preliminary study of the mating system of a Malagasy chameleon indicates that, as in other semelparous tetrapods, accelerated life histories are tied to a mating system with intense contest and scramble competition among males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennart Hudel
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter M Kappeler
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany. .,Behavioral Ecology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute of Primate Biology, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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Rebelo AD, Altwegg R, Katz EM, Tolley KA. Out on a limb: female chameleons (Bradypodion pumilum) position themselves to minimise detection, whereas males maximise mating opportunity. AFR J HERPETOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2021.1998233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander D Rebelo
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Claremont, South Africa
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Res Altwegg
- Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Eric M Katz
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Claremont, South Africa
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Krystal A Tolley
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Claremont, South Africa
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Reissig J. African Journal of Herpetology: Bibliography and taxonomic discoveries of the past ten years. AFR J HERPETOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2021.1952317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/06/2022]
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Eckhardt F, Pauliny A, Rollings N, Mutschmann F, Olsson M, Kraus C, Kappeler PM. Stress-related changes in leukocyte profiles and telomere shortening in the shortest-lived tetrapod, Furcifer labordi. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:160. [PMID: 33261558 PMCID: PMC7709289 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-01724-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Life history theory predicts that during the lifespan of an organism, resources are allocated to either growth, somatic maintenance or reproduction. Resource allocation trade-offs determine the evolution and ecology of different life history strategies and define an organisms' position along a fast-slow continuum in interspecific comparisons. Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi) from the seasonal dry forests of Madagascar is the tetrapod species with the shortest reported lifespan (4-9 months). Previous investigations revealed that their lifespan is to some degree dependent on environmental factors, such as the amount of rainfall and the length of the vegetation period. However, the intrinsic mechanisms shaping such a fast life history remain unknown. Environmental stressors are known to increase the secretion of glucocorticoids in other vertebrates, which, in turn, can shorten telomeres via oxidative stress. To investigate to what extent age-related changes in these molecular and cellular mechanisms contribute to the relatively short lifetime of F. labordi, we assessed the effects of stressors indirectly via leukocyte profiles (H/L ratio) and quantified relative telomere length from blood samples in a wild population in Kirindy Forest. We compared our findings with the sympatric, but longer-lived sister species F. cf. nicosiai, which exhibit the same annual timing of reproductive events, and with wild-caught F. labordi that were singly housed under ambient conditions. RESULTS We found that H/L ratios were consistently higher in wild F. labordi compared to F. cf. nicosiai. Moreover, F. labordi already exhibited relatively short telomeres during the mating season when they were 3-4 months old, and telomeres further shortened during their post-reproductive lives. At the beginning of their active season, telomere length was relatively longer in F. cf. nicosiai, but undergoing rapid shortening towards the southern winter, when both species gradually die off. Captive F. labordi showed comparatively longer lifespans and lower H/L ratios than their wild counterparts. CONCLUSION We suggest that environmental stress and the corresponding accelerated telomere attrition have profound effects on the lifespan of F. labordi in the wild, and identify physiological mechanisms potentially driving their relatively early senescence and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Falk Eckhardt
- Department Sociobiology/Anthropology, Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Angela Pauliny
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18A, 41390, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Nicky Rollings
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Mats Olsson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18A, 41390, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Cornelia Kraus
- Department Sociobiology/Anthropology, Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute of Primatology, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter M Kappeler
- Department Sociobiology/Anthropology, Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany. .,Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute of Primatology, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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Abstract
Genetic mating systems described for squamate reptiles range from primarily monogamous to completely polygynandrous. The presence of female multiple mating is almost ubiquitous among squamates and even occurs, albeit at a low rate, in socially monogamous species. Here we examine the genetic mating system of the territorial tawny dragon lizard (Ctenophorus decresii). Paternity was assigned to captive-born hatchlings using eight microsatellite loci, revealing a 4% rate of multiple paternity. One-quarter of males sired more than one clutch, although multiple mating by males is likely underestimated. The rate of multiple paternity in C. decresii represents one of the lowest among squamates and may be a result of successful male territoriality. However, the observed low rate of multiple paternity does not eliminate the possibility of widespread female multiple mating due to the potential for sperm storage and sperm competition. We conclude that the tawny dragon lizard employs a predominantly polygynous genetic mating system.
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Keren-Rotem T, Levy N, Wolf L, Bouskila A, Geffen E. Alternative Mating Tactics in Male Chameleons (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) Are Evident in Both Long-Term Body Color and Short-Term Courtship Pattern. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0159032. [PMID: 27409771 PMCID: PMC4943735 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative mating tactics in males of various taxa are associated with body color, body size, and social status. Chameleons are known for their ability to change body color following immediate environmental or social stimuli. In this study, we examined whether the differential appearance of male common chameleon during the breeding season is indeed an expression of alternative mating tactics. We documented body color of males and used computer vision techniques to classify images of individuals into discrete color patterns associated with seasons, individual characteristics, and social contexts. Our findings revealed no differences in body color and color patterns among males during the non-breeding season. However, during the breeding season males appeared in several color displays, which reflected body size, social status, and behavioral patterns. Furthermore, smaller and younger males resembled the appearance of small females. Consequently, we suggest that long-term color change in males during the breeding season reflects male alternative mating tactics. Upon encounter with a receptive female, males rapidly alter their appearance to that of a specific brief courtship display, which reflects their social status. The females, however, copulated indiscriminately in respect to male color patterns. Thus, we suggest that the differential color patterns displayed by males during the breeding season are largely aimed at inter-male signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Noga Levy
- Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Lior Wolf
- Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Amos Bouskila
- Department of Life Sciences and the Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology at the Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheba 84105, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- * E-mail:
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