Abstract
This study assesses the potential for female mate choice and sperm competition in the highly territorial and polygynous brown anole, Anolis sagrei. I observed free-ranging, marked lizards for a total of 91.2 h at a site in Coral Gables, Florida over a period of 35 days in June and July 1996. I recorded a total of 37 copulations involving five males and nine females. Most females (75%) had more than one mating partner, and this was due almost entirely to females mating with new males that successfully supplanted previous males from their territories. In only one copulation (2.7%) did a female mate with a male that briefly intruded from an adjoining territory. Moreover, no female moved from one male's territory to another male's territory to mate. These findings support the idea that male-male competition for territories is more important than female mate choice based on male phenotypic traits in determining female mating partners; they also suggest that there is a potential for sperm competition in these lizards.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 388-394 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Herpetologica |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - Sep 1 1998 |
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Keywords
- Anolis sagrei
- Lizard
- Mate choice
- Sperm competition
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology
Cite this
Mating pattern in the lizard Anolis sagrei : Implications for mate choice and sperm competition. / Tokarz, Richard.
In: Herpetologica, Vol. 54, No. 3, 01.09.1998, p. 388-394.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Mating pattern in the lizard Anolis sagrei
T2 - Implications for mate choice and sperm competition
AU - Tokarz, Richard
PY - 1998/9/1
Y1 - 1998/9/1
N2 - This study assesses the potential for female mate choice and sperm competition in the highly territorial and polygynous brown anole, Anolis sagrei. I observed free-ranging, marked lizards for a total of 91.2 h at a site in Coral Gables, Florida over a period of 35 days in June and July 1996. I recorded a total of 37 copulations involving five males and nine females. Most females (75%) had more than one mating partner, and this was due almost entirely to females mating with new males that successfully supplanted previous males from their territories. In only one copulation (2.7%) did a female mate with a male that briefly intruded from an adjoining territory. Moreover, no female moved from one male's territory to another male's territory to mate. These findings support the idea that male-male competition for territories is more important than female mate choice based on male phenotypic traits in determining female mating partners; they also suggest that there is a potential for sperm competition in these lizards.
AB - This study assesses the potential for female mate choice and sperm competition in the highly territorial and polygynous brown anole, Anolis sagrei. I observed free-ranging, marked lizards for a total of 91.2 h at a site in Coral Gables, Florida over a period of 35 days in June and July 1996. I recorded a total of 37 copulations involving five males and nine females. Most females (75%) had more than one mating partner, and this was due almost entirely to females mating with new males that successfully supplanted previous males from their territories. In only one copulation (2.7%) did a female mate with a male that briefly intruded from an adjoining territory. Moreover, no female moved from one male's territory to another male's territory to mate. These findings support the idea that male-male competition for territories is more important than female mate choice based on male phenotypic traits in determining female mating partners; they also suggest that there is a potential for sperm competition in these lizards.
KW - Anolis sagrei
KW - Lizard
KW - Mate choice
KW - Sperm competition
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M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0031693312
VL - 54
SP - 388
EP - 394
JO - Herpetologica
JF - Herpetologica
SN - 0018-0831
IS - 3
ER -