Habitat suitability or female availability? What influences males ’ home-range size in a neotropical montane lizard?

In this study, we evaluated factors shaping the use of space by the lizard Tropidurus montanus M.T. Rodrigues, 1987 and assessed how the distribution of resources can affect the size of the home range and how the quality of the male's home range can influence the number of associated females. We hypothesized that (i) males with a larger body size would have a higher-quality home range, and (ii) there would be a positive relationship between the home-range size and home-range quality of males and the number of associated females. Our results suggest that males, f emales, and juveniles adopt different strategies. While females and juveniles have relatively small home ranges located in more suitable locations, males invest in larger home ranges, including in lower-quality habitat patches. Our results suggest that males increase their home ranges to incorporate resources females prefer, enlarging the number of females in their harems.

Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - September 28, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Stef ânia Ventura Amadeus Vaclav Luan Pinheiro Daniel Passos Gustavo de Paulo Jorge Batista Jorge Luis Pinto Conrado Galdino Source Type: research