A field study of the headbob displays of male green iguanas (Iguana iguana): Variation in form and context

Dugan, Beverly A.

doi:10.1016/s0003-3472(82)80043-2

Cited by 29 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Lateral compression of the thorax is a ubiquitous component of the threat posture in iguanian lizards (Carpenter & Ferguson 1977). In some cases, this posture is maintained for extended periods of time: from minutes in eastern fence lizards (Carpenter 1962b) to over an hour in adult green iguanas (Dugan 1982). Ventilation in lizards is achieved by aspiration, whereby muscular contractions move the hypaxial muscles of the thorax, alternately increasing and decreasing pulmonary pressure, thereby moving air in and out of the lungs (Carrier 1987(Carrier , 1989(Carrier , 1990).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lizard threat display handicaps endurance

Brandt

2003

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

118

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Honest-signalling theory asserts that threat displays reliably advertise attributes that influence fighting success. Endurance, as measured by treadmill performance, predicts the outcome of agonistic interactions among lizards. If threat displays in lizards function to advertise endurance capacity then variation in threat displays should correlate with endurance. I tested this prediction for the duration of threat posturing in male side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) and examined whether threat displays act as quality handicaps, reliable signals that expend the attribute that is advertised. Individual variation in the duration of threat posturing correlated with endurance, while an experimental reduction of endurance diminished the duration of threat posturing. As expected of a quality handicap, endurance fell below baseline after display production. A restriction of aerobic metabolism can account for this effect. In threat posturing, lateral compression of the thorax may interfere with respiration or with circulation, limiting aerobic metabolism and causing a compensatory increase in anaerobic metabolism, thereby generating lactate and diminishing locomotor capacity. Concentrations of lactate measured after display production were higher than baseline, consistent with the proposed mechanism. By restricting aerobic metabolism, the threat posture can act as a quality handicap, simultaneously advertising and expending the endurance capacity of displaying lizards.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lizard threat display handicaps endurance

Brandt

2003

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

118

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“…The few other agamid species for which courtship behavior has been described in detail also appear to use just one display type for both aggression and courtship [Harris, 1964;Brattstrom, 1971;Bruton, 1976;Cogger, 1978;Gibbons, 1979;Mori and Hikida, 1994]. This differs quite markedly from many iguanid species, in which males will produce structurally distinct courtship displays upon recognition of females [e.g., Crews, 1975;Jenssen, 1977;Dugan, 1982;Bels, 1986;Martins, 1993]. Given the scarcity of detailed accounts of agamid courtship, it is unclear at this stage whether this behavioral difference represents a phylogenetic distinction between agamids and iguanids, or if it is a result of differences in species-specific social complexity and organization within each group.…”

Section: Displays Given By Territorial Male a Muricatus To Intrudersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure and Function of Visual Displays Produced by Male Jacky Dragons, <i>Amphibolurus muricatus</i>, during Social Interactions

Watt

Joss²

2003

Brain Behav Evol

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Many lizards produce visual displays to mediate social behavior. However, most studies have focused upon displays used by iguanid lizards. We investigated and quantified the displays used by jacky dragons, an agamid lizard from southeastern Australia. By establishing male jacky dragons within individual territories and conducting experimental presentations of male and female intruders, we were able to demonstrate that territorial male Amphibolurus muricatus utilize a fixed action pattern display comprising discrete motor components to indicate territoriality and aggression. Displays directed to intruders contain an extra introductory component and modifying postural elements, whereas non-directed displays given in the absence of intruders lack these features and appear to be used to advertise territory ownership. Although the sequence of display components remained the same across non-directed, male-directed and female-directed displays, resident males differed in pushup duration and the number of pushups per display in relation to individual body size. This display variance might function to provide an honest signal revealing the body size or the physical condition of each individual, permitting opponents to assess each other effectively through their displays. Visual signals produced by intruding lizards were qualitatively distinct from the displays given by residents, and appear to indicate submission. However, male and female intruders differed in the frequency with which each type of submissive gesture was performed, implying that this might convey intruder sex.

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“…Various species appear to perform a "signature" display which may be non-directed, spontaneous, and exhibited in a variety of social contexts, especially after movement (Stamps and Barlow 1973;Jenssen 1977Jenssen , 1978Dugan 1982a;Jenssen and Gladson 1984;Fleishman 1988;Martins 1993). Although other displays have been documented in various species, the majority of all displays exhibited are signature displays (Dugan 1982a;Jenssen and Gladson 1984).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although other displays have been documented in various species, the majority of all displays exhibited are signature displays (Dugan 1982a;Jenssen and Gladson 1984). The green iguana (Iguana iguana) exhibits at least five display types, including the signature display (Dugan 1982a, b;Phillips et al 1993; also referred to as "low frequency nod", Muller 1972; "stereotyped head nod", Distel and Veazey 1982). As with other iguanids, the DAP of the signature display of I. iguana varies among individuals (Distel and Veazey 1982;Dugan 1982a), but basically every signature display of every individual includes an introductory sequence that contains an initial bob of maximal amplitude followed by an extended plateau phase during which the head remains elevated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does cadence of Iguana iguana displays facilitate individual recognition?

Phillips

1995

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Iguanid lizards communicate threat, courtship and territorial advertisement through stereotyped headbob displays. It has been hypothesized that slight interindividual differences in these displays might enhance individual recognition and maintain dominance relationships within populations, but the precise display elements responsible have not been determined. The purpose of this study was to examine if experimentally induced differences in displays would decrease recognition of individual conspecifics. Specifically, social interactions between adult male green iguanas (Iguana iguana) were examined at normothermic and hypothermic body temperatures. Whereas the cadence (rate of muscle contraction) of stereotypic displays of individual lizards was slowed at hypothermic body temperature (Q~0 -~ 1.6), the anaplitude (maximal muscle contraction) of hypothermic displays remained constant relative to normothermic displays. Normothermic lizards viewing a display from a hypothermic lizard responded to that display as if it were performed at a normothermic cadence. During paired encounters between lizards (one hypothermic, one normothermic), dominant/subordinate dyads within the group were unusually maintained regardless of which individual was hypothermic. The exception occurred when dominant individuals at the lowest experimental body temperatures retreated from subordinate individuals. The results suggest that individual lizards recognized their relative social status even when cadence of displays was radically altered, indicating that cadence alone probably does not function in individual recognition. Other morphological, display elements, or scent cues may provide information useful in individual recognition.

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A field study of the headbob displays of male green iguanas (Iguana iguana): Variation in form and context

Cited by 29 publications

References 10 publications

Lizard threat display handicaps endurance

Lizard threat display handicaps endurance

Structure and Function of Visual Displays Produced by Male Jacky Dragons, <i>Amphibolurus muricatus</i>, during Social Interactions

Does cadence of Iguana iguana displays facilitate individual recognition?

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