Cannibalism of an endemic island lizard (genus Gallotia )

Mateo, José Antonio; Pleguezuelos, Juan M.

doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2015.07.003

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…However, we identified the occurrence of Chioninia stangeri (Gray, 1845) which can be an indicator of the predation on other reptiles (dead or alive). There is previous evidence of predation by larger species of lizards, as is the case of Lehrs’ lizard, Gallotia caesaris (Lehrs, 1914), on smaller ones [51], so this is expected to be even more common on other islands’ systems where the resources are more limited. Apart from the impossibility of detecting cannibalism, metabarcoding dietary studies are somehow affected by the deficiency of DNA reference sequences and the Linnean shortfall [8].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Is the Giant Wall Gecko Having for Dinner? Conservation Genetics for Guiding Reserve Management in Cabo Verde

Pinho

Santos

Mata

et al. 2018

Genes

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Knowledge on diet composition of a species is an important step to unveil its ecology and guide conservation actions. This is especially important for species that inhabit remote areas within biodiversity hotspots, with little information about their ecological roles. The emblematic giant wall gecko of Cabo Verde, Tarentola gigas, is restricted to the uninhabited Branco and Raso islets, and presents two subspecies. It is classified as Endangered, and locally Extinct on Santa Luzia Island; however, little information is known about its diet and behaviour. In this study, we identified the main plant, arthropods, and vertebrates consumed by both gecko subspecies using next generation sequencing (NGS) (metabarcoding of faecal pellets), and compared them with the species known to occur on Santa Luzia. Results showed that plants have a significant role as diet items and identified vertebrate and invertebrate taxa with higher taxonomic resolution than traditional methods. With this study, we now have data on the diet of both subspecies for evaluating the reintroduction of this threatened gecko on Santa Luzia as potentially successful, considering the generalist character of both populations. The information revealed by these ecological networks is important for the development of conservation plans by governmental authorities, and reinforces the essential and commonly neglected role of reptiles on island systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Is the Giant Wall Gecko Having for Dinner? Conservation Genetics for Guiding Reserve Management in Cabo Verde

Pinho

Santos

Mata

et al. 2018

Genes

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show abstract

“…Hence, our sequencing results yielded a large number of reads assigned to the host species. While this overrepresentation of host DNA can be addressed using blocking primers (Vestheim and Jarman, 2008), blocking primers may obscure the identification of ingested sloughed shed skin and filial cannibalism, which is not uncommon in lizards (Clemann et al, 2004;Huang, 2008;Manicom and Schwarzkopf, 2011;William et al, 2014;Mateo and Pleguezuelos, 2015;Labra et al, 2022). Two vertebrate taxa, representing less than 1% of the overall diet were identified from the scat samples.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metabarcoding clarifies the diet of the elusive and vulnerable Australian tjakura (Great Desert Skink, Liopholis kintorei)

Thuo,

Macgregor,

Merson

et al. 2024

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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IntroductionAccurately quantifying the diet of species has implications for our understanding of their ecology and conservation. Yet, determining the dietary composition of threatened and elusive species in the wild is often difficult.MethodsThis study presents the first dietary assessment of tjakura (Liopholis kintorei) using non-invasive sampling of scats and high-throughput sequencing techniques.ResultsThe tjakura in Uluru consumed 48 invertebrates, 27 plants, and two vertebrate taxa. Fruit flies (Leucophenga spp.), beetles (Harpalus spp. and Omorgus spp.), mosquitos (Culicidae spp.), termites (Termitidae spp.), spiked mallow (Malvastrum americanum), bush tomatoes (Solanum centrale), and wild turnip (Brassica tournefortii) comprised the majority of the diet. Analysis of similarity revealed that food items did not differ significantly between tjakura age groups, seasons, or time since the last fire, however, adults, hot season, and fire scar of 2018 showed a relatively higher prey diversity.DiscussionThese high similarities in diet composition between age classes and fire scars indicate potential intraspecific competition when food resources are scarce. The diet diversity and potential plasticity observed in this study reflect a dietary ecology influenced by food availability rather than preference. Our study demonstrates that scat DNA metabarcoding is an important complementary tool to conventional scat analysis or indigenous knowledge as most food items we identified were previously not recorded through those methods.

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“…It is well known that on islands intraspecific competition plays an important role in population structure. In fact, cases of cannibalism have been reported; therefore, juveniles and hatchlings must possess behavioral strategies to avoid competition with adults (Donihue et al, 2016;Mateo & Pleguezuelos, 2015). On the other hand, it is also indicated that insularity may modify the reproductive traits of insular lizards .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lizard species on three islands off the Mexican Pacific Coast: effects of insularity

2023

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This study provides a descriptive panorama of the lizard communities on 3 islands and the mainland on the Pacific coast of Mexico, estimating the effect of insularity (ecological changes between lizards on the islands and on the mainland) on lizard populations. The panorama included the number of species, encounter frequency and age classes. The insularity effects were estimated by comparing these variables, as well as basking behavior, activity related to microclimate, and perch height among the islands and the mainland. Of 11 species recorded, 8 occurred on the islands; however, every insular community was composed of 3 to 5 species (4 are protected by Mexican law). The encounter frequency for all species ranged between 11 and 0.1 individuals per hour. Lizard communities were predominantly composed of adults. Only 2 lizard species, Aspidoscelis communis and A. lineattissima, were shared among all sites, showing no insularity effects on the encounter frequency nor basking behavior. There were signs of insularity, however, on age classes and a clear effect on perch height, suggesting niche expansion. The study contributes to the regional knowledge of lizard species, as well as to ecological theories such as niche expansion and density compensation.

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Cannibalism of an endemic island lizard (genus Gallotia )

Cited by 10 publications

References 34 publications

What Is the Giant Wall Gecko Having for Dinner? Conservation Genetics for Guiding Reserve Management in Cabo Verde

What Is the Giant Wall Gecko Having for Dinner? Conservation Genetics for Guiding Reserve Management in Cabo Verde

Metabarcoding clarifies the diet of the elusive and vulnerable Australian tjakura (Great Desert Skink, Liopholis kintorei)

Lizard species on three islands off the Mexican Pacific Coast: effects of insularity

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