Information out of the blue: phenotypic correlates of abdominal color patches in Sceloporus lizards

Zúñiga‐Vega, J. Jaime; Pruett, Jake A.; Ossip-Drahos, Alison G.; Campos, Stephanie M.; Seddon, Ryan J.; Price, Savannah L.; Romero‐Diaz, Cristina; Rivera, Julio A.; Vital-García, Cuauhcihuatl; Hews, Diana K.; Martins, Emı́lia P.

doi:10.1016/j.zool.2021.125961

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 135 publications

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“…We calculated the area of the blue patches on the right part of the abdomen of the lizards by multiplying its maximum length by maximum width, which was measured with a ruler to the nearest 1 mm. The blue patch area correlated with SVL ( F 1, 40 = 7.20, P = 0.010; R 2 = 0.13), in line with a recent study ( Zúñiga-Vega et al 2021 ). We calculated a residual patch area variable from the regression of patch area on SVL.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The results thus suggest that pushups, lateral compressions, as well as the size and spectral properties of the blue patch of S. occidentalis can provide complementary visual information to conspecifics at different stages during male agonistic interactions ( Carpenter and Ferguson 1977 ; Martins 1993 , 1994 ). This conforms to the multiple message model, proposed as the best fit for the communication system of S. occidentalis ( Megía-Palma et al 2018 ; Zúñiga-Vega et al 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Although previous studies failed to find a significant relationship between the blue coloration and male aggression indices in S. occidentalis ( Seddon and Hews 2016 ; Lanser et al 2021 ), blue chroma in the genus Sceloporus increases with increasing melanin in the skin ( Quinn and Hews 2003 ), which in turn, increases with testosterone levels ( Cox et al 2008 but see Zúñiga-Vega et al 2021 ). As in other animals, testosterone levels and melanin are positively associated with aggression and physical performance in lizards ( Huyghe et al 2005 ; Raia et al 2010 ; Abalos et al 2016 , but also see Seddon and Hews 2016 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Both males and females have blue patches on the venter. The blue coloration has been profusely investigated within the genus Sceloporus and different aspects of its reflectance and color patch size have been associated with morphology, physical performance, immune response, parasitization, thermoregulatory and sexual behavior, signal evolution, and hormonal and pigment physiology (e.g., Vinegar 1972 ; Cooper and Burns 1987 ; Ressel and Schall 1989 ; Langkilde and Boronow 2010 ; Megía-Palma et al 2018 ; Robinson and Gifford 2019 ; Romero-Díaz et al 2019 ; Zúñiga-Vega et al 2021 ; Assis et al 2022 ). For example, the saturation of the blue coloration in sceloporin lizards can be positively associated with testosterone secretion and melanin deposition in the skin ( Quinn and Hews 2003 ; Cox et al 2005 , 2008 ).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Natural parasites in conjunction with behavioral and color traits explain male agonistic behaviors in a lizard

Megía‐Palma

Paranjpe²,

Cooper

et al. 2022

Current Zoology

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Male competition conforms to a cost-benefit model, because while aggression may increase reproductive prospects, it can also increase risk of injury. We hypothesize that an additional cost in aggressive males would be an increase of parasite load associated with a high energy investment into sexual competition. Some of these infections, in turn, may downmodulate the level of host aggression via energetic trade-offs. We staged dyadic male contests in the lab to investigate the relationships of multiple parasites with the agonistic behavior of lizard hosts, Sceloporus occidentalis. We also included both color and behavioral traits from opponents in the analyses because (i) color patches of lizards may serve as intraspecific signals used by conspecifics to assess the quality of opponents, and (ii) contests between male lizards fit classical models of escalated aggression, where lizards increase aggression displays in response to an opponent’s behavior. The results conform to our hypothesis because male lizards displayed more pushups when they had more ticks. Moreover, some parasites may modulate the levels of aggression because lizards infected by hematic coccidians performed fewer pushups. Interestingly, lizards also displayed fewer pushups when both chroma and size of the opponent’s blue patch were greater. The results thus also supported the role of the blue patch of S. occidentalis as a sexual armament, because it contributed to the deterrence of aggression from opponent lizards. We revealed that natural parasitic infections in lizard hosts can contribute to their agonistic behavior. We encourage future studies to account for parasites in behavioral tests with lizards.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Natural parasites in conjunction with behavioral and color traits explain male agonistic behaviors in a lizard

Megía‐Palma

Paranjpe²,

Cooper

et al. 2022

Current Zoology

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“…Many species display brightly coloured structures that can be used to signal both inter‐ and intraspecifically. Bare‐skin signals are widespread across the animal kingdom (Iverson & Karubian, 2017; Pérez‐Rodríguez et al, 2017) and can include patches or small areas of skin, such as the red bellies of male three‐spined sticklebacks ( Gasterosteus aculeatus : Pike et al, 2011), the blue abdominal patches of Sceloporus lizards (Zúñiga‐Vega et al, 2021), or red legs of the red‐legged partridge ( Alectoris rufaI : Pérez‐Rodríguez & Viñuela, 2008), as well as whole body signals, such as in poison dart frogs (dendrobatidae: Summers & Clough, 2001) and octopuses ( Octopus tetricus : Scheel et al, 2016). Skin colours often arise from epidermal tissue in a variety of ways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying and locating carotenoids in supra‐orbital combs of male black grouse (Lyurus tetrix) using Raman and transmission electron microscopy: A histological study using rehydrated tissue samples

Dobson,

Pike,

Gonzalez‐Rodriguez

et al. 2023

Journal of Morphology

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Colourful signals have long been implicated as indicators of individual quality in animals. Bare‐skin signals are an understudied aspect of avian colouration compared with plumage studies, despite displaying rapid changes in size and colour in response to different environmental or physiological stressors. Even fewer studies have focused on the underlying histology of these structures and the importance this plays in the resulting skin colour. Using the Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix), we identified the underlying structure of individual dermal spikes, which make up the red supra‐orbital comb (a known integumentary signal of male quality), and highlight visual structural differences between combs of different sizes. In addition, we used Raman spectroscopy to indicate the presence of carotenoids within the tissue, something that had previously only been inferred through characteristic reflectance patterns. An increased understanding of the structural basis of colour of featherless parts of the skin opens up exciting new avenues for interpreting the information content of integumentary signals.

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Phenotypic diversity facilitates niche partitioning in a sky island assemblage of spiny lizards

Westeen

Martínez‐Fonseca

Chen

et al. 2023

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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If closely related species should be more similar and therefore more likely to compete for resources, why do we see so many examples of species-rich congeneric communities in nature? To avoid competition, many species possess suites of traits associated with differential resource use – or ecomorphologies – that promote niche differentiation with co-occurring species. Yet, the axes through which niche partitioning evolves and the traits involved are still poorly understood in most systems. Island systems, in which species interactions can form strong forces of selection due to limited resources, provide valuable insights into how ecomorphological diversity contributes to coexistence. Here, we examined axes of resource use and morphological traits that facilitate niche partitioning in a community of spiny lizards (genus Sceloporus) in a sky island system, the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, USA. By quantifying structural, temporal and thermal niche use for over 300 co-occurring lizards from four species over three field seasons, we show that sympatric species diverge primarily in perch height and type, but also in thermal and temporal resource use. Our results further demonstrate interspecific divergence in a suite of phenotypic traits known to covary with ecology in other lizard radiations, including body size, scale size, hindlimb length, foot length and dorsal coloration. Studies of niche partitioning and ecomorphology, especially of closely related species, deepen our understanding of how diverse communities assemble and how morphological diversity accumulates across the tree of life, and our findings highlight the importance of examining multiple axes of resource use to better understand these processes.

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Information out of the blue: phenotypic correlates of abdominal color patches in Sceloporus lizards

Cited by 3 publications

References 135 publications

Natural parasites in conjunction with behavioral and color traits explain male agonistic behaviors in a lizard

Natural parasites in conjunction with behavioral and color traits explain male agonistic behaviors in a lizard

Identifying and locating carotenoids in supra‐orbital combs of male black grouse (Lyurus tetrix) using Raman and transmission electron microscopy: A histological study using rehydrated tissue samples

Phenotypic diversity facilitates niche partitioning in a sky island assemblage of spiny lizards

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