Genetic, prenatal, and postnatal correlates of dispersal in hatchling fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis)

Manuel Massot, Raymond B. Huey, Joyce Tsuji and Fredrica H. van Berkum

Behavioral Ecology, 2003, vol. 14, issue 5, 650-655

Abstract: Similarity of dispersal behavior among siblings is common in vertebrates. However, little is known about the factors (genetic, prenatal, postnatal) generating this similarity. Here we analyzed potential influences on the dispersal patterns of multiple families of hatchling fence lizards, Sceloporus occidentalis. We captured near-term females from the field, incubated their eggs in the laboratory, measured various traits of the hatchlings and dams, and then released the hatchlings at a number of sites in nature. We recaptured hatchlings 5--6 weeks later and measured the direct distance to the release site. Because we treated hatchlings (from eggs to release) randomly with respect to sibship, we eliminated the possibility that any observed sibling similarity in dispersal is merely an artifact of common postnatal influences. To analyze dispersal, we developed a new method that does not make an arbitrary choice of a threshold distance separating dispersers from nondispersers. We found a significant family effect on dispersal. We suspect that this family effect originates from genetic influences rather than from prenatal ones. Indeed, hatchling dispersal was remarkably unrelated to numerous traits (of clutches, mothers, or hatchlings) that might reflect prenatal effects. However, we did find that males were more likely to disperse than females, as predicted for polygynous species. Finally, characteristics of the release site did not appear to influence dispersal. Copyright 2003.

Date: 2003
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/arg056 (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:beheco:v:14:y:2003:i:5:p:650-655

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://academic.oup.com/journals

Access Statistics for this article

Behavioral Ecology is currently edited by Louise Barrett

More articles in Behavioral Ecology from International Society for Behavioral Ecology Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Oxford University Press ().