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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Ultraviolet signals fighting ability in a lizard
Biology Letters, Volume 2, No. 2, Year 2006
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Description
Ultraviolet (UV) signals are used in female mate choice in numerous taxa; however, the role of UV signals in male contests remains relatively unexplored. We experimentally reduced throat UV of free-ranging lizards (Platysaurus broadleyi) to test whether UV acts as a signal of fighting ability during male contests. We found that UV-reduced males were more likely to be challenged than control males. However, contest outcome was not influenced by UV-reduction, and this was despite other obvious asymmetries between opponents, such as body size and residency. Throat UV was confirmed as a signal of fighting ability because contests were more likely to escalate when one contestant had reduced UV. Therefore, throat UV, not body size or residency, was used during the initial stage of opponent assessment, but this did not influence contest outcome. The results suggest that UV overrides other traits that could function as signals during rival assessment. © 2006 The Royal Society.
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC1618919/bin/rsbl20050419s02.mov
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC1618919/bin/rsbl20050419s03.pdf
Authors & Co-Authors
Stapley, Jessica
South Africa, Johannesburg
University of the Witwatersrand
United States, Washington, D.c.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Whiting, Martin J.
South Africa, Johannesburg
University of the Witwatersrand
Statistics
Citations: 2
Authors: 2
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1098/rsbl.2005.0419
ISSN:
17449561
e-ISSN:
1744957X
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Female