Relationships Among Behavior, Body Temperature, Physiological State and Habitat Utilization in the Northern Fence Lizard Sceloporus Undulatus Hyacinthinus
Trautwein, Steven Norman
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/71439
Description
Title
Relationships Among Behavior, Body Temperature, Physiological State and Habitat Utilization in the Northern Fence Lizard Sceloporus Undulatus Hyacinthinus
Author(s)
Trautwein, Steven Norman
Issue Date
1985
Department of Study
Physiology and Biophysics
Discipline
Physiology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Biology, Animal Physiology
Abstract
Observations were made of S. u. hyacinthinus, two at a time, in a 4' x 8' enclosure behind a two-way mirror. Behavior, body temperature and location of the animals within the enclosure were recorded at 10-second intervals. By far the most significant predictor of body temperature was found to be the location of the lizard with respect to the heat source. Other significant, but moderate, predictors of body temperature were identity and sex of the lizard, time since dawn, and behavior.
Factors which were found to account for variations in behavior included presence of a cloacal thermocouple, digestive state, sex, and individual differences among lizards.
Based on agonistic behavior, S. u. hyacinthinus were subdivided into dominant male, sub-dominant male and female groups. The temperature distribution of females was negatively skewed while that of males was bimodal, with dominants found primarily in the warm peak. Dominant males also controlled their body temperature more closely than sub-dominants or females, as judged by variance of body temperature. Other factors which were associated with control of body temperature were digestive state and alertness.
Lizards of all three categories spent the bulk of their time in the postures BODY-UP, ANTERIOR-BODY-UP and VENTRAL-ADPRESSION, which were judged to have thermoregulatory significance. Lizards of the three categories used these postures in different amounts to achieve varying degrees of thermoregulatory control. The impact of social structure on habitat utilization was discussed.
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