Spatial evolution of reproductive strategies: A multiple-solution puzzle in a lizard model

CHIARAVIGLIO MARGARITA; NARETTO SERGIO; BLENGINI CECILIA; CARDOZO GABRIELA; RIVERA PAULA C.; DI COLA VALERIA

Bloomington

Congreso; Behavior 2011; 2011

Animal Behavior Society

We evaluated variations in reproductive strategies in natural populations of lizards from a spatial evolution perspective. As a model of study, we used two closely related oviparous species of Teiidae lizard whose distribution areas are partially overlapped. The species addressed in our work, Tupinambis merianae and Tupinambis rufescens, have similar body size and external morphological traits. They are particularly interesting because they occupy the southernmost area of the Tupinambis group distribution in South America, presenting a wide contact zone. This zone of sympatry might be considered a natural laboratory of evolution. Intra- and interspecific interactions would represent a mixture of selective forces that provide an ideal scenario for studying microevolutionary reproductive processes. We observed significant differences in phenology, structural and behavioral reproductive traits, such as sperm size, jaw muscle mass and operational sex ratio between species and between populations. These results allow us to elucidate the mechanisms that contribute to the spatial evolution of reproductive strategies.