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Where to do number two : Lizards prefer to defecate on the largest rock in the territory

Simon Baeckens (UGent) , Wout De Meester, Zoran Tadic and Raoul Van Damme
(2019) BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES. 167.
Author
Organization
Abstract
Many animals use their excrements to communicate with others. In order to increase signal efficacy, animals often behaviourally select for specific defecation sites that maximize the detectability of their faecal deposits, such as the tip of rocks by some lizard species. However, the field conditions in which these observations are made make it difficult to reject alternative explanations of defecation site preference; rock tips may also provide better opportunities for thermoregulation, foraging, or escaping predators, and not solely for increasing the detectability of excrements. In addition, we still know little on whether lizard defecation behaviour varies within-species. In this laboratory study, we take an experimental approach to test defecation site preference of Podarcis melisellensis lizards in a standardized setting, and assess whether preferences differ between sexes, and among populations. Our findings show that in an environment where all stones provide equal thermoregulatory advantage, prey availability, and predator pressure, lizards still select for the largest stone in their territory as preferred defecation site. Moreover, we demonstrate that lizards' defecation preference is a strong conservative behaviour, showing no significant intraspecific variation. Together, these findings corroborate the idea that lizards may defecate on prominent rocky substrates in order to increase (visual) detectability of the deposited faecal pellets.
Keywords
MICROHABITAT SELECTION, LACERTID LIZARD, THERMAL BIOLOGY, SCENT MARKING, FECAL PELLETS, BEHAVIOR, SIGNALS, COMMUNICATION, INFORMATION, PATTERNS, Podarcis melisellensis, Defecation behaviour, Faecal pellets, Substrate, use

Citation

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MLA
Baeckens, Simon, et al. “Where to Do Number Two : Lizards Prefer to Defecate on the Largest Rock in the Territory.” BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES, vol. 167, 2019, doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103937.
APA
Baeckens, S., De Meester, W., Tadic, Z., & Van Damme, R. (2019). Where to do number two : Lizards prefer to defecate on the largest rock in the territory. BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES, 167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103937
Chicago author-date
Baeckens, Simon, Wout De Meester, Zoran Tadic, and Raoul Van Damme. 2019. “Where to Do Number Two : Lizards Prefer to Defecate on the Largest Rock in the Territory.” BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES 167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103937.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Baeckens, Simon, Wout De Meester, Zoran Tadic, and Raoul Van Damme. 2019. “Where to Do Number Two : Lizards Prefer to Defecate on the Largest Rock in the Territory.” BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES 167. doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103937.
Vancouver
1.
Baeckens S, De Meester W, Tadic Z, Van Damme R. Where to do number two : Lizards prefer to defecate on the largest rock in the territory. BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES. 2019;167.
IEEE
[1]
S. Baeckens, W. De Meester, Z. Tadic, and R. Van Damme, “Where to do number two : Lizards prefer to defecate on the largest rock in the territory,” BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES, vol. 167, 2019.
@article{8740498,
  abstract     = {{Many animals use their excrements to communicate with others. In order to increase signal efficacy, animals often behaviourally select for specific defecation sites that maximize the detectability of their faecal deposits, such as the tip of rocks by some lizard species. However, the field conditions in which these observations are made make it difficult to reject alternative explanations of defecation site preference; rock tips may also provide better opportunities for thermoregulation, foraging, or escaping predators, and not solely for increasing the detectability of excrements. In addition, we still know little on whether lizard defecation behaviour varies within-species. In this laboratory study, we take an experimental approach to test defecation site preference of Podarcis melisellensis lizards in a standardized setting, and assess whether preferences differ between sexes, and among populations. Our findings show that in an environment where all stones provide equal thermoregulatory advantage, prey availability, and predator pressure, lizards still select for the largest stone in their territory as preferred defecation site. Moreover, we demonstrate that lizards' defecation preference is a strong conservative behaviour, showing no significant intraspecific variation. Together, these findings corroborate the idea that lizards may defecate on prominent rocky substrates in order to increase (visual) detectability of the deposited faecal pellets.}},
  articleno    = {{103937}},
  author       = {{Baeckens, Simon and De Meester, Wout and Tadic, Zoran and Van Damme, Raoul}},
  issn         = {{0376-6357}},
  journal      = {{BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES}},
  keywords     = {{MICROHABITAT SELECTION,LACERTID LIZARD,THERMAL BIOLOGY,SCENT MARKING,FECAL PELLETS,BEHAVIOR,SIGNALS,COMMUNICATION,INFORMATION,PATTERNS,Podarcis melisellensis,Defecation behaviour,Faecal pellets,Substrate,use}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{5}},
  title        = {{Where to do number two : Lizards prefer to defecate on the largest rock in the territory}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103937}},
  volume       = {{167}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}
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