skip to main content
Language:
Search Limited to: Search Limited to: Resource type Show Results with: Show Results with: Search type Index

The social system of the lava lizard, Microlophus atacamensis: the interplay between social structure and social organization

Revista chilena de historia natural, 2022-11, Vol.95 (1), p.1-13, Article 9 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

The Author(s) 2022. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License. ;This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. ;ISSN: 0717-6317 ;ISSN: 0716-078X ;EISSN: 0717-6317 ;DOI: 10.1186/s40693-022-00113-x

Full text available

Citations Cited by
  • Title:
    The social system of the lava lizard, Microlophus atacamensis: the interplay between social structure and social organization
  • Author: Utsumi, Kaera ; Staley, Catherine ; Núñez, Herman ; Eifler, Maria A. ; Eifler, Douglas A.
  • Subjects: Atacama Desert ; BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION ; Body size ; Chile ; ECOLOGY ; Habitats ; Home range ; Intertidal zone ; Myotis atacamensis ; Social network ; Social network analysis ; Social networks ; Social organization ; Social structure ; Space use ; Territorial behavior
  • Is Part Of: Revista chilena de historia natural, 2022-11, Vol.95 (1), p.1-13, Article 9
  • Description: Abstract Background Animal social systems can be described through four main components: social structure, social organization, mating system, and care system. Social structure describes the relationships between individuals in a population, while social organization describes the group composition, size, and spatiotemporal variation of a population. We use the frameworks of social structure and social organization to study the social system of Microlophus atacamensis , a lizard found in the rocky intertidal zone along the Chilean coast. The area M. atacamensis inhabits poses specific challenges stemming from their use of two distinct habitat types in the intertidal zone: they forage in the cool areas near the water’s edge and use large rocks in more inland areas for basking and refuge. Methods Our assessment of their social system focused on two separate populations: one to characterize social structure by means of focal observations and social network analysis, and a second to assess social organization via home range and core area analyses. Further, we examined the social system in two habitat types that comprise the intertidal zone: cobble fields and interspersed large rocks. Results Social network analysis revealed an interconnected network with a few highly central individuals. Body size influenced the outcomes of aggressive interactions, with interactions being more common in cobble fields where males had more associates and more repeated interactions than females. Spatial analyses revealed that the social organization of M. atacamensis is characterized by (1) high home range overlap, specifically in the cobble fields and (2) relatively exclusive core areas dispersed across both habitat types. Conclusion A social system is composed of both cooperative and competitive behaviors. While our study focused on competitive interactions, the extent and influence of cooperative behaviors is still unclear and merits future research. We suggest that M. atacamensis has a variable social system in which territoriality on large rocks affects access to stationary resources in that habitat (e.g., basking sites and refuges), while competition in the cobble fields could lay the foundation for a system of dominance relationships controlling access to variable food resources in cobble field areas of the intertidal zone.
  • Publisher: Heidelberg: Springer Nature B.V
  • Language: English;Portuguese
  • Identifier: ISSN: 0717-6317
    ISSN: 0716-078X
    EISSN: 0717-6317
    DOI: 10.1186/s40693-022-00113-x
  • Source: SciELO
    GFMER Free Medical Journals
    Springer Nature OA/Free Journals
    ProQuest Central
    DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
Back to results list
INSPIRE LIBRARY - TON DUC THANG UNIVERSITY (84-028) 37 755 057 Feedback
19 Nguyen Huu Tho St. Dist.7, HCM thuvien@tdtu.edu.vn

Copyright © 2017 INSPIRE LIBRARY - TON DUC THANG UNIVERSITY

Searching Remote Databases, Please Wait