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Supplementation of Male Pheromone on Rock Substrates Attracts Female Rock Lizards to the Territories of Males: A Field Experiment

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  • José Martín
  • Pilar López

Abstract

Background: Many animals produce elaborated sexual signals to attract mates, among them are common chemical sexual signals (pheromones) with an attracting function. Lizards produce chemical secretions for scent marking that may have a role in sexual selection. In the laboratory, female rock lizards (Iberolacerta cyreni) prefer the scent of males with more ergosterol in their femoral secretions. However, it is not known whether the scent-marks of male rock lizards may actually attract females to male territories in the field. Methodology/Principal Findings: In the field, we added ergosterol to rocks inside the territories of male lizards, and found that this manipulation resulted in increased relative densities of females in these territories. Furthermore, a higher number of females were observed associated to males in manipulated plots, which probably increased mating opportunities for males in these areas. Conclusions/Significance: These and previous laboratory results suggest that female rock lizards may select to settle in home ranges based on the characteristics of scent-marks from conspecific males. Therefore, male rock lizards might attract more females and obtain more matings by increasing the proportion of ergosterol when scent-marking their territories. However, previous studies suggest that the allocation of ergosterol to secretions may be costly and only high quality males could afford it, thus, allowing the evolution of scent-marks as an honest sexual display.

Suggested Citation

  • José Martín & Pilar López, 2012. "Supplementation of Male Pheromone on Rock Substrates Attracts Female Rock Lizards to the Territories of Males: A Field Experiment," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(1), pages 1-7, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0030108
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030108
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mats Olsson & Staffan Andersson & Erik Wapstra, 2011. "UV-Deprived Coloration Reduces Success in Mate Acquisition in Male Sand Lizards (Lacerta agilis)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(5), pages 1-4, May.
    2. Matthew A. Kwiatkowski & Brian K. Sullivan, 2002. "Mating system structure and population density in a polygynous lizard, Sauromalus obesus (= ater)," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 13(2), pages 201-208, March.
    3. Constantino Macías Garcia & Elvia Ramirez, 2005. "Evidence that sensory traps can evolve into honest signals," Nature, Nature, vol. 434(7032), pages 501-505, March.
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