BioOne.org will be down briefly for maintenance on 17 December 2024 between 18:00-22:00 Pacific Time US. We apologize for any inconvenience.
How to translate text using browser tools
1 March 2013 Joint Space Use in a Parthenogenetic Armenian Rock Lizard (Darevskia armeniaca) Suggests Weak Competition among Monoclonal Females
Eduard Galoyan
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

According to kin selection theory, competition among monoclonal animals must be lower than between unrelated individuals. Thus, we propose that home range and core area overlap in parthenogenetic lizards will be broader than female range overlap in similar gonochoristic species. To test this hypothesis, we examined home range locations and space use of parthenogenetic Armenian Rock Lizards (Darevskia armeniaca) and compared them with home range locations and space use of gonochoristic species. We demonstrated that parthenogenetic Rock Lizards have a total range structure typical of insectivorous lizards, consisting of a sally zone, a home range, and one or more core areas. Some core areas contained activity centers, associated strongly with key basking sites and shelters. Provisional residents were found within the same range for 1 or 2 years, whereas wanderers visited study sites for 1 or 2 weeks per season. Settlement structure varied greatly among years. Home ranges, core areas, and even activity centers and basking sites of parthenogenetic females overlapped extensively, unlike in females of nonparthenogenic species. Monoclonal origins and high level of relatedness within unisexual species are possible explanations of the extended range overlap among parthenogenetic females.

Eduard Galoyan "Joint Space Use in a Parthenogenetic Armenian Rock Lizard (Darevskia armeniaca) Suggests Weak Competition among Monoclonal Females," Journal of Herpetology 47(1), 97-104, (1 March 2013). https://doi.org/10.1670/11-242
Accepted: 1 March 2012; Published: 1 March 2013
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top