The study was carried out in extensive farmland area near the town of Odolanów, Poland. During two breeding seasons (April-May, 2006-2007) lizards were counted on transect routes and captured by hand or by noosing. In total, 123 specimens of L. agilis and 153 specimens of Z. vivipara were captured. The proportion of males to females wasn't differed from the theoretical 1:1 ratio. Almost half of the individuals exhibited tail autotomy at least once in life. In the studied sand lizards significant sex specific differences were found between all morphological traits, i.e. males were shorter, lighter, but had a bigger head. In common lizards significant sex specific differences were detected only in body length, i.e. females were longer. All of the morphological traits were highly inter-correlated.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3409/fb.56_3-4.165-171 | DOI Listing |
Biology (Basel)
December 2024
Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive CEFE, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, CEDEX 5, 34293 Montpellier, Hérault, France.
Although urbanization is a major threat to biodiversity, some native species have managed to persist in urban areas. Populations of such species often show phenotypic differences with their rural counterparts. A crucial question is whether such differences result from different selection regimes between habitats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnat Rec (Hoboken)
December 2024
Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
Chameleons are a family of lizards distinguished by several unique features related to their arboreal lifestyles, such as a ballistic tongue, skin color changes, independent movement of both eyes, a prehensile tail, and cleft hands and feet. The veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) has been proposed as a promising model species for studying squamate biology. Despite its potential, the developmental biology of this species remains poorly understood, particularly in terms of gonadal development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcol Evol
December 2024
Faculty of Agriculture, Forest and Food Engineering Yibin University Yibin Sichuan China.
Habitat selection in animals results from a careful balance of individual requirements, environmental conditions, and ecological disturbances. Preferences can vary across sexes and ages due to differences in survival and reproductive priorities. Despite this variability, most studies have traditionally focused on isolated aspects of either sex or age-related differences in habitat selection, rather than considering a comprehensive range of influencing factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimals (Basel)
November 2024
Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize 53100, Türkiye.
In this study, the life-history traits of are presented for the first time. A total of 27 samples (17 ♂♂ and 10 ♀♀) from Iğdır Province, Türkiye, were aged using skeletochronology. Student's -test was performed to compare mean differences in the variables between sexes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAbstractHormones can induce trait development in one species yet have no effect on the same trait in a closely related species, but the mechanisms underlying these differences are unclear. Here, we compare two closely related lizard species to explore the cellular mechanisms associated with the evolutionary loss of hormonally mediated ventral coloration. The eastern fence lizard () has sexually dimorphic blue and black ventral coloration that develops when maturational increases in androgens induce melanin synthesis in males.
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