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Social networks in the Little Scrub Island ground lizard (Ameiva corax)

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Abstract

Ameiva corax is a diurnal, widely foraging lizard endemic to a small (<2 ha) Caribbean island and is known for social foraging, whereby individuals aggregate at large food items (e.g., bird eggs and cactus fruits). We characterized the social network for A. corax through focal observations and surveys, which delineated associations for 82 known individuals. Lizards varied greatly in the extent to which they were linked to the social network. Approximately 31 % of individuals were not observed in any associations while one individual associated with 22 % (n = 18) of the animals in the study area. Larger lizards tended to be more central to the social network; body size was positively correlated with number of associations (degree) and centrality (betweenness), but negatively correlated with average distance between an individual and its associates (mean path length). Larger individuals were also associated with lower clustering coefficients, indicating that their associates were less closely interconnected. Sex was not related to number of associations (degree), but did help explain some patterns. The extent to which a lizard’s associates were of the same sex (homophily) was related to both sex and body size. Females had lower homophily scores than males; within each sex larger lizards tended to have lower homophily.

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Acknowledgments

Our research was made possible through funds provided by the Erell Institute and grant no. IOS-1045672 from the US National Science Foundation. K. Malela was supported by grants from Sigma Xi and the Explorers Club. All applicable international, national, and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed through adherence to the current guidelines for the use of live amphibians and reptiles in field and laboratory research of the Herpetological Animal Care and Use Committee of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, and Erell Institute Animal Care and Use Committee permit no. 2010-01. We are grateful to the Anguilla Department of Environment for permits allowing us to access and conduct research on Little Scrub Island. Our work would not have been possible without logistical support from K. Hodge and R. Conner and the exceptional boat-handling skills of Captain Natureboy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Erell Institute, 2808 Meadow Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA

    Douglas Eifler & Maria Eifler

  2. Okavango Research Institute, University of Botswana, Maun, Botswana

    Keoleboge Malela

  3. Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Jackie Childers

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  1. Douglas Eifler
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  2. Maria Eifler
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  3. Keoleboge Malela
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Correspondence to Douglas Eifler.

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Eifler, D., Eifler, M., Malela, K. et al. Social networks in the Little Scrub Island ground lizard (Ameiva corax). J Ethol 34, 343–348 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-016-0481-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-016-0481-9

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