Abstract
Signal divergence and sensory preferences may lead to sexual isolation and eventually promote speciation between animal populations. However, few studies have quantified the degree of chemical signal divergence and scent-mediated sexual isolation in lizard populations. Geographic and ecological variations among populations of the whiptail lizard Aspidoscelis lineattissimus suggest that there might be chemical signal divergence among these populations. Here, we used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to characterize and compare the chemical composition of the femoral gland secretions of male whiptail lizards of four populations from a western region of Mexico and, through behavioral experiments, explored the effects of lizard scents on precopulatory behaviors and intrasexual male-male chemical recognition among populations. Our results showed that males of each population contain a divergent mixture of compounds in their femoral gland secretions. Differential chemosensory behavior indicated that male and female lizards discriminated and were more attracted to scents of lizards from their same population. Although females also seem to discriminate male scents between populations, their associated preference to territories scent-marked by males of their own population is different between regions (eastern vs western) and not between populations. We suggest that between some populations of A. lineattissimus there may be partial premating isolation mediated by chemical signals and behavioral divergence.
Significance statement
Geographic variation in sexual signals can strongly affect discrimination and recognition abilities among reproductive individuals from divergent populations, resulting in sexual isolation and speciation. Studies suggest that reproductive isolation and speciation in lizard systems may be mediated by chemical signals, male mate preferences, and male-male interactions but not by female mate preferences. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques and behavioral experiments, we found that chemical divergence in femoral gland secretions of male Aspidoscelis lineattissimus influences behavioral discrimination among four distinct populations. Males and females recognized and responded more toward lizard scents from their own population. In addition, some female populations were able to discriminate between territories scent-marked by males from different populations. We suggest that chemical and behavioral differences between populations may influence partial premating isolation, which can be mediated by inter and intrasexual interactions.
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Data availability
The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales for issuing the collecting permit number SGPA/DGVS/03701/17. We are grateful to Isaac Arteaga, Jeronimo Hernandez, Roberto Colín, Ayult ecotourism center, and the indigenous community of Maruata for assistance and services provided during our study. We are also grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions and considerations that markedly improved this document.
Funding
This study was funded by the project “Sucesión en bosques tropicales: recuperando biodiversidad, servicios y funciones del ecosistema” (CONACyT 2015-255544). A postgraduate scholarship was granted by the Programa Institucional de Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo and the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) to ERG (CVU #589601) Ph.D. thesis of the principal author, under the direction of ISO.
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Conceptualization: ERG, ISO; Methodology: ERG, JM, JCG; Formal analysis and investigation: ERG, JCG, JM; Writing—original draft preparation: ERG; Writing—review and editing: ISO, JAD, EMR, JM, JCG; Funding acquisition: ISO; Resources: ISO, JCG; Supervision: ISO, JAD, EMR.
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This study was carried out in strict accordance with the guidelines for use of live amphibians and reptiles in field research compiled by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH). In the research protocol, adult lizards were visually detected and captured without any harm. During the experimental trials, all experimental organisms were maintained under optimal conditions with access to water and food ad libitum. At the end of the experiments, these individuals were returned in good health to the original capture sites. All procedures with animals were carried out in accordance with the standards of bioethics and biosafety of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo.
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Raya-García, E., Suazo-Ortuño, I., Campos-García, J. et al. Chemical signal divergence among populations influences behavioral discrimination in the whiptail lizard Aspidoscelis lineattissimus (squamata: teiidae). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 74, 144 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-020-02931-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-020-02931-z