| fire alters patterns of genetic diversity among 3 lizard species in florida scrub habitat. | the florida sand skink (plestiodon reynoldsi), the florida scrub lizard (sceloporus woodi), and the six-lined racerunner (aspidoscelis sexlineata) occur in the threatened and fire-maintained florida scrub habitat. fire may have different consequences to local genetic diversity of these species because they each have different microhabitat preference. we collected tissue samples of each species from 3 sites with different time-since-fire: florida sand skink n = 73, florida scrub lizard n = 70, an ... | 2011 | 21622838 |
| forelimb position affects facultative bipedal locomotion in lizards. | recent work indicates that bipedal posture in lizards is advantageous during obstacle negotiation. however, little is known about how bipedalism occurs beyond a lizard's acceleratory threshold. furthermore, no study to date has examined the effects of forelimb position on the body center of mass (bcom) in the context of bipedalism. this study quantified the frequency of bipedalism when sprinting with versus without an obstacle at 0.8 m from the start of a sprint. forelimb positions were quantifi ... | 2018 | 30366942 |
| oviductal morphology and eggshell formation in the lizard, sceloporus woodi. | despite a great deal of work in recent years on the structure of reptilian eggshells, few studies have examined the structure and regulation of the female reproductive tract in the formation of eggshell components, and none have examined the entire process from ovulation to oviposition. in this study, we examined oviductal structure in the oviparous lizard, sceloporus woodi, followed changes in oviductal structure during gravidity, and determined uterine function in the formation of eggshell com ... | 1993 | 29865479 |
| the ontogeny of escape behavior, locomotor performance, and the hind limb in sceloporus woodi. | flight initiation distance describes the distance at which an animal flees during the approach of a predator. this distance presumably reflects the tradeoff between the benefits of fleeing versus the benefits of remaining stationary. throughout ontogeny, the costs and benefits of flight may change substantially due to growth-related changes in sprint speed; thus ontogenetic variation in flight initiation distance may be substantial. if escape velocity is essential for surviving predator encounte ... | 2013 | 23684506 |
| transgressive aggression in sceloporus hybrids confers fitness through advantages in male agonistic encounters. | 1. we investigated agonistic behaviour and associated characteristics of sceloporus woodi (florida scrub lizard), sceloporus undulatus (eastern fence lizard) and their hybrids using staged territorial encounters. 2. these sceloporus hybrids exhibit transgressive aggression and transgressive head-girth relative to the parental species and the transgressive aggression was specifically associated with an advantage in agonistic encounters. our results suggest a hybrid advantage in natural habitats w ... | 2010 | 19682141 |
| rise and fall of a hybrid zone: implications for the roles of aggression, mate choice, and secondary succession. | hybridization can be an important evolutionary force by generating new species and influencing evolution of parental species in multiple ways, including introgression and the consequences of hybrid vigor. determining the ecological processes underlying evolution in hybrid zones is difficult however because it requires examining changes in both genotypic frequencies over time and corresponding ecological information, data that are rarely collected together. here, we describe genetic and ecologica ... | 2014 | 24381182 |
| resolving tradeoffs among crypsis, escape behavior, and microhabitat use in sexually dichromatic species. | variation in color pattern between populations of cryptic animals is common and typically attributed to selection pressures from visual predators combined with variation in substrate composition. however, little is known about how cryptic color pattern relates to varied rates of predation, and few studies simultaneously analyze patterns of escape behavior and microhabitat use along with variation in color pattern, even though these traits evolve in tandem. here, we use a combination of calibrate ... | 2019 | 30430233 |
| mite load predicts the quality of sexual color and locomotor performance in a sexually dichromatic lizard. | since darwin, the maintenance of bright sexual colors has recurrently been linked to mate preference. however, the mechanisms underpinning such preferences for bright colors would not be resolved for another century. likely, the idea of selection for colors that could decrease the chances of survival (e.g., flashy colors that can inadvertently attract predators) was perceived as counterintuitive. it is now widely accepted that these extreme colors often communicate to mates the ability to surviv ... | 2020 | 32273977 |
| annual variation in the seasonal shift in egg size and clutch size in sceloporus woodi. | early and late season clutch parameters were examined over a three year period in the florida scrub lizard, sceloporus woodi. precipitation levels were monitored throughout the study. in the early and late season of 1984 and the early season of 1986 precipitation levels approximated long-term mean levels of precipitation. in 1985 a severe winter drought occurred. clutch size was positively related to body size in all samples in every year. in 1984 and 1986, egg size was not related to clutch siz ... | 1989 | 28312839 |
| effects of natural habitat fragmentation on an endemic scrub lizard (sceloporus woodi): an historical perspective based on a mitochondrial dna gene genealogy. | the florida scrub lizard, sceloporus woodi, is endemic to scrub habitat patches along the central portion of the florida peninsula and xeric coastal regions. scrub ecosystems are the patchily distributed remnants of previously widespread habitats formed during the pleiocene and early pleistocene. scrub lizards appear to have limited dispersal capabilities due to high habitat specificity and low mobility. to assess the population structure and phylogeography of s. woodi, 135 samples were collecte ... | 1999 | 10447851 |
| getting up to speed: acceleration strategies in the florida scrub lizard, sceloporus woodi. | small animals typically rely on quick bursts and intermittent pauses when moving in the wild. hence, the study of acceleration capacity is important for understanding the ecology and evolution of locomotor performance. in this study, we investigate intraspecific variation in the acceleration capacity of a small lizard (sceloporus woodi). to quantify animal acceleration performance, the momentum-impulse theorem is applied to data collected from high-speed video recordings of individuals accelerat ... | 2013 | 20438358 |
| how muscles define maximum running performance in lizards: an analysis using swing- and stance-phase muscles. | maximum locomotor performance is crucial for capturing prey, escaping predators and many other behaviors. however, we know little about what defines maximum performance in vertebrates. muscles drive the movement of the limbs during locomotion, and thus likely play a major role in defining locomotor capacity. for lizards, the iliofibularis, a swing-phase muscle, is often linked to ecology and/or performance. however, stance-phase muscles likely limit performance given that they propel the animal. ... | 2011 | 21525314 |
| the correlation between locomotor performance and hindlimb kinematics during burst locomotion in the florida scrub lizard, sceloporus woodi. | burst locomotion is thought to be closely linked to an organism's ability to survive and reproduce. during the burst, animals start from a standstill and then rapidly accelerate to near-maximum running speeds. many previous studies have described the functional predictors of maximum running speed; however, only recently has work emerged that describes the morphological, functional and biomechanical underpinnings of acceleration capacity. herein we present data on the three-dimensional hindlimb k ... | 2012 | 22246253 |
| the effects of multiple obstacles on the locomotor behavior and performance of a terrestrial lizard. | negotiation of variable terrain is important for many small terrestrial vertebrates. variation in the running surface resulting from obstacles (woody debris, vegetation, rocks) can alter escape paths and running performance. the ability to navigate obstacles likely influences survivorship through predator evasion success and other key ecological tasks (finding mates, acquiring food). earlier work established that running posture and sprint performance are altered when organisms face an obstacle, ... | 2016 | 26823099 |