Group living reduces the chances of predation.This is also true for burrowing animals,which use burrows as refuges to escape predators.Living in the center of a colony is the safest because it offers access to the gre...Group living reduces the chances of predation.This is also true for burrowing animals,which use burrows as refuges to escape predators.Living in the center of a colony is the safest because it offers access to the greatest number of burrows;however,it is stressful due to frequent aggressive interactions there.We predicted that larger and older animals should occupy areas of a colony with a higher density of burrows than smaller and younger ones.To test this prediction,we observed individually marked Qinghai toad-headed agamas(Phynocephalus vlangalii)from a single colony late in the breeding season when females were gravid.Density of burrows was the highest and distance between them the shortest in the center of the colony.Aggressive encounters were more frequent in the central part of the colony than on its periphery.We found a negative correlation between body size and distance to the center of the colony for females,but not for males.There was no such correlation between age of individuals and distance to the center of the colony.Females in this species likely compete with other females and males for central burrows in the colony even after mating season finishes.We suggest that gravid females likely compete for the dense burrows within the central part of the colony mainly due to their relatively lower sprint speed and higher probability of being caught by a predator if they are not refuged in a burrow.展开更多
基金The field expenses were covered by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32270527,31872233)Yin QI.The laboratory work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation RSF 22-14-00227+1 种基金The present work is a part of the long-term field study of P.vlangalii and the permits for it were obtained from the Zoige National Wetland Nature Reserve and local conservation authorities.Animal handling follows approved protocols(number 2018016,Animal Ethics Committee of Chengdu Institute of Biology)We adhered to the ABS/ASAB“Guidelines for the treatment of animals in behavioral research and teaching”.
文摘Group living reduces the chances of predation.This is also true for burrowing animals,which use burrows as refuges to escape predators.Living in the center of a colony is the safest because it offers access to the greatest number of burrows;however,it is stressful due to frequent aggressive interactions there.We predicted that larger and older animals should occupy areas of a colony with a higher density of burrows than smaller and younger ones.To test this prediction,we observed individually marked Qinghai toad-headed agamas(Phynocephalus vlangalii)from a single colony late in the breeding season when females were gravid.Density of burrows was the highest and distance between them the shortest in the center of the colony.Aggressive encounters were more frequent in the central part of the colony than on its periphery.We found a negative correlation between body size and distance to the center of the colony for females,but not for males.There was no such correlation between age of individuals and distance to the center of the colony.Females in this species likely compete with other females and males for central burrows in the colony even after mating season finishes.We suggest that gravid females likely compete for the dense burrows within the central part of the colony mainly due to their relatively lower sprint speed and higher probability of being caught by a predator if they are not refuged in a burrow.
