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Vol. 51 No. 7, 2012
Agonistic Behavior of the Mediterranean Gecko Hemidactylus turcicus
Venetia S. Briggs1,2
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
2Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, IFAS-FLREC, University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA
Venetia S. Briggs (2012)
Agonistic behavior may influence the dispersal of species and spatial
distribution of individuals within a population. The
Mediterranean gecko Hemidactylus turcicus
was used to test 2 hypotheses: 1) adult behavior differs in responses
to conspecifics and resource limitations; and 2) juvenile behavior is
affected by visual, chemical, and tactile adult male cues. I
quantified behavioral responses of males to different levels of food
quality, availability of retreat sites, and the presence of a resident
male. Aggression was significantly more prevalent in the presence
of a conspecific male regardless of resource availability. To
test the 2nd hypothesis, I observed juvenile responses to chemosensory
cues of either a confined or non-confined adult male. Both visual
and chemosensory cues combined, rather than chemical cues alone
influenced juvenile responses. Juveniles also exhibited sensory
behavior (tongue-flicking) upon entering a novel environment,
indicating that chemical mediation may be sufficient to impact
behavior. Results of these contests illustrate the importance of
chemical communication in providing information which influences
behavioral responses and suggests a role for self and mutual
assessments during intraspecific encounters. The outcome of
competitive encounters may heavily rely on information collected via
chemical cues and may ultimately regulate aggression by informing
individuals about whether or not to fight and thus adhere to the
confines of social dominance within the species.
Key words: Aggression, Chemical communication, Gekkonid, Intraspecific competition, Invasive species.
*Correspondence: Tel/Fax: 305-7780294/954-4754125. E-mail:vsbriggs@yahoo.com; vsbriggs@gmail.com
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