Conspicuousness-dependent antipredatory behavior may counteract coloration differences in Iberian rock lizards

Abstract

Sexual selection favors more conspicuous male displays, whereas natural selection (via predator pressure) favors less conspicuous displays. However, this trade-off might be altered if males with more conspicuous displays could compensate behaviorally for their increased conspicuousness by acting more cautiously toward predators. The aim of this study was to explore in 2 species of Iberian rock lizards whether or not conspicuous coloration was associated with antipredatory behavior and whether conspicuousness-dependent regulation of antipredatory behavior existed. Our results suggested that male lizards may compensate for the negative effects of conspicuous sexual coloration on predation risk by modulating their antipredatory behavior (time inside refuges, false alarms, etc). We found that male Iberolacerta monticola, but not male Iberolacerta cyreni, compensated for the negative effects of blue lateral ocelli, which increased visual conspicuousness. However, male lizards did not compensate for relatively unexposed ventral spots. We also found that male I. monticola in better condition and with more blue lateral ocelli were shier, whereas male I. cyreni in better condition and with more ventral spots were bolder. These 2 lizard species live in habitats that differ in refuge availability and in the number of potential predators, which may promote differences in the trade-off between predation risk and social behavior and may explain the observed interspecific differences in antipredatory behavior. This suggests that regulation of antipredatory behavior may also function as a condition-dependent cost promoting costly (honest) sexual signaling in some species. Copyright 2009, Oxford University Press.