Exploratory and antipredator behaviours differ between territorial and nonterritorial male lizards

Abstract

Alternative territorial tactics may be part of a broader behavioural tendency that can influence the expression of other behavioural traits. We compared the exploratory and predator avoidance behaviours of territorial and floater male water skinks, Eulamprus heatwolei, to identify whether these alternative behavioural tactics are part of a broader behavioural dichotomy. Floater and territorial males differed in their tendencies to explore novel habitats. Floaters spent less time in the refuge, moved further and ate more mealworms when placed in a novel enclosure, suggesting that floaters were less wary of the novel environment and had greater exploratory tendencies. Predator avoidance behaviours also differed between the two groups of males. Territorial lizards were less likely to retreat to a refuge site during a simulated predator attack, returned faster to a basking site after this attack and as a result had a smaller net reduction in preattack body temperature. These results may be attributed to the trade-off that territorial lizards face between territorial defence and antipredator behaviour, which floaters do not experience. Our results suggest that territorial tactics may be part of a broader behavioural tendency that can influence the expression and evolution of other seemingly unrelated traits.