The Role of Behavior in the Nature Regulation of Numbers in the Gekkonid Lizard Gehyra Variegata

Abstract

There is a definite limit to the number of female geckos which can inhabit a stump with the single male. This number, a result of social behavior between the females, was usually constant for any particular experiment. The intensity of behavioral interaction between the resident female(s) and introduced female(s) varies seasonally. The number of females which inhabited a stump did not vary with food supply. Under conditions of abundant food and total starvation the limit was reached with the same number of females present on the stump. These experiments, together with previous work indicate the key role behavior can play in the natural regulation of animal numbers quite independent of food supply. Social behavior can set an upper limit on population size. In nature, food shortage will not occur for this gecko since behavioral regulation takes place long before food becomes limiting.