Document Type
Thesis
Production/Collection Date
June 22, 2024 - August 13, 2024
Production/Collection Location
Jamaica
Depositor
Lillian Durand/ Frishkoff Lab at University of Texas at Arlington
Deposit Date
12-20-2024
Data Type
Morphological quantitive data, population survey data
Abstract
Anolis lizards are model organisms for studying natural selection and evolutionary processes. One trait that is hypothesized to be advantageous for males is head size, as larger heads lead to stronger bite forces and increased likelihood in outcompeting other males for mates. To better understand how linked head size and intraspecific competition are, the head morphology of male A. lineatopus was analyzed among Jamaican populations with varying levels of population density. Population densities were determined using standardized plot surveys and mark resight models. Head dimensions and body condition for individual lizards were measured at each site. My study found that relative head size did not significantly differ between sites in males, and changes in females could not be attributed to density. In addition, I determined that as population densities increase, head volume becomes more advantageous in achieving higher body conditions. In females a negative correlation between head volume and body condition for all but the most populous site.
Disciplines
Animal Sciences | Biology | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Evolution | Life Sciences | Other Animal Sciences | Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Population Biology | Zoology
Publication Date
12-1-2024
Language
English
Faculty Mentor of Honors Project
Luke Frishkoff
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Durand, Lillian, "Analyzing Head Morphology Trends with Increasing Population Density in a Jamaican Lizard Species" (2024). 2024 Fall Honors Capstone Projects. 10.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/honors_fall2024/10
Included in
Biology Commons, Evolution Commons, Other Animal Sciences Commons, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Population Biology Commons, Zoology Commons
Comments
Thank you to Dr. Luke Frishkoff and Dr. Daniel Nicholson for all of their assistance with this project and including me on their fieldwork.