Register      Login
Australian Journal of Zoology Australian Journal of Zoology Society
Evolutionary, molecular and comparative zoology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Female dragons, Ctenophorus pictus, do not prefer scent from unrelated males

Nina Jansson A , Tobias Uller A B C and Mats Olsson A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Zoology, Göteborg University, Sweden.

B School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: uller@uow.edu.au

Australian Journal of Zoology 53(5) 279-282 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO05024
Submitted: 15 June 2005  Accepted: 13 September 2005   Published: 11 November 2005

Abstract

Female choice for genetic complementarity or unrelated males occurs in several vertebrate taxa, but only a few species per higher-order taxon have so far been studied. This is particularly the case in reptiles, where female choice traditionally has been considered to be less important than in most other vertebrates. Many species of reptiles use scent marking in relation to territory use and, consequently, females may use this information to avoid settling on genetically incompatible (e.g. related) males’ territories. We tested the response of female Australian dragon lizards, Ctenophorus pictus, to pheromones from closely related and unrelated males. Contrary to predictions, females did not prefer to associate with scent from unrelated males. The reason for the lack of differential response to related and unrelated males could be explained by weak selection against inbreeding, high dependence on visual cues, female control over copulation, or post-copulatory female choice. Alternative hypotheses are discussed in relation to the biology of the species and lizard biology in general.


Acknowledgments

Three reviewers provided valuable comments on this manuscript.


References

Alberts, A. C. (1992). Pheromonal self-recognition in desert iguanas. Copeia 1992, 229–232.
Andersson M. (1994). ‘Sexual Selection.’ (Princeton University Press: Princeton.)

Aragón, P. , López, P. , and Martín, J. (2000). Size-dependent chemosensory responses to familiar and unfamiliar conspecific faecal pellets by the Iberian rock-lizard, Lacerta monticola. Ethology 106, 1115–1128.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Cogger H. G. (2000). ‘Amphibians and Reptiles of Australia.’ (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)

Crnokrak, P. , and Roff, D. A. (1999). Inbreeding depression in the wild. Heredity 83, 260–270.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Jansson N. (2004). For whom do males scent mark? Female choice versus male–male competition in the agamid lizard Ctenophorus pictus. H.Sc. Thesis, Göteborg University, Sweden.

Jennions, M. D. , and Petrie, M. (1997). Variation in mate choice and mating preferences: a review of causes and consequences. Biological Reviews 72, 283–327.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Mason R. T. (1992). Reptilian pheromones. In ‘Biology of the Reptilia. 18. Hormones, Brain, and Behaviour’. (Eds C. Gans and D. Crews.) pp. 114–228. (University of Chicago Press: Chicago.)

Olsson, M. (2001). No female mate choice in mallee dragon lizards, Ctenophorus fordi. Evolutionary Ecology 15, 129–141.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Olsson M., and Madsen T. (1998). Sexual selection and sperm competition in reptiles. In ‘Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection’. (Eds T. R. Birkhead and A. P. Møller.) pp. 503–577. (Academic Press: Cambridge.)

Olsson, M. , and Madsen, T. (2001). Promiscuity in sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) and adder snakes (Vipera berus): causes and consequences. Journal of Heredity 92, 190–197.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Wilson S., and Swan G. (2003). ‘A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia.’ (Reed New Holland: Sydney.)

Zeh, J. , and Zeh, D. (1996). The evolution of polyandry. I. Intragenomic conflict and genetic incompatibility. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 263, 1711–1717.