Academic literature on the topic 'Egernia whitii'

'The habitat and microhabitat preferences, and times of activity, of the skinks Egernia modesta and E. whitii were examined in southern Queensland where they coexist in a narrow zone. The above parameters were compared between locally sympatric and allopatric populations, in an attempt to determine whether there was evidence of niche separation in sympatry. E. modesta preferred open habitats with little canopy cover and high grass cover, adjacent to rocky retreats. E. whitii preferred rocky areas with well developed canopy and shrub layers. Both species were active throughout the day, although E. modesta was active later than E. whitii. No evidence was found of competition restricting habitat preferences where the two species coexisted. It is suggested that human disturbance has had some influence on current distributions of these species.

Allozyme electrophoresis was used to assess the taxonomic significance of colour pattern variation within and between populations of the Egernia whitii species group from 41 locations in south-eastern Australia. Analysis of the products of 39 presumed loci revealed that a minimum of three species are present in southern New South Wales among populations previously referred to Egernia whitii. Fixed allelic differences were maintained where pairs of species were sympatric. One of these three species is wide-ranging and is the one to which the name E. whitii is properly applied. The other two are more restricted ecologically and geographically and are described here as new. The three species are genetically and morphologically distinct from the other three eastern Australian members of the species group, E.�margaretae, E. modesta, and E. multiscutata. Genetic data and a review of the morphological evidence provide no support for the recognition of subspecies within either E. whitii (sensu stricto) or E. multiscutata.

The reproductive cycles of two closely related skinks, Egernia modesta and E, whitii, in southern Queensland are described and compared in sympatric populations. They are very similar, both species produce 1-5 live young about 40 mm long in January-early February. Lizards mature at the end of their second year and litter size is positively related to female body length. Adults grow to 110 mm and appear to live at least 4 years. Two non-hybridising colour morphs of E. whitii were present in the study area and did not associate at random. Possible mechanisms explaining the evolution of these three closely related forms, which can coexist in similar habitats, are discussed.

The viviparous skink Egernia whitii is dimorphic for dorsal colour pattern. Both patterned and plain morphs coexist throughout the species' range. Adults live in family groups beneath exfoliating granite rocks. The closely related E. modesta also coexists in similar habitats in the northern part of the range of E. whitii. The plain E. whitii morph is intermediate in colour pattern between patterned E. whitii and E. modesta. Three populations of E. whitii and two populations of E. modesta were examined electrophoretically to assess the status of the plain morph of E. whitii. There were no fixed differences between the two morphs of E. whitii at any of the 55 loci examined, and loci polymorphic in both rnorphs of E. whitii showed no evidence of linkage disequilibria. Although heterozygosity values (H=0.017�0.002) and the level of polymorphism (P 0.95=0.015) were low, there were highly significant allele frequency differences between sympatric samples of the two morphs of E. whitii. This indicated that the two morphs were conspecific, yet they were not interbreeding at random. The established frequency of gene exchange between the two colour morphs in the three populations sampled varied from 3.6 to 6 individuals per generation. Reproductive data confirmed that both colour morphs of E. whitii produced young of the same dorsal colour pattern as their own in much greater frequency than random. However, females of both colours can and do breed with males of the other colour in very low frequency. Analysis of the lateral colour pattern of the two E. whitii morphs and E. modesta suggests that the colour patterns of the two E. whitii morphs are very similar, yet differ slightly from the colour pattern of E. modesta in the region of geographic overlap of these species. These results suggest that behavioural or microhabit differences between the two morphs may be involved in mate recognition.

The life history and reproductive ecology of White’s skink, Egernia whitii, was examined in a population in the Australian Capital Territory using both field and genetic studies. Colour pattern polymorphism was evident within the population, with both patterned and plain-back morphs present. Lizards typically took 3 years to reach sexual maturity, with the size at maturity being ~75 mm snout–vent length (SVL) in both sexes. There was an even overall adult sex ratio, although a slight female-bias was evident in plain-back individuals. Sexual dimorphism was evident, with males having longer and wider heads, and females having larger body size. Females generally bred annually, with mating occurring in September–October and parturition in late January–February, although the litter was produced over several days (2–10 days, mean 4 days). Litter size ranged from one to four (mean of 2.5). There was a significant relationship between maternal SVL and both litter size and relative clutch mass, but these trends were not consistent between colour morphs. An inverse relationship between litter size and offspring size (SVL and mass) was found. Comparison of the results with previous investigations of E. whitii indicates substantial geographic variation in life-history traits that is presumably associated with latitudinal variation in climatic conditions.

Individual differences in behaviour are ubiquitous in nature. Despite the likely role of selection in maintaining these differences, there are few demonstrations of their fitness consequences in wild populations and, consequently, the mechanisms that link behavioural variation to variation in fitness are poorly understood. Specifically, the consequences of consistent individual differences in behaviour for the evolution of social and mating strategies have rarely been considered. We examined the functional links between variation in female aggression and her social and mating strategies in a wild population of the social lizard Egernia whitii . We show that female Egernia exhibit temporally consistent aggressive phenotypes, which are unrelated to body size, territory size or social density. A female's aggressive phenotype, however, has strong links to her mode of paternity acquisition (within- versus extra-pair paternity), with more aggressive females having more offspring sired by extra-pair males than less aggressive females. We discuss the potential mechanisms by which female aggression could underpin mating strategies, such as the pursuit/acceptance of extra-pair copulations. We propose that a deeper understanding of the evolution and maintenance of social and mating systems may result from an explicit focus on individual-level female behavioural phenotypes and their relationship with key reproductive strategies.

ABSTRACT Social relationships, habitat utilisation and life history characteristics provide a framework which enables the survival of populations in fluctuating ecological conditions. An understanding of behavioural ecology is critical to the implementation of Natural Resource Management strategies if they are to succeed in their conservation efforts during the emergence of climate change. Egernia whitii from Wedge Island in the Spencer Gulf of South Australia were used as a model system to investigate the interaction of life history traits, scat piling behaviour and chemosensory communication in social lizards. Juveniles typically took ¡Ý 3 years to reach sexual maturity and the results of skeletochronological studies suggested longevity of ¡Ý 13 years. Combined with a mean litter size of 2.2, a pregnancy rate estimated at 75% of eligible females during short-term studies, and highly stable groups, this information suggests several life history features. Prolonged juvenile development and adult longevity may be prerequisite to the development of parental care. Parental care may, in turn, be the determining factor that facilitates the formation of small family groups. In E. whitii parental care takes the form of foetal and neonatal provisioning and tolerance of juveniles by small family or social groups within established resource areas. Presumably, resident juveniles also benefit from adult territorialism. Research on birds suggests that low adult mortality predisposes cooperative breeding or social grouping in birds, and life history traits and ecological factors appear to act together to facilitate cooperative systems. E. whitii practice scat piling both individually and in small groups. Social benefits arising from signalling could confer both cooperative and competitive benefits. Permanent territorial markers have the potential to benefit conspecifics, congenerics and other species. The high incidence of a skink species (E. whitii) refuging with a gecko species (N. milii) on Wedge Island provides an example of interspecific cooperation. The diurnal refuge of the nocturnal gecko is a useful transient shelter for the diurnal skink. Scat piling may release a species ¡®signature¡¯ for each group that allows mutual recognition. Scat piling also facilitates intraspecific scent marking by individual members, which has the potential to indicate relatedness, or social or sexual status within the group. The discovery of cloacal scent marking activity is new to the Egernia genus. E. Whitii differentiate between their own scats, and conspecific and congeneric scats. They scent mark at the site of conspecific scats, and males and females differ in their response to scent cues over time. Scat piling has the potential to make information concerning the social environment available to dispersing transient and potential immigrant conspecifics, enabling settlement choices to be made. This thesis explores some of the behavioural strategies employed by E. whitii to reduce risks to individuals within groups and between groups. Scents eliciting a range of behavioural responses relevant to the formation of adaptive social groupings, reproductive activity, and juvenile protection until maturity and dispersal are likely to be present in this species. Tests confirming chemosensory cues that differentiate sex, kin and age would be an interesting addition to current knowledge. The interaction of delayed maturity, parental care, sociality, chemosensory communication and scat piling highlights the sophistication of this species¡¯ behaviour. An alternative method for permanently marking lizards was developed. Persistence, reliability and individual discrimination were demonstrated using photographic identification and the method was shown to be reliable for broad-scale application by researchers. Naturally occurring toe loss in the field provided a context against which to examine this alternative identification method and revealed the need to further investigate the consequences of routine toe clipping, as this practice appears to diminish survivorship.

When species compete for resources, in a stable homogeneous environment, there are two possible outcomes. The first is that one species will out-compete the other and exclude it from the environment. This is known as the competitive exclusion principle. The second is that both species will manage to coexist. Coexistence can only occur if the species’ niches are differentiated such that interspecific competition is minimised, or eliminated. This outcome is known as resource partitioning. Two closely related Australian skink species of the Egernia genus, Egernia multiscutata and Egernia whitii, are abundant and sympatric on Wedge Island in South Australia’s Spencer Gulf. The species are morphologically very similar and appear to have very similar life histories and habitat requirements. Ostensibly, they would compete for limiting resources in this environment. This thesis is the first investigation into resource partitioning in this previously unstudied model organism. I report the results of multi-faceted investigations into the coexistence of the skinks, E. multiscutata and E. whitii on Wedge Island and the evidence for, and mechanisms of, any facultative resource partitioning between them. Study methods involved a transect survey of most of Wedge Island to determine the species’ distributions and any evidence for resource partitioning; a morphological comparison to investigate any potential competitive advantages of either species; a habitat choice experiment to establish retreat-site preferences in the absence of interspecific interference; and, a series of staged dyadic encounter experiments to investigate interspecific competitive interactions. Resource partitioning was evidenced by differential distributions of the species among substrates containing the elements required for permanent refuge shelters. This partitioning was not mediated by avoidance of particular substrates but by the presence of the opponent species, combined with attraction to suitable substrates. Asymmetries in some morphological characters were found to confer a potential competitive advantage to E. multiscutata in agonistic encounters with E. whitii. Both species were found to have the same refuge site preferences when interference competition was experimentally removed. This result was not concordant with observed resource partitioning in the field and suggests that the habitat choices of both species are modified by the presence of the opponent species. Analyses of staged dyadic encounter experiments showed that E. multiscutata was more likely to gain greater access to a contested habitat resource and more likely to exclude E. whitii from the resource than vice-versa. Nevertheless, the outcome of competitive interactions was not completely deterministic and there was some tolerance of co-habitation. E. multiscutata’s competitive advantage was attributable largely to its greater mass and head dimensions relative to snout to vent length. However, differential behavioural responses to the threat of larger opponent size also played an important part in resource partitioning between the species.

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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)
Uma forma de compreender e caracterizar a importância ecológica das macrófitas aquáticas é através do delineamento das diferenças morfológicas das plantas e da quantificação de sua complexidade. As macrófitas podem atuar como estruturas retentoras de partículas em suspensão controlando a quantidade de material em suspensão na água, além de servirem como substrato para a colonização e crescimento do perifíton. Neste estudo foram utilizadas duas macrófitas aquáticas: Cabomba furcata Schult. & Schult. e Egeria densa Planch, encontradas na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Itanhaém. O objetivo geral foi avaliar se a capacidade de retenção de material varia entre macrófitas aquáticas com arquitetura de ramo distintas e se há variação na capacidade de retenção de material de C. furcata em rios com características limnológicas distintas. A coleta foi realizada em duas áreas no Rio Branco (A e B) e uma área no Rio Preto (C). Amostras de água e sedimento foram coletadas para análises limnológicas. Ramos de C. furcata e E.densa no Rio Branco e ramos de C. furcata no rio Preto foram coletados para a descrição de sua arquitetura e para a quantificação do material aderido. Em laboratório foram realizadas análises das variáveis limnológicas e do conteúdo de nitrogênio e fósforo total na biomassa das macrófitas e no material aderido. Para a caracterização ambiental das áreas de coleta, foram comparados os resultados das variáveis limnológicas medidas em cada área estudada. Para testar a diferença significativa entre as áreas A e C, foi aplicado o teste-t (p<0,05) às variáveis limnológicas. O teste Mann-Whitney foi aplicado às variáveis de C. furcata, E. densa e às variáveis do material aderido coletadas no Rio Branco. O mesmo teste foi utilizado para a comparação entre C. furcata e material aderido em rios distintos. Os valores das variáveis limnológicas do Rio Branco foram similares nas áreas A e B. A quantidade de material em suspensão na água foi maior (p<0,001) no Rio Branco quando comparado ao Rio Preto. Porém, a matéria orgânica contida no sedimento do Rio Branco foi menor (p: 0,005) do que a contida no sedimento do Rio Preto. Por outro lado, os teores de nitrogênio e fósforo total da água e do sedimento não apresentaram diferença significativa. C. furcata e E.densa apresentaram diferenças na arquitetura do ramo (p<0,05), indicando uma maior complexidade do ramo para C. furcata. C. furcata de rios distintos apresentou pequenas variações na sua morfologia. Apesar da C. furcata apresentar maior área total do ramo do que E. densa, a quantidade de material aderido por ramo de C. furcata foi menor (p: 0,001). A quantidade de material aderido à C. furcata no Rio Branco foi menor (p:0,0251) do que à C. furcata no Rio Preto. De modo geral, a quantidade de material aderido às macrófitas em ambientes lóticos pode ser positiva, negativa ou neutra às macrófitas e pode estar associada à complexidade da arquitetura do ramo desses organismos. Todavia, neste estudo a relação entre as espécies de macrófitas aquáticas avaliadas e o material aderido é neutra. Desta maneira, essas espécies podem ser consideradas apenas como um substrato para o acúmulo de material aderido, pois não foram encontradas relações positivas ou negativas com esse material.
One way to understand and characterize the ecological importance of aquatic macrophytes is to delineate the morphological differences of plants and quantify its complexity. Aquatic macrophytes can act as suspended particulate retentive structures by controlling the amount of suspended material on the water and serve as a substrate for the colonization and growth of the periphyton. Two aquatic macrophytes were used in this study: Cabomba furcata Schult. & Schult. and Egeria densa Planch, bouth are found in the Itanhaém River Basin. The aim of this research was to evaluate if the retention capacity of material varies between aquatic macrophytes with different branch architecture and if there is variation in the material retention capacity of Cabomba furcata in rivers with different limnological characteristics. The sample were collected in two areas in Branco River (A and B) and one area in Preto River (C). Water and sediment samples were collected for limnological analysis. C. furcata and E. densa branches were collected in Branco River for the description of the branch architecture and for the quantification of the attached material. In the same way, branches of C. furcata were collected in Preto River for the same purpose. In laboratory, analyzes of the limnological variables, the nitrogen and total phosphorus content in the macrophytes biomass and the attached material were performed. For the environmental characterization of the study areas, the results of the limnological variables measured in each studied area were compared. To test the significant difference between areas A and C, the t-test (p <0.05) was applied to the limnological variables. The Mann-Witney test was used for the variables of C. furcata, E. densa and attached material collected in Rio Branco. The same test was applied for the comparison between C. furcata and attached material from different rivers. The values of the limnological variables of Branco River were similar in areas A and B. The amount of suspended material in water was higher (p <0.001) in Branco River when compared to Preto River. However, the organic matter contained in Branco River sediment was lower (p: 0.005) than the one contained in Preto River sediment. On the other hand, nitrogen and total phosphorus contents of water and sediment did not present a significant difference. C. furcata and E. densa presented differences in the branch architecture (p <0.05), indicating a greater branch complexity for C. furcata. C. furcata of distinct rivers showed small variations in its morphology. Although C. furcata had a larger branch total area than E. densa, the amount of attached material per branch of C. furcata was lower (p: 0.001). The amount of attached material to C. furcata in Branco River was lower. In general, the amount of attached material on the macrophytes in lotic environments may be positive, negative or neutral to the macrophytes and may be associated with the complexity of the macrophytes architecture. However, in this study, the relationship between the species of aquatic macrophytes evaluated and the attached material is neutral, so that these species can only be considered as a substrate for the accumulation of attached material, not having a positive or negative relation with this material.
CNPq: 130835/2016-1