SANTA CRUZ, CA-- Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have found that a species of lizard in the Mojave Desert lives in family groups and shows patterns of social behavior more commonly associated with mammals and birds. Their investigation of the formation and stability of family groups in desert night lizards (Xantusia vigilis) provides new insights into the evolution of cooperative behavior.
The researchers reported the results of a five-year study of desert night lizards in a paper published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (published October 6 online in advance of print).
Alison Davis, who led the study as a graduate student at UC Santa Cruz and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley, said one of the unusual characteristics of desert night lizards is that they are viviparous, giving birth to live young instead of laying eggs. What really got her attention, however, was that both young and old lizards could be found huddling together every winter beneath fallen Joshua trees and other desert plant debris.
"This is remarkable, given the fact that in most species of lizards, individuals actively avoid each other," Davis said.
By conducting extensive genetic analyses of these winter social groups, the researchers found that young desert night lizards stay with their mother, father, and siblings for several years after birth. Some groups aggregated under the same fallen log year after year, forming what the researchers termed dynasties.
According to Davis, about 20 lizard species are thought to form family groups, and only two of those lay eggs. Viviparity (live birth) is crucial for the evolution of cooperative behaviors, she said.
"Viviparity provides the opportunity for prolonged interaction between the mother and offspring, which predisposes the animal to form a family group," Davis said. "The importance of parent-offspring interacti
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| Contact: Tim Stephens stephens@ucsc.edu 831-459-2495 University of California - Santa Cruz Source:Eurekalert |
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