The impact of tick parasites on the behaviour of the lizard Tiliqua rugosa |
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Authors: | A R Main C M Bull |
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Affiliation: | (1) School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia e-mail: michael.bull@flinders.edu.au Fax: +61-8-8201-3015, AU |
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Abstract: | Populations of the Australian sleepy lizard, Tiliqua rugosa, near Mt. Mary, South Australia carry natural infestations of two tick species Aponomma hydrosauri and Amblyomma limbatum. In field experiments at two sites, 18 km apart, lizards with experimentally increased tick loads had smaller home ranges,
moved shorter distances in a day, and were found basking more but moving less often than lizards from which ticks were experimentally
removed. The results were consistent for adult lizards in two years, and for sub-adults in a third year. Laboratory trials
showed that juvenile lizards that had tick infestations had lower sprint speeds than uninfested siblings, and that adults
with tick infestations had less endurance than those that were uninfested. The results contrast with those of a previous survey
that showed that lizards with high tick loads had greater body size and remained longer at a site, but indicate that there
may be a balance, for lizards, between the fitness advantages in occupying habitats with high-quality resources, and the costs
from parasites that also prefer those habitats.
Received: 02 March 1999 / Accepted: 07 October 1999 |
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Keywords: | Lizards Ticks Home range Sprint speed Parasite-host interaction |
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