Group living in squamate reptiles: a review of evidence for stable aggregations

ABSTRACT How sociality evolves and is maintained remains a key question in evolutionary biology. Most studies to date have focused on insects, birds, and mammals but data from a wider range of taxonomic groups are essential to identify general patterns and processes. The extent of social behaviour a...

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Veröffentlicht in:Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society Jg. 91; H. 4; S. 925 - 936
Hauptverfasser: Gardner, Michael G., Pearson, Sarah K., Johnston, Gregory R., Schwarz, Michael P.
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2016
Schlagworte:
aggregations
Animal behavior
Animals
Egernia
Evolutionary biology
group living
group membership
Homing Behavior
Phylogeny
Reproduction
Reptiles
Reptiles & amphibians
Reptiles - classification
Reptiles - physiology
Seasons
Social Behavior
sociality
Squamata
Squamata
group membership
Egernia
aggregations
sociality
group living
ISSN:1464-7931, 1469-185X
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Zusammenfassung:ABSTRACT How sociality evolves and is maintained remains a key question in evolutionary biology. Most studies to date have focused on insects, birds, and mammals but data from a wider range of taxonomic groups are essential to identify general patterns and processes. The extent of social behaviour among squamate reptiles is under‐appreciated, yet they are a promising group for further studies. Living in aggregations is posited as an important step in the evolution of more complex sociality. We review data on aggregations among squamates and find evidence for some form of aggregations in 94 species across 22 families. Of these, 18 species across 7 families exhibited ‘stable’ aggregations that entail overlapping home ranges and stable membership in long‐term (years) or seasonal aggregations. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that stable aggregations have evolved multiple times in squamates. We: (i) identify significant gaps in our understanding; (ii) outline key traits which should be the focus of future research; and (iii) outline the potential for utilising reproductive skew theory to provide insights into squamate sociality.
Bibliographie:Appendix S1. Squamate species for which aggregations have been reported in the literature showing proposed reasons (from the original literature) for the aggregations and the evidence presented.Appendix S2. Squamate species for which stable aggregations have been reported in the literature showing various life-history and demographic characteristics to facilitate comparisons across lineages.
Australian Research Council - No. DP150102900
istex:3304D4E6E7C1FE7A3955A269BDA2BA0A2B79049B
ArticleID:BRV12201
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ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:1464-7931
1469-185X
DOI:10.1111/brv.12201