Relatedness and avoidance of inbreeding in the lizard, Tiliqua rugosa |
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| Authors: | C Michael Bull Steven J B Cooper |
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| Institution: | (1) School of Biological Sciences Flinders University of South Australia GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia e-mail: michael.bull@flinders.edu.au Fax: +61-8-82013015, AU;(2) Evolutionary Biology Unit South Australian Museum North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia, AU |
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| Abstract: | Two potential mechanisms for reducing the level of inbreeding, sex-biased dispersal and kin avoidance, were examined in the
Australian sleepy lizard, Tiliqua rugosa. The home range centres, and the genotypes at four polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci were determined for adult lizards
in a 70-ha study area near Mount Mary, South Australia. From estimates of genetic relatedness, females were as closely related
to other females as they were to males, both within the whole study area, and within home ranges. Similarly, males were as
closely related to other males as they were to females. This suggests that dispersal in the population is not sex-biased.
Sleepy lizards form monogamous pairs during the spring. Partners were less closely related to each other than to other potential
partners in the home range area. This suggests active choice of unrelated partners. The mechanism for recognising related
from unrelated individuals is unknown, but the behaviour could reduce inbreeding.
Received: 7 November 1998 / Accepted: 30 May 1999 |
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| Keywords: | Lizards Monogamy Inbreeding avoidance Relatedness Microsatellite DNA |
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