Effect of group size and physiological state of a cagemate on reproduction in the parthenogenetic lizard,Cnemidophorous uniparens (Teiidae)

Summary Cnemidophorous uniparens, an all-female, parthenogenetic species of whiptail lizard (Teiidae), were housed in the laboratory under seminatural conditions in groups of four, in pairs, or as isolates. Group structure and an animal's position in the dominance hierarchy affect reproductive effort. Housed in pairs, the dominant animals exhibit a higher rate of reproduction, as measured by number of clutches and length of clutch cycle, than do their subordinate cagemates. Females housed with dihydrotestosterone-treated ovariectomized females lay more clutches than females housed with ovariectomized hormone-untreated females, those housed with intact females, or housed alone.