Habitat use and body temperature influence push-up display rate in the tree lizard, Urosaurus ornatus

Abstract

Lizards engage in push-up displays to signal dominance and to secure access to important resources. The rate and patterns of push-up displays have been shown to vary based on both biotic and abiotic factors. We investigated push-up display rate in tree lizards, Urosaurus ornatus, to determine contributions from potentially conflicting factors including sex, throat colour, microhabitat usage, social context, and thermal traits. We found that display rate was best described by an interaction between microhabitat and body temperature (Tb). The relationship between display rate and Tb was significantly different between three microhabitats: sunny dead trees, the inner branches of trees, and tree trunks. We suggest that this variation in display rate is driven by shifts in microhabitat temperature over the course of the day and spatial and temporal adjustments being made depending on the probabilities of being detected by both conspecifics and predators.