EthologyPub Date : 2026-10-13Epub Date: 2026-09-08DOI: 10.1111/eth.70109
Reshnu Rajan-Sheela, Gregory I. Holwell, Anne Wignall
{"title":"Imidacloprid Alters Activity and Responses to a Visual Predator Stimulus in Aussie Bronze Jumping Spiders (Helpis minitabunda, Araneae, Salticidae)","authors":"Reshnu Rajan-Sheela, Gregory I. Holwell, Anne Wignall","doi":"10.1111/eth.70109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.70109","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Neonicotinoid insecticides can have lethal and sublethal effects on non-target organisms, including arthropod predators that perform key ecosystem functions. Sublethal effects may include disrupted motor function, which can be particularly detrimental to active visual hunters like jumping spiders (Salticidae) when searching for prey or mates, or when evading predators. In this study, we tested whether acute exposure to field-recommended concentrations of imidacloprid affects exploration activity, climbing performance or response to visual predator cues in the jumping spider <i>Helpis minitabunda</i>. Insecticide exposure reduced the exploration area, distance travelled, and time spent moving by spiders in an open arena, and also slowed their climbing speed. However, there was no difference in climbing performance between treated and control spiders 7 days after insecticide exposure, and both treated and control spiders increased their open arena activity after 7 days, which is suggestive of recovery from acute insecticide exposure in treated spiders. Responses to a visual predator stimulus were assessed in two phases: initial detection and subsequent response. Insecticide exposure did not affect initial detection, but did reduce subsequent responses of spiders to the stimulus on a video display. Further, the effects of insecticide exposure varied with body condition, with decreased climbing performance in individuals with low body condition compared to individuals with high body condition after exposure. Control spiders with high body condition had a stronger response to the visual predator stimulus than control spiders with low body condition, but treated spiders showed no correlation between body condition and response to the visual predator stimulus. Overall, acute exposure to field-recommended concentrations of imidacloprid compromised the locomotory performance and anti-predator response in <i>H. minitabunda</i>. Our study demonstrates that imidacloprid can have large, sublethal effects on behaviours critical to the ecological function of an important arthropod predator.</p>","PeriodicalId":50494,"journal":{"name":"Ethology","volume":"132 10","pages":"745-759"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eth.70109","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149177414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EthologyPub Date : 2026-10-13Epub Date: 2026-07-23DOI: 10.1111/eth.70100
Tim Andries, Stan Romijn, Sam Van Wassenbergh, Wendt Müller
{"title":"Consistent Intra-Individual Seed Preferences, Yet No Dietary Conservatism in a Granivorous Songbird","authors":"Tim Andries, Stan Romijn, Sam Van Wassenbergh, Wendt Müller","doi":"10.1111/eth.70100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.70100","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Birds, as most other animals, face challenges in finding food in ever-changing habitats where food availability can vary greatly. Given the fluctuating quantities and varieties of accessible food sources, the ability to explore and exploit alternative, perhaps completely new, food sources would be of great benefit. Despite the benefits of such generalist strategies, there is often foraging specialization, which may allow greater efficiency in accessing and processing a specific food source, and it helps reduce competition. However, how specialization arises and whether it implies that specialists avoid novel foods (dietary conservatism), even though these new foods may provide benefits, is poorly studied. This study therefore examines whether domestic canaries are consistent in their seed choice and whether they tend to avoid a novel seed type, in this case, white millet. To this end, food preferences were investigated in a series of individual-based seed preference tests. Most individuals exhibited consistent seed preference patterns over time. Seed choice appeared a repeatable behavior, and seeds picked are hence not chosen at random. Subsequently, when exposed to a novel seed type (white millet), individuals did not show any dietary conservatism. On the contrary, individuals familiar with white millet picked a significantly lower amount of that seed than individuals who were not familiar with the seed. This suggests that individuals with more experience with this seed type may have learned that its foraging is not very efficient. Taken together, our results show that being consistent in dietary choices does not necessarily relate to dietary conservatism.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50494,"journal":{"name":"Ethology","volume":"132 10","pages":"709-718"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149177494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EthologyPub Date : 2026-10-13Epub Date: 2026-07-21DOI: 10.1111/eth.70101
Maria Eduarda Lima Vieira, Lucia C. Neco, Gabrielle Winandy, Nicolas Châline, Heiko G. Rödel
{"title":"Leaders Are Somethin' Else: Behavioural Variation Associated With Roles During Tandem Running Recruitment","authors":"Maria Eduarda Lima Vieira, Lucia C. Neco, Gabrielle Winandy, Nicolas Châline, Heiko G. Rödel","doi":"10.1111/eth.70101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.70101","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In social groups, leadership often emerges from consistent interindividual differences in behaviour. Yet how personality shapes role specialisation remains poorly understood. We investigated how personality traits (activity, aggressiveness, boldness and exploration) influence leadership roles in the ant <i>Pachycondyla striata</i> during tandem running, a recruitment strategy where a leader ant guides a single follower to a target destination. Using repeated behavioural assays (open field, novel object, and aggression tests) and forced emigrations, we assessed individual consistency in personality traits and recruitment roles (leader or follower). We found moderate-to-strong repeatability in activity, aggressiveness and exploration, and in the adoption of the leadership role during tandem recruitment. Behavioural responses changed over time: activity decreased after the first trial, suggesting familiarisation with testing contexts or diminishing novelty effects after initial exposures. Tandem runs, and in particular the adoption of the role as a follower, declined sharply in subsequent emigrations as ants transitioned to solitary navigation—a faster strategy once routes were learned. This highlights how experience alters collective decision-making, favouring speed over recruitment. More importantly, more active, exploratory and aggressive ants were significantly more likely to become leaders, suggesting that intrinsic behavioural differences drive task specialisation. By linking personality to role specialisation, this study contributes to a better understanding of how consistent individual variation shapes collective outcomes in social groups. Understanding these mechanisms could provide broader insights into leadership emergence across animal societies.</p>","PeriodicalId":50494,"journal":{"name":"Ethology","volume":"132 10","pages":"719-731"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eth.70101","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149177595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EthologyPub Date : 2026-10-13Epub Date: 2026-09-17DOI: 10.1111/eth.70110
Shin-ya Ohba, Aina Yoshimura, Chihono Yamada, Iroha Matsuda
{"title":"When Males Carry no Eggs: Species-Specific Mate-Choice Cues in Two Water Bug Species","authors":"Shin-ya Ohba, Aina Yoshimura, Chihono Yamada, Iroha Matsuda","doi":"10.1111/eth.70110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.70110","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Male parental care is a prominent and sexually selected trait in giant water bugs (Belostomatidae), where females preferentially mate with egg-carrying males. However, females frequently encounter males that are not carrying eggs, and the criteria underlying mate choice under such conditions remain poorly understood. Here, we examined female mate choice in two closely related species, <i>Appasus major</i> and <i>A. japonicus</i>, by experimentally restricting mate-choice assays to males that were not carrying eggs. We quantified male courtship behaviour and analysed female acceptance using a common statistical framework in both species. Female mate choice differed strikingly between the species. In <i>A. major</i>, female acceptance was strongly associated with male courtship behaviour, whereas male body size had no detectable effect. In contrast, in <i>A. japonicus</i>, courtship behaviour did not predict female acceptance; instead, females were more likely to accept smaller males. We interpret these contrasting patterns in light of species-specific reproductive ecology. In <i>A. japonicus</i>, multiple females sequentially contribute to communal egg masses, and male body size may provide females—particularly early ovipositing females—with a predictive cue for how quickly males transition from mating activity to dedicated egg care. In <i>A. major</i>, where eggs are larger and egg care is expected to be more energetically demanding, sustained courtship may instead function as an indicator of male endurance and parental capacity. Our results demonstrate that removing a dominant parental-status signal reveals divergent mate-choice rules even among closely related species. These findings highlight how differences in reproductive ecology can shape the informational value of male traits and generate contrasting selection pressures on morphology and behaviour in parental-care systems.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50494,"journal":{"name":"Ethology","volume":"132 10","pages":"760-765"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149177681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EthologyPub Date : 2026-10-13Epub Date: 2026-09-16DOI: 10.1111/eth.70111
Adeline M. Volz, Rebecca C. Fuller
{"title":"Habitat Choice as a Function of Lighting Environment in Bluefin Killifish","authors":"Adeline M. Volz, Rebecca C. Fuller","doi":"10.1111/eth.70111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.70111","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Lighting environments are important for multiple tasks in visually oriented species, including identification of proper habitat, finding food, avoiding predators, and finding, choosing, and defending mates. Variation in lighting environments can lead to local adaptation and/or the expression of different traits as a function of developmental plasticity. Habitat choice as a function of lighting environments can theoretically alter these dynamics. Here, we examined habitat choice as a function of lighting environments in bluefin killifish, <i>Lucania goodei,</i> originating from different lighting environments: a clear spring and a tannin-stained swamp. We predicted that fish would prefer lighting environments similar to their natal conditions and found partial support for this hypothesis. Killifish from the swamp population preferred red-shifted lighting environments with yellow backgrounds over broad spectrum lighting environments with blue backgrounds, whereas killifish from the clear spring population showed no consistent preference for either lighting environment. These findings suggest that animals from narrow spectral habitats are more likely to remain in and return to those habitats, while animals from broad spectrum habitats may more readily tolerate and disperse across a wide range of lighting environments in nature.</p>","PeriodicalId":50494,"journal":{"name":"Ethology","volume":"132 10","pages":"766-774"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eth.70111","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149177273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EthologyPub Date : 2026-10-13Epub Date: 2026-09-06DOI: 10.1111/eth.70106
Zachary M. Laubach, Kayleigh P. Keller, Rebecca J. Safran, Toshi Tsunekage, Iris I. Levin
{"title":"Testing the Mediating Role of Social Interactions on the Relationship Between Age and Plumage Traits on Reproductive Success","authors":"Zachary M. Laubach, Kayleigh P. Keller, Rebecca J. Safran, Toshi Tsunekage, Iris I. Levin","doi":"10.1111/eth.70106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.70106","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Differential reproduction is a key driver of evolution that is determined by individual characteristics and mating opportunities, including mate choice. Social interactions between conspecifics are hypothesized to be important in facilitating mate choice and reproductive success but are difficult to measure. Using data from 52 adult barn swallows (<i>Hirundo rustica erythrogaster</i>), whose social interactions were measured via proximity tags, we tested the hypothesis that social interactions mediate both the relationship between age (a proxy for experience) as well as condition-dependent plumage traits and their associations with reproductive success. We found that older female barn swallows had higher fecundity and that older males have higher paternity. Older males achieved higher paternity through extra-pair copulations, not by greater paternity with their social mate. Longer tail streamers were associated with greater fecundity/paternity in both sexes, but this effect was independent of age only among females. Darker ventral plumage coloration was not associated with higher reproductive success in either sex. We observed that older males appear to be less social with conspecifics, as indicated by fewer numbers of social interactions, though these associations were only marginally significant. The size of the effect of female age on conspecific social strength was similar to males but was not significant in females. Interestingly, females with fewer social interactions had higher fecundity. Finally, we found no evidence of mediation by the number of social interactions. Taken together, our results suggest that older, more experienced birds can produce more offspring without being more social.</p>","PeriodicalId":50494,"journal":{"name":"Ethology","volume":"132 10","pages":"732-744"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eth.70106","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149177296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EthologyPub Date : 2026-10-13Epub Date: 2026-07-28DOI: 10.1111/eth.70102
Gavan M. Cooke
{"title":"Do Cuttlefish Dream of Electric Shrimp? A Natural History Note on Behavioral Quiescence Strategies in Wild European Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)","authors":"Gavan M. Cooke","doi":"10.1111/eth.70102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.70102","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Laboratory-based ethological studies have identified highly structured sleep-like and quiescent states in coleoid cephalopods. However, identifying these physiological states in wild populations remains challenging due to observer-induced flight behaviors. Presented here are a secondary micro-kinetic analysis of an unprovoked wild cohort of six sub-adult European cuttlefish (<i>Sepia officinalis</i>) recorded continuously for 55 min in their natural habitat. Quantitative point-process analysis of localized motor events revealed that micro-somatic adjustments (low-amplitude arm L1/R1 twitches, <i>N</i> = 64) are significantly clustered, exhibiting a median inter-event interval of 2.08 s. First-order Markov chain modeling demonstrates a highly structured behavioral transition network centered on a composite chromatic state (Mottled + Zebra Pattern composite), with a restricted probability (14.3%) of transitioning into absolute motor arrest (Mantle fin stop). While limited by sample size and a lack of physiological or electrophysiological metrics, these field observations provide a rare, non-invasive behavioral baseline that mirrors the micro-kinetic patterns reported in controlled laboratory sleep settings. We also provide verbal descriptions of quiescent states observed.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50494,"journal":{"name":"Ethology","volume":"132 10","pages":"775-779"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149177524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EthologyPub Date : 2026-08-05Epub Date: 2026-07-21DOI: 10.1111/eth.70097
Ubiratã Ferreira Souza, Lucas Rosado Mendonça, Carlos Jared, L. Felipe Toledo
{"title":"Antipredatory Strategies of Anurans: An Updated Conceptual Review","authors":"Ubiratã Ferreira Souza, Lucas Rosado Mendonça, Carlos Jared, L. Felipe Toledo","doi":"10.1111/eth.70097","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.70097","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Anurans exhibit an extraordinary diversity of antipredatory strategies, shaped by their global distribution, ecological breadth, and complex evolutionary history. Despite numerous catalogs, existing reviews have predominantly focused on adult stages and specific strategies, often neglecting ontogenetic diversity, behavioral nuances, and the non-linear structure of predation. Consequently, there is an urgent need to identify conceptual gaps capable of guiding studies on these behaviors, principally because the current literature remains largely anecdotal and highly hypothetical, lacking formal tests to elucidate their diverse eco-evolutionary aspects. Here, through a systematic review of antipredatory strategies in anurans, we present an updated integrative framework that systematically classifies anuran defenses against predators into a three-level system: non-behavioral strategies (comprising coloration, morphological structures like macroglands and skeletal processes, and chemical secretions), individual behavioral strategies (encompassing evasion, intimidation through acoustic or postural displays, counterattack, protection such as phragmosis, and disinterest behaviors like death feigning), and group behavioral strategies (including intraspecific and interspecific associations). These strategies are functionally organized according to five main phases of antipredation, anti-detection, anti-approach, anti-identification, anti-capture, and anti-consumption, yet the framework explicitly discourages a rigid sequential interpretation, as defensive responses often overlap or occur non-linearly. A central component of this proposal is the concept of synergetic coupling, wherein discrete antipredatory elements are integrated into complex multimodal and morphophysiological displays, such as deimatic behavior, aggressive synergy, and staging. Crucially, these couplings frequently transcend the strictly defensive context, manifesting as eco-evolutionary synergies where antipredatory functions are coupled with other vital biological processes such as thermoregulation, reproduction, or communication. We further highlight neglected strategies, including chemical mimicry, bodyguard interactions involving mutualistic or mutualistic/commensal associations with bromeliads, ants, termites, or spiders, and the functional relevance of group-level defenses. By addressing critical conceptual shortfalls, this review refines the conceptual boundaries of anuran antipredatorial strategies and provides a unified, flexible basis for future comparative, macroecological, and macroevolutionary studies across vertebrates. This framework shifts the scientific focus toward a rigorous, hypothesis-driven experimental approach to validate the functional effectiveness of these diverse adaptive traits across varying ecological contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":50494,"journal":{"name":"Ethology","volume":"132 9","pages":"662-708"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eth.70097","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148696447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EthologyPub Date : 2026-08-05Epub Date: 2026-07-07DOI: 10.1111/eth.70094
Lukas Landler, Michael S. Painter, Graeme D. Ruxton
{"title":"A Practical Guide to Studying Magnetic Alignment of Free-Living Animals: Lessons From Leopards","authors":"Lukas Landler, Michael S. Painter, Graeme D. Ruxton","doi":"10.1111/eth.70094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.70094","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Spontaneous magnetic alignment describes the tendency of animals to preferentially orient their major body axis in a non-random alignment relative to the magnetic field. Several well-controlled laboratory studies have reported this behavior, yet the majority of studies come from field observations in natural contexts. However, behavioral field data are intrinsically complex due to many potential factors influencing animal spatial behavior. Here, we use a published data set on leopard alignment, Yosef et al. (2022), to showcase potential pitfalls in studies of magnetic alignment, and offer guidance on avoiding such pitfalls. We provide an approach to test for spatial autocorrelation (with scripts available in R) which was validated in a small simulation study and offer a roadmap for magnetic alignment investigations. Our example demonstrates that spatial autocorrelation can be a complicating issue when analyzing field data, potentially leading to reduced power to detect real effects or overinterpretation of apparent evidence of alignment. Developing specific techniques to overcome spatial autocorrelation, without losing statistical power, will be an important challenge for future methodological development in circular statistics. Our paper will help researchers to more robustly evaluate evidence for field studies on magnetic orientation.</p>","PeriodicalId":50494,"journal":{"name":"Ethology","volume":"132 9","pages":"642-650"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eth.70094","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148695830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EthologyPub Date : 2026-08-05Epub Date: 2026-07-12DOI: 10.1111/eth.70096
Ferran de la Cruz, Shania Lam, Ella Guilhem, Miguel Ángel Carretero, Guillem Pérez i de Lanuza, Enrique Font
{"title":"Experimental Evidence on the Signalling Role of UV-Blue Colouration in Male European Wall Lizards (Podarcis muralis)","authors":"Ferran de la Cruz, Shania Lam, Ella Guilhem, Miguel Ángel Carretero, Guillem Pérez i de Lanuza, Enrique Font","doi":"10.1111/eth.70096","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.70096","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Determining the role of a phenotypic trait as a signal often requires a complex and interdisciplinary approach. Most wall lizards (genus <i>Podarcis</i>), as well as many other lacertids, exhibit on their flanks ultraviolet (UV)-blue patches that are thought to inform about fighting ability during male agonistic interactions. Correlational studies suggest condition-dependence of that trait, but results are not replicable to all species or populations. On the other hand, empirical attempts to confirm the communicative function of the UV-blue patches have produced inconclusive results. Here, we set out a behavioural experiment to test the signalling function of the UV-blue patches of the European wall lizard (<i>Podarcis muralis</i>) in staged contests in a large observation chamber. A large male acted as the resident lizard and, during the following days, eight different small males were introduced sequentially into the chamber to record the behaviour of both. This simulates the situation, often observed in the field, in which a small male intrudes in the territory of a larger male. Small males were randomly selected to act as controls (painted on the flank, above the UV-blue patches) or treatment (painted covering the UV-blue patches). Results of 90 trials with 12 large resident males show that aggression by these males was influenced by the small males' experimental manipulation. Resident males were more aggressive towards males that retained their original UV-blue patches (control) than to those in which this colouration was completely obliterated. These results provide experimental evidence of wall lizards using the UV-blue patches to make decisions during agonistic interactions and confirm that this colouration fulfils a signalling role in this species. Our results also reveal the value of behavioural experiments designed to induce animals to perform tasks or make decisions that closely mimic those in nature and are, therefore, ethologically relevant.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50494,"journal":{"name":"Ethology","volume":"132 9","pages":"651-661"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148695839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}