Anti-predatory sleep strategies are conserved in the agamid lizard Monilesaurus rouxii

• Published in: Behavioral ecology and sociobiology Vol. 74; no. 10; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: Bors, Milena, Mohanty, Nitya Prakash, Shankar, Pogiri Gowri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Science + Business Media 01-10-2020; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal behavior; Animal Ecology; Animals; Areca catechu; Availability; Avoidance; Behavioral Sciences; Biodiversity; Biodiversity hot spots; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Catechu; Coniferous forests; Ecological effects; FEATURED STUDENT RESEARCH PAPER; Habitats; Life Sciences; Lizards; Plantations; Predators; Site selection; Sleep; Strategy; Survival; Zoology; Predator avoidance; Inactive; Habitat selection; Roost; Nocturnal retreat; Sleep ecology
• ISSN: 0340-5443; 1432-0762
• DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02905-1

Sleep is an essential part of animal biology, yet its ecological aspects such as predator avoidance remain understudied, especially in the wild. Sleep behaviour is likely to be subject to selection pressure and evolution, leading to sleep strategies to ensure survival during this vulnerable state. How sleep strategies of animals respond to alteration of macro-habitat has been largely unexplored. This study aimed to determine the effect of habitat type on the sleep ecology of the agamid lizard Monilesaurus rouxii. We carried out field work in the Western Ghats (India) biodiversity hotspot, in two differing habitat types—natural wet evergreen forests and human—modified Areca catechu plantations. We collected data on perches used by lizards for sleep, both in terms of their structural characteristics and their use (e.g. lizard head direction). To determine perch selection, we compared perch use with perch availability in both habitat types. Habitat type had limited influence on sleep perch selection of M. rouxii, with lizards selecting only unstable narrow-girthed plants, suggesting a highly conserved sleep strategy driven by predator avoidance. The majority of sleeping lizards displayed an ‘inward’ head direction, towards the potential path of a predator approaching from the ground. However, this strategy to select for narrow-girthed plants constrained lizards to use lower, unsafe sleep perches in plantations (driven by availability), which could have consequences for their survival. To our knowledge, our study is the first to examine in detail the effect of habitat alteration on sleep strategies in lizards.