Lizards Use Color To Attract Mates Even Though Such Expressions May Get Them Killed

How far would you go for love? That's the question scientists from the University of Cambridge wanted to answer in studying Aegean wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii) from the Greek islands of Skopelos and Syros. As it turned out, some male lizards are willing to risk it all, displaying vivid colorations to attract mates but that also makes them highly visible to predatory eyes.

"We wanted to get to the origins of color evolution – to find out what is causing color variation between these lizards. We wanted to know whether natural selection favors camouflage, and whether the conflicting need to have bright sexual signals might impair its effectiveness," Kate Marshall, lead author from the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology, said in a news release.

Aegean wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii) living on the Greek islands of Skopelos and Syros were used for this study. After using models that replicated the coloration of males and females, the researchers found that male models could no longer camouflage as well and were more likely to be spotted by avian predators.

Birds see colors differently than humans, so researchers had to adjust their models to accurately replicate lizard coloration from an avian perspective. Birds are able to see ultraviolet (UV) light so it took scientists approximately 300 color variations to get it right.

"In females, selection seems to have favored better camouflage to avoid attack from avian predators. But in males, being bright and conspicuous also appears to be important even though this heightens the risk of being spotted by birds," Marshall said.

Attracting females certainly comes at a high risk – 17 perecnt of the clay males did did not survive. The 83 percent of survivers showed that some male colors may be better for camaflouge and mating.

"In past work we've found these lizards have evolved bright colors on their sides, which are more visible to other lizards on the ground than to birds hunting from above," Marshall added.

Since this study only tested the overall coloration of lizards, Marshall hopes further study will reveal how different skin patterns affect predation.

Their findings were recently published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

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