Fatal attraction: territorial males of a neotropical lizard increase predation risk when females are sexually receptive

• Published in: Behavioral ecology and sociobiology 2021-12, Vol.75 (12), Article 170
• Main Authors: Ventura, Stefânia P. R., Galdino, Conrado A. B., Peixoto, Paulo Enrique C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Ecology; Behavioral Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Costs; Decisions; Females; Field tests; Life Sciences; Lizards; Males; Mating; Original Article; Predation; Predators; Prey; Risk; Seasons; Sexual behavior; Zoology
• ISSN: 0340-5443; 1432-0762
• DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03112-2

Studies that test the optimal escape theory often show that males base their escape strategies on the costs and benefits of escaping. Consequently, some studies have shown that males exhibit riskier anti-predatory strategies when they are near females, probably to avoid losing reproductive opportunities. However, since in some species females have a limited reproductive season, this reduction in mating opportunities should be more pronounced during the female reproductive season. Therefore, males should express reduced anti-predatory behaviors when females are fertile. In this study, we used the lizard  Eurolophosaurus nanuzae  as study subject to evaluate the hypothesis that during the female reproductive season, males will express riskier anti-predatory behaviors than in the non-reproductive season. To accomplish this, we recorded the flight initiation distance (FID) and the time spent in the refuge of males with and without previous exposure to a female, during both the female reproductive and non-reproductive seasons. We found that after exposure to females, males decreased their FID. Although this effect occurred in both seasons, it was stronger during the female reproductive season. Males also spent less time in refuges when females were sexually receptive. Our results indicated that the presence of females induces males to adopt riskier escape decisions, and that the assumed risks are even greater when females represent an immediate chance to mate. Significance statement During or immediately after a predatory event, prey must consider the trade-off between the costs and benefits of escaping. In this context, it is known that males of many prey species tend to take a greater predatory risk in the presence of females to avoid losing mating opportunities when fleeing. But only female presence may not be an important determinant of male escaping decisions if females are not always fertile. Here, we did field experiments to show that males assume a higher predatory risk if they had a previous contact with females during the female reproductive season when compared to the non-reproductive station. Thus, our study shows the importance of considering more nuanced reproductive benefits for a better understanding of the escape decisions made by males.