Territory acquisition in lizards. IV. Obtaining high status and exclusive home ranges

We released juvenile Anolis aeneus lizards into vacant patches of habitat in the field and observed as they established territories. Individuals settling in the presence of few competitors obtained more exclusive home ranges than did individuals settling at higher densities. When settling at high densities, juveniles that eventually attained high social status fought and chased their opponents more frequently than did juveniles that were subordinate to other residents at the end of the settlement period. With respect to predicting an individual's final status and space use, however, the fact that it fought other settlers was more important than the outcome of those fights. Results from this and previous studies in this series are consistent with a general model of territory establishment that includes assumptions about the value of familiar space, the costs of aggressive interactions and the ability of settlers to form predictable social relationships with one another.Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.