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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Ecological Shifts in Sympatry: Kalahari Fossorial Lizards (Typhlosaurus)
Contributor:
Huey, Raymond B.;
Pianka, Eric R.;
Egan, Michael E.;
Coons, Larry W.
Published:
Wiley, 1974
Published in:
Ecology, 55 (1974) 2, Seite 304-316
Language:
English
DOI:
10.2307/1935218
ISSN:
0012-9658;
1939-9170
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
Two species of legless, fossorial skinks (Typhlosaurus) are partially sympatric in the Kalahari Desert. Typhlosaurus lineatus occur both in the sandridge and flatland geographic provinces of the Kalahari, in dune streets and on sandridgesmicrogeographically in sympatry, and primarily under log and leaf litter microhabitats. Typhlosaurus gariepensis, always microgeogrphically, and primarily in basal roots of bunch grass microhabitats. Microhabitat overlap in sympatry is low. Morphologically, T. lineatus differ from T. gariepensis in being longer and in having a longer and wider head. Snout—vent lengths, head dimensions, and proportional head lengths of sympatric T. lineatus are larger than those of allopatric T. lineatus; thus T. lineatus displace from T. gariepensis in sympatry. Both species are viviparous, have one brood per year, and give birth in summer after a 5—mo gestation period. Maturity is reached at minimum ages of one and two—thirds yr. Mean litter size of T. lineatus is 1.6, whereas T. gariepensis have but one young. A response to competition between the two species is suggested by the facts that offspring of sympatric T. lineatus are significantlyheavier than those of allopatric females, and that fewer sympatric T. lineatus females are reproductive than allopatric females. Because Typhlosaurus are termite specialists (92.4% of diet by volume), termitesin guts were identified to species and caste. Compared with sympatric T. lineatus, T. gariepensis eat more Psammotermes workers, fewer Allodontermes major workers, and scarcely any Hodotermes. Sympatric T. lineatus eat fewer Psammotermes workers and more Allodontermes major workers than do allopatric T. lineatus. Prey size differences parallel lizard size differences. Because of dietary shifts by T. lineatus in sympatry, dietary overlap with T. gariepensis is substantially reduced for females and immatures, although not for males. Strong morphological and dietary evidence support, for T. lineatus females and immatures, the hypothesis that behavioral and morphological character displacement has occurred which reduces dietary overlap with T. gariepensis. Dietary data for male T. lineatus are possibly conflicting.