Effects of residence time on displays during territory establishment in a lizard

We know little about how signals are used during territory establishment, particularly when potential competitors are separated by distances that are typical of those between neighbours. I studied the effects of residence time on the display behaviour of male Anolis sagrei lizards in long- and short-distance contexts. In the long-distance context, the habitat patches of two male lizards were 5 m apart, separating the males by a distance typical of that in territorial neighbourhoods. For the short-distance context, I placed two males in one habitat patch. In both contexts, either 1-day residents were paired with new arrivals, or both individuals were new arrivals. In the long-distance contexts only, I also created situations in which both individuals were 1-day residents. Residence time affected the relative frequencies of headbob displays ('bobbing displays' and 'nodding displays'). However, the direction of the effect depended on opponent proximity. In long-distance contexts, 1-day residents performed fewer bobbing displays relative to nodding displays than did new arrivals; in short-distance contexts 1-day residents performed more bobbing displays relative to nodding displays than did new arrivals. The results suggest that signalling during territory establishment is governed by a qualitatively different set of rules when potential competitors are at short versus long distances. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.