Common side-blotched lizard
2410494
224306680
2008-07-08T07:20:48Z
Daniel Berwick
2661460
/* Mating strategy */ grammar fix
{{Expand|date=January 2007}}
{{Taxobox
| name = Common Side-blotched Lizard
| status =
secure
| image = Uta1.jpg
| image_width = 200px
| regnum = [[Animalia]]
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[reptile|Sauropsida]]
| ordo = [[Squamata]]
| subordo = [[Iguania]]
| familia = [[Phrynosomatidae]]
| genus = ''[[Side-blotched lizard|Uta]]''
| species = '''''U. stansburiana'''''
| binomial = ''Uta stansburiana''
| binomial_authority = [[Spencer Fullerton Baird|Baird]] & [[Charles Frédéric Girard|Girard]], [[1852]]
| subdivision_ranks = [[Subspecies]]
| subdivision =
* ''U. s. stansburiana'' <br/><small>[[Northern Side-blotched Lizard]]</small>
* ''U. s. nevadensis'' <br/><small>[[Nevada Side-blotched Lizard]]</small>
* ''U. s. uniformis'' <br/><small>[[Plateau Side-blotched Lizard]]</small>
* ''U. s. elegans'' <br/><small>[[Western Side-blotched Lizard]]</small>
* ''U. s. stellata'' <br/><small>[[San Benito Side-blotched Lizard]]</small>
* ''U. s. concinna'' <br/><small>[[Cedros Side-blotched Lizard]]</small>
* ''U. s. martinensis'' <br/><small>San Martin Side-blotched Lizard (disputed)</small>
* ''U. s. taylori'' <br/><small>Taylor's Side-blotched Lizard (disputed)</small>
| synonyms =
''Uta concinna''<br/>
''Uta elegans''<br/>
''Uta graciosa''<br/>
''Uta levis''<br/>
''Uta martinensis''<br/>
''Uta mearnsi''<br/>
''Uta microscutata''<br/>
''Uta stansburiana hesperis''<br/>
''Uta stellata''<br/>
''Uta thalassina''<br/>
''Uta wrighti''
<!-- ''Uta bicarinata''<br/>
''Uta gadovi''<br/>
''Uta irregularis''<br/>
''Uta lateralis''<br/>
''Uta nelsoni''<br/>
''Uta ornata''<br/>
''Uta tuberculata''<br/> are probably ssp. of stejnegeri. Needs to be checked. -->
}}
The '''Common Side-blotched Lizard''' (''Uta stansburiana'') is a species of [[Side-blotched Lizard]] common on the [[Pacific]] coast of [[North America]], from [[Washington]] to western [[Texas]] and NW [[Mexico]]. It has a peculiar evolutionary strategy following the pattern of the game of
[[Rock paper scissors#Evolutionary strategy|Rock, Paper, Scissors]], with 3 types of males existing which each applies a different technique to acquire mates (Sinervo & Lively, 1996; Sinervo, 2001; Alonzo & Sinervo, 2001; Sinervo & Clobert, 2001; Sinervo & Zamudio, 2001).
==Systematics==
The systematics and [[taxonomy]] of these widespread and variable lizards is much disputed (Grismer, 1994; Upton & Murphy, 1997). Countless forms and morphs have been described as subspecies or even distinct species (e.g. Schmidt, 1921).
* The forms which occur in most of Mexico (except [[Baja California]]) have been recognized as a very distinct species, the [[Eastern side-blotched lizard]] (''Uta stejnegeri'') (Collins, 1991).
* Populations from [[San Benito Island|San Benito]] and [[Cedros Island]]s were separated as distinct species ''Uta stellata'' and ''U. concinna'' but are nowadays included in ''U. stansburiana''.
* Those of [[Santa Catalina Island, Mexico|Santa Catalina Island]] and the [[Salsipuedes Islands]], ''[[Santa Catalina side-blotched lizard|U. squamata]]'' and ''[[Salsipuedes Side-blotched Lizard|U. antiqua]]'' are sometimes included in this species too, but this is certainly not correct in the latter case, and probably in the former also.
* Based on the same data that would give ''U. squamata'' species rank, the southern Baja California populations could arguably be split off (as ''Uta elegans'') too.
* The proposed subspecies ''martinensis'' and ''taylori'' are probably not valid.
* The populations on [[Angel de la Guarda|Ángel de la Guarda]], [[Mejia Island|Mejia]] and [[Rasa Island|Rasa]] Islands almost certainly constitute a [[Angel de la Guarda side-blotched lizard|separate species]] closer to ''[[San Pedro Mártir side-blotched lizard|Uta palmeri]]'', and that of [[San Esteban Island]] may so too, being close to ''squamata''.
* The status of the [[Las Encantadas]] group populations named as ''[[Enchanted side-blotched lizard|Uta encantadae]]'', ''[[El Muerto Island side-blotched lizard|U. lowei]]'' and ''[[Swollen-nosed side-blotched lizard|U. tumidarostra]]'' is not completely resolved; these distinct populations are of comparatively recent origin and are sometimes included in this species (Murphy & Aguirre-León, 2002), but their unique adaptations to living in [[intertidal]] habitat suggest that they should be considered distinct; whether as one or as three species remains unresolved.
== Mating strategy ==
[[Image:Uta3.jpg|thumb|300px|The Common Side-blotched Lizard (''Uta stansburiana'') exhibits a RPS pattern in its different mating strategies.]]
Biologist [[Barry Sinervo]] from the [[University of California, Santa Cruz]] has discovered a [[rock-paper-scissors]] [[Evolution|evolutionary strategy]] in the [[mating behaviour]] of the [[side-blotched lizard]] species ''[[Common side-blotched lizard|Uta stansburiana]]''. Males have either orange, blue or yellow throats and each type follows a fixed, heritable mating strategy:<ref>{{cite web | title = The rock-paper-scissors game and the evolution of alternative male strategies | url = http://bio.research.ucsc.edu/~barrylab/lizardland/male_lizards.overview.html | author = [[Barry Sinervo|Sinervo, Barry]] | accessdate = 2006-08-20 | date = [[2001-02-20]] }}</ref>
* Orange-throated males are strongest and do not form strong pair bonds; instead, they fight blue-throated males for their females. Yellow-throated males, however, manage to snatch females away from them for mating.
* Blue-throated males are middle-sized and form strong pair bonds. While they are outcompeted by orange-throated males, they can defend against yellow-throated ones.
* Yellow-throated males are smallest, and their coloration [[Mimicry|mimics]] females. Under this disguise, they can approach orange-throated males (though not the stronger-bonding, blue-throated specimens) and mate while the orange-throats are engaged in fights.
This can be summarized as "orange beats blue, blue beats yellow, and yellow beats orange", which is similar to the rules of rock-paper-scissors.
The proportion of each male type in a [[population]] is similar in the long run, but fluctuates widely in the short term. For periods of 4-5 years, one strategy predominates, after which it declines in frequency as the strategy that manages to exploit its weakness increases. This corresponds to the stable pattern of the game in the [[replicator dynamics]] where the [[dynamical system]] follows [[closed orbits]] around the [[mixed strategy]] [[Nash equilibrium]]{{Fact|date=September 2007}} (Sinervo & Lively, 1996; Sinervo, 2001; Alonzo & Sinervo, 2001; Sinervo & Clobert, 2003; Sinervo & Zamudio, 2001).
==References==
<references /><!-- Genetica 112–113: 417–434 -->
* '''Alonzo''', Suzanne H. & '''Sinervo''', Barry (2001): Mate choice games, context-dependent good genes, and genetic cycles in the side-blotched lizard, ''Uta stansburiana''. ''Behavioral Ecology Sociobiology'' '''49'''(2-3): 176–186. {{DOI|10.1007/s002650000265}} (HTML abstract)
* '''Collins''', Joseph T. (1991): Viewpoint: a new taxonomic arrangement for some North American amphibians and reptiles. ''Herpetological Review'' '''22'''(2): 42-43. [http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/5.pdf PDF fulltext]
* '''Grismer''', L. L. (1994): Three new species of intertidal side-blotched lizards (Genus'' Uta'') from the Gulf of California, Mexico. ''Herpetologica'' '''50''': 451–474.
* '''Murphy''', Robert W. & '''Aguirre-León''', Gustavo (2002): The Nonavian Reptiles: Origins and Evolution. ''In:'' Case, Ted & Cody, Martin (eds.): ''A New Island Biogeography of the Sea of Cortés'': 181-220. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-513346-3 [http://www.zoo.utoronto.ca/drbob/PDFs%20of%20papers/2002%20Murphy%20Nonavian.pdf PDF fulltext] [http://www.zoo.utoronto.ca/drbob/PDFs%20of%20papers/2002%20Checklist%20Cortes%20Islands.pdf Appendices 2-4]
* '''Schmidt''', Karl Patterson (1921): New species of North American lizards of the genera ''Holbrookia'' and ''Uta''. ''American Museum Novitates'' '''22''': 1-6. [http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/2246/4613/1/N0022.pdf PDF fulltext]
* '''Sinervo''', Barry (2001): Runaway social games, genetic cycles driven by alternative male and female strategies, and the origin of morphs. ''Genetica'' '''112-113'''(1): 417-434. {{DOI|10.1023/A:1013360426789}} (HTML abstract)
* '''Sinervo''', Barry & '''Clobert''', Jean (2003): Morphs, Dispersal Behavior, Genetic Similarity, and the Evolution of Cooperation. ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' '''300'''(5627): 1949-1951. {{DOI|10.1126/science.1083109}} (HTML abstract) [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;300/5627/1949/DC1 Supporting Online Material]
* '''Sinervo''', Barry & '''Lively''', C. M. (1996): The Rock-Paper-Scissors Game and the evolution of alternative male strategies. ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' '''380''': 240-243. {{DOI|10.1038/380240a0}} (HTML abstract)
* '''Sinervo''', Barry & '''Zamudio''', K. R. (2001): The Evolution of Alternative Reproductive Strategies: Fitness Differential, Heritability, and Genetic Correlation Between the Sexes. ''Journal of Heredity'' '''92'''(2): 198-205. [http://jhered.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/92/2/198.pdf PDF fulltext]
* '''Upton''', Darlene E. & '''Murphy''', Robert W. (1997): Phylogeny of the side-blotched lizards (Phrynosomatidae:'' Uta'') based on mtDNA sequences: support for midpeninsular seaway in Baja California. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' '''8'''(1): 104-113. {{DOI|10.1006/mpev.1996.0392}} [http://www.zoo.utoronto.ca/drbob/PDFs%20of%20papers/1997%20Upton%20and%20Murphy%20Uta.pdf PDF fulltext]
==External links==
<!-- *{{ITIS|ID=173956|taxon=Uta stansburiana|year=2006|date=6 February}} -might be broken as of Oct 5, 2006, check! -->
*[http://www.ucsc.edu/currents/02-03/06-23/lizards.html UC Santa Cruz]: Cooperation between unrelated male lizards adds a new wrinkle to evolutionary theory (Essay on Sinervo & Clobert 2001 paper)
[[Category:Reptiles of the United States]]
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