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Thesis
Ecology and Behavior of Two Sympatric Chameleon Species on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Jun 2013
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-4231
Abstract
Chameleons are curious creatures that may be found in many diverse habitats all throughout the Old World. The overwhelming diversity found in places such as Madagascar is a testament to the different behavioral and morphological adaptations that chameleons have incurred that allow them to survive with limited competition. The survival of Rhampholeon spectrum and Trioceros feae in a given habitat on Bioko Island allow for the comparison of different factors that may affect the ecology of each chameleon. Analysis of sleeping behavior and habitat differences along two trails on Bioko Island suggest that R. spectrum may not survive as easily as T. feae in disturbed habitats due to the removal of flat broad-leafed vegetation in the understory. Feeding ecology of chameleons has been generally understudied for some time until recently. While other lizard families can easily be classified into the sit-and-wait and active forager paradigm, chameleons do not easily fit the mold. Direct observations of daily behavior showed variations in the percent of time spent moving and feeding attempts between species, while also suggesting gender-based differences in behavior in R. spectrum chameleons. Stomach contents retrieved using gastric lavage of 103 chameleons revealed differential resource allocation of available prey. Trioceros feae preyed upon Coleoptera and Diptera more heavily that R. spectrum where as Araneae and Orthoptera were preyed upon more heavily by R. spectrum. Electivity indices suggest that prey selection was not based on prey hardness or prey evasiveness but rather other factors entirely.
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Details
- Title
- Ecology and Behavior of Two Sympatric Chameleon Species on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
- Creators
- Elliott Chiu - DU
- Contributors
- Gail W. Hearn (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES); College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 4231; 991014632928904721