Laboratory evidence for territorial behavior by the southern red-backed salamander, Plethodon serratus: Influence of residency status and pheromonal advertisement

Abstract

For territorial animals, advertisement and aggressive defense may lead to expulsion of intruders. We conducted two laboratory experiments to determine whether the aggressive and chemosensory behavior of a small woodland salamander, Plethodon serratus, is consistent with the hypothesis of territoriality. In the first experiment, overt attacks were made only by residents, and intruders appeared to avoid confrontations with residents. Because individuals were tested as both residents and intruders, the results indicate that residency has an inherent advantage that is independent of factors such as body size or experience. In the second experiment, individuals performed more chemosensory-sampling behavior when exposed to substrates marked by conspecifics compared to substrates marked by themselves. The differences between agonistic behavior of residents and intruders, and the ability to discriminate between own and conspecific scentmarks are consistent with the hypothesis of territoriality for this species.

Department(s)

Biology

Document Type

Article

Stable URL

https://www.jstor.org/stable/30055325

Publication Date

3-1-1998

Journal Title

Southwestern Naturalist

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