Data from a test of female defense in male collared lizards

A widely held principle in behavioral ecological research is that polygynous social systems evolve either by direct male defense of females or male defense of resources, although which of these mechanisms applies in particular species is rarely examined experimentally. We tested the relative importance of female versus resource defense in polygynous territorial male collared lizards (Crotaphytus collaris). Using a novel experimental design, we temporarily removed some of the resident females from male territories to create a female-free removal  zone, whereas resident females were left intact within a non-removal zone. We then compared activity of males within each zone during three experimental phases: before we removed females, for two days when females were absent, and the day following return of females. If males defend females directly, we expected them to adjust the location of their patrol and display within removal and non-removal zones depending on the presence/absence of femal..., Data were recorded during direct field observations of uniquely marked individual lizards. Data values were derived by summarizing records of observations of subject males during the four experimental phases., Microsoft Excel