Best beach front real estate: microhabitat segregation of sympatric species of geckos on Mo'orea, French Polynesia

Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States
Biology (Zoology), San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, United States
DOI
10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1
Subject Areas
Animal Behavior, Ecology, Ecosystem Science, Environmental Sciences, Zoology
Keywords
Lepidodactylus lugubris, Hemidactylus frenatus, gecko, ecology, invasive species, niche partitioning, resource availability, coexistence, diurnal shelter preference, Gekkonidae
Copyright
© 2016 Zughaiyir
Licence
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ Preprints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
Cite this article
Zughaiyir FE. 2016. Best beach front real estate: microhabitat segregation of sympatric species of geckos on Mo'orea, French Polynesia. PeerJ Preprints 4:e2675v1

Abstract

Background

Understanding how interspecific interactions affect a species and its access to resources is of great importance in a changing environment with limited resources. Investigating the effects of interspecific interactions of sympatric gecko species in Moorea provided insight into gecko community dynamics. The aim of this study is to understand the preference of diurnal shelter as a means of effectively managing available resources in a manner that allows for the coexistence of four sympatric species of nocturnal geckos. Microhabitat preference of four species of nocturnal geckos who coexist within an overlapping niche were examined by addressing the following questions: Will different species of geckos prefer to choose different diurnal shelters when in the presence of heterospecifics? Will shelter choice by the native geckos differ in different biomes? Out of the three most common species of geckos studied, which species will have a higher prevalence of taking refuge in horizontal microhabitats as opposed to vertical microhabitats?

Methods

To quantify patterns of microhabitat selection of sympatric gekkonids, a field survey categorized into three zones that ranged from high, intermediate, and low human disturbance was conducted. In field study observed shelter preferences was categorized into either ground, plant, or vertical shelters. In addition, interaction experiments with individuals of three gecko species were conducted.

Results

The results suggested interspecific interactions may in fact have an impact on the preference of diurnal sleeping shelter choice by geckos. Comparing conspecific with heterospecific trials of G. oceanica and H. frenatus, results suggested interspecific interactions playing a significant role in shelter preference. This same comparison for L. lugubris revealed interspecific interactions not playing an important role in their preference for shelter. Results from field survey yielded significant trends of each of the four species preferring certain shelter types from three categories. Shelter preference of vertical shelters by G. oceanica was reflected both in experimental and field studies. This trend of similar shelter preference when both field and experimental studies were compared did not hold true for H. frenatus and L. lugubris. Furthermore, human disturbance did not seem to play a significant role in influencing diurnal shelter preference of gecko species.

Discussion

Using this investigative approach, gecko shelter preferences was revealed. The results from this study suggested that although in some cases certain species held strong shelter preferences, these preferences change due to interspecific interactions. Understanding more about the severity of these interactions can help bridge the gap of understanding pertaining to the factors that shape the distributions and abundances of different gecko species who live in communities where resources are very limited.

Author Comment

This is a submission to PeerJ for review.

Supplemental Information

Chi-squared statistical tests that compared gecko shelter preference in Conspecific versus Heterospecific trials

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-1

Raw data of Mean frequencies of geckos choosing one of the three shelter types

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-2

Raw statistical analysis that supported results of field data

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-3

Statistical analysis of field data comparing shelter types

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-4

Raw data of gecko shelter preference comparing conspecific versus heterospecific trials

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-5

R code that went into the making of the graphs and figures

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-6

Raw data that went into making the error bar plot of mean frequency of geckos found on one of the six shelters

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-7

table of substrates that had zero geckos using them

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-8

Gecko prevalence on one of the three types of shelter from field survey

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-9

Raw data that went into field data plot

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-10

Raw data that supported a Chi- squared test for independence of gecko shelter choice preference taking human disturbance into account

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-11

Statistical data that went into plots of gecko shelter choice in field survey

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.2675v1/supp-12