Decoding the Dewlap: Multiple signals in females and males of a gliding lizard

Abstract

Social interactions across taxa are often mediated through multiple signals. Studies examining the maintenance of multiple signals are mostly focused on males and often fail to capture female signalling diversity and strategies. In the recent decade, there has been a surge in the documentation of female signalling, however, our understanding of the functional relevance of multiple signals in females still lags behind. In this study, we examined multiple signals in females of an arboreal gliding lizard, Draco dussumieri, and compared them to those in males. We specifically tested the relative role of the backup signal and the multiple receiver hypotheses in the maintenance of multiple signals in both sexes. Female D.dussumieri used a variety of signals to socially interact with conspecifics, especially using their dewlap. The signalling repertoire of females was as diverse as that of males, although the relative use of the signals varied. In females, a few signals seem to be maintained by the backup signal hypothesis, with limited support for the multiple receiver hypothesis as well. For males too, both mechanisms appeared to maintain multiple signals. Interestingly, for some signals, the sexes differed in the context in which they used a given signal. Overall, these findings highlight the functional role of multiple signals in females, which can differ from that observed in males. Therefore, traits conventionally considered male-exclusive when also examined in females can provide finer insights into trait function and evolution.