Living Easy: Podarcis lilfordi and Daphne rodriguezii
http://www.arkive.org/lilfords-wall-lizard/podarcis-lilfordi/
Introduction:
The lizard, Podarcis
lilfordi, is found on the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain [1].
However, unlike other lizards, this species shares a mutualistic relationship
with the shrub Daphne rodriquezii [2].
D. rodriquezii is characterized from
its beautiful white flowers and it also contains many fruits that the lizards
like to consume [3]. The lizards consume and disperse the seeds of the plant by
eating the fruits that grow from the shrubs [4].
P. lilfordi is a medium sized lizard that grows to a maximum of
80mm. Its body mass can be anywhere between 4.2 to 9.5 grams. The females
reproduce cyclically, producing 2-4 eggs per clutch. They can lay multiple
clutches in one season [3]. However, as new predators and lizards show up to
the islands and compete for resources, the population of P. lilfordi has slowly started to decline [1]. The shrub, D. rodriguezii, starts to grow during
the early spring season. They contain very small, white flowers. The sepals and
petals unite, forming a tube called the hypanthium that usually has purple dyes
and is 7 to 11 mm in length. During the summer, the shrubs mature and produce
red-orange, fleshy globose fruits. The shrubs rarely grows above 50 centimeters
in height [2].
http://mundani-garden.blogspot.com/2012/04/daphne-rodriguezii-art-of-camouflage.html
Description of the
Relationship:
P. lilfordi are
very productive seed-dispersers for the shrubs. It is a mutualistic
relationship, in which the lizards use the shrubs not only as a food source,
but also as a second home [1]. The lizard eats the fruits that D. rodriguezii produces, and it also
uses the shrub as a home, keeping it out of sight from other predators and the
hot sun [2]. In return, the shrub gets the benefit of having the lizards
disperse their seeds for them. They are then better able to spread their
offspring to other areas [3].
However, P. lilfordi
also has other priorities and responsibilities on the ecosystem found on the
Balearic Islands. It is also a pollinator of the aroid Dracunculus muscivorus, and a seed disperser for Withania frutescens and Phillyrea media [1].
Cost Benefit Analysis:
As mentioned before, the mutualistic association between P. lilfordi and D. rodriguezii is very straightforward. D. rodriguezii serves as both a food source and a shelter for P. lilfordi, and in return P. lilfordi disperses the seeds of the
shrub through fecal defecation. Without D.
rodriguezii being present in nature, P.
lilfordi would still be able to survive and reproduce in nature. However,
it would have a better chance to pass its progeny if D. rodriguezii was present, as it would have an extra food source
and shelter [1]. D. rodriguezii,
however, would have a much harder time reproducing in nature as their seeds
would not get dispersed if P. lilfordi
was not present in the environment.
References:
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