Field Surveys Suggest Biennial Reproduction Cycle and Competition-triggered Dispersal of the Endangered Chinese Crocodile Lizard  

作　　者：Shuyi LUO Yujie YANG Chunsheng YANG Jun GUO Xudong QIN Haiyao CEN Hongxin XIE Zhengjun WU 

机构地区：[1]Daguishan National Nature Reserve for Crocodile Lizards,Hezhou 542800,Guangxi,China [2]Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology,Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China [3]University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China [4]Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology,College of Life Science,Guangxi Normal University,Guilin 541006,Guangxi,China

出　　处：《Asian Herpetological Research》2022年第3期190-197,共8页亚洲两栖爬行动物研究（英文版）

基　　金：supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(31901223 and 32170528);National Key Wildlife Protection Project of Central Finance of China(450000215020340001327)。

摘　　要：The endangered Chinese crocodile lizard(Shinisaurus crocodilurus)is a habitat specialist living in streams of mountain forests in southern China and northern Vietnam.Conservation efforts are increasing for recovering its wild populations.However,the growth,reproduction,and dispersal ability of crocodile lizards in the wild are largely unknown.We conducted field surveys of the crocodile lizard population in Daguishan National Nature Reserve,one of the largest extant wild populations of crocodile lizards,for three consecutive years in Guangxi,China.We found that crocodile lizards generally reach sexual maturity at the age of 2.5 years in the wild.Unlike most viviparous lizards,which reproduce annually,the crocodile lizard shows a biennial reproductive cycle.The number of observed juveniles and subadults fluctuated between years,whereas that of adults remained relatively stable.Non-adults had longer three-year dispersal distance than adults.Crocodile lizards showed preference for backwater pools in the stream.Competition for better resources may be the main trigger for dispersal.

关 键 词：age structure DEMOGRAPHY MIGRATION population dynamic sexual maturity 

分 类 号：Q958[生物学—动物学]