THE EFFECTS OF HABITAT, TIME OF HATCHING, AND BODY-SIZE ON THE DISPERSAL OF HATCHLING UTA STANSBURIANA

Hatchling dispersal was measured from 1989-1991 in two populations of the side-blotched lizard, Ufa stansburiana, in central California. Hatchlings from eggs incubated in the laboratory were released on site and were recaptured throughout the summer and the following spring. Median dispersal was approximately five times greater at Los Banos than at Del Puerto Canyon, and was likely due to different spatial distributions of microhabitats. Body size did not affect dispersal distance at either site despite an experimental increase in the range of hatchling body sizes. At Del Puerto Canyon in the summer, dispersal distances were greater in males than in females, but were not affected by the time of hatching. At Los Banos in the summer, dispersal distances were greater in males and late season hatchlings. Most trends were not significant in the spring at either site. Overall, there were large overlaps in dispersal distributions for all factors studied indicating a large stochastic component to lizard dispersal.