Natura Croatica Issue number: Natura Croatica, Vol. 8 No.3

Odnosi između biljaka i sredozemnih guštera

Authors: Valentin Pérez-Mellado, Anna Traveset

Authors and affiliation

  • Valentin Pérez-Mellado Department of Animal Biology, University of Salamanca, 37071-Salamanca, Spain
  • Anna Traveset Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats (CSIC-UIB), Crtra. de Valldemossa, Km. 7'5, 07071-Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Abstract

Different kinds of interactions between lizards and plants in the Mediterranean basin have been described. Lizards have shown to »use« plants as a refuge against predators, as a foraging site, as a thermal microhabitat or as a food resource. In the last case, they can either act as herbivores (+/– interaction, consuming vegetative and/or reproductive parts, and damaging the plant to a higher or lower degree) or as mutualists (+/+ interaction, by behaving as legitimate pollinators and/or seed dispersers).

Keywords

Mediterranean lizards, Podarcis, Lacertidae, pollination, seed dispersal, mutualism, herbivory, foraging behaviour

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