EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATION OF SPACING PATTERNS IN THE WIDELY FORAGING LIZARD CNEMIDOPHORUS UNIPARENS

I examined the effect of experimentally increased-prey abundance on ho me range and core area size, overlap, and location, and on levels of a ggregation in the widely foraging, unisexual lizard Cnemidophorus unip arens. Food supplementation had no effect on home range size but resul ted in a significant decrease in core area size. Supplemental feeding caused a repositioning of home ranges and core areas. Individuals visi ting supplemental food sites (= fed) shifted both home range and core areas toward regions with supplemental food. Lizards not observed visi ting the feeding areas (= unfed) tended to move home range and core ar ea locations away from those regions. Overlap of core areas and levels of aggregation also increased for fed animals.