育幼行為在哺乳類和鳥類中很常見，而在爬行類動(dòng)物中卻非常稀有,。生活于青藏高原的蜥蜴物種,，如何度過(guò)漫長(zhǎng)而寒冷的冬季是幼體面臨的最大挑戰(zhàn)，而幼體的存活率是衡量成體繁殖適合度的關(guān)鍵指標(biāo),。
中科院成都生物研究所傅金鐘課題組齊銀博士假設(shè),，蜥蜴成體會(huì)采取一定方式的育幼行為來(lái)幫助幼體越冬，例如在嚴(yán)寒的冬季允許幼體和自己同穴過(guò)冬,。研究結(jié)果部分支持了假設(shè),，青海沙蜥的確采取洞穴“共享”的辦法越冬，共享的方式有四種類型：雌性+幼體,，雄性+幼體,，雄性+雌性+幼體，幼體+幼體,。其中,，雌性+幼體占絕大多數(shù)。
但值得注意的是,，同一洞穴中的蜥蜴并不是父子或母子或兄弟關(guān)系,，他們只是一種非親緣的合作關(guān)系,。
該研究成果發(fā)表于PloS ONE。英國(guó)New Scientist雜志網(wǎng)站也對(duì)該研究進(jìn)行了報(bào)道,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041130
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PMID:
Spatial and Social Organization in a Burrow-Dwelling Lizard (Phrynocephalus vlangalii) from China
Yin Qi, Daniel W. A. Noble, Jinzhong Fu, Martin J. Whiting
Shared ecological resources such as burrow complexes can set the stage for social groupings and the evolution of more complex social behavior such as parental care. Paternity testing is increasingly revealing cases of kin-based groupings, and lizards may be a good system to inform on the early evolution of sociality. We examined spatial and social organization in the lizard Phrynocephalus vlangalii from China and tested genetic relatedness (based on eight microsatellite DNA loci) between offspring and parents that shared burrow complexes. Adult males and females had similar spatial patterns: they overlapped most with members of the opposite sex and least with their own sex. Males in better body condition overlapped with more females, and both sexes showed high site fidelity. Most lizards used a single burrow, but some individuals used two or three burrows. While high site fidelity is consistent with sociality in lizards, juveniles did not preferentially share burrows with parents, and we documented only a few cases of parent–offspring associations through burrow sharing. We suggest that P. vlangalii conforms to a classical polygynous mating system in which the burrow forms the core of the male's territory and may be offered as an important resource for females, but this remains to be determined.
