Shifts in Microhabitat Use by the Lizard Psammodromus algirus: Responses to Seasonal Changes in Vegetation Structure

Environmental seasonality can be a major factor shaping activity, reproduction, foraging tactics, and habitat use of lizards (Fleming and Hooker, 1975; James and Shine, 1985; Lister and Garcia Aguayo, 1992). Animals living in variable environments may have sharply reduced reproductive fitness when the quality of the habitat is low (Ferguson et al., 1980; Patterson, 1991). To reduce these costs, individuals should be phenotypically plastic to cope with environmental changes, or they should leave unfavorable sites and search for better habitat.