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Seasonal decline in clutch sizes of the iguanid lizard Uta stansburiana has been interpreted as an adoptive response to poor environmental conditions late in the reproductive season. Two hypotheses to explain this decline are: (1) reduced clutch size is a trade-off to produce larger eggs (the «parental-investment hypothesis»); and (2) smaller clutches reduce the risk of reproductive failure (the «bet-hedging hypothesis»). The parental-investment hypothesis does not allow for changes in clutch size due to variable environmental conditions, whereas the bet-hedging hypothesis does. We tested whether the seasonal decline in clutch size of U. stansburiana was a proprammed adaptive response, or a plastic response to proximate environmental conditions, by comparing clutch sizes from lizards on control plots with clutch sizes from lizards on plots which had been supplementally watered, increasing prey density
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James et al. (1994) studied this question.
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