Application for Scientific Permit – Available for Public Comment
Public comment on the following application for a Scientific Research (Fauna) Permit is open until 14 November 2024.
Applicant: School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania
Species/Taxon: Whites Skink (Liopholis whitii)
Location: The hills surrounding Orford.
Title of research: Quantifying the influence of offspring presence on maternal hormonal regulation in a social lizard
Aim of project: The aim of this project is to explore whether the presence or absence of offspring influences the circulation of key hormones involved in parental care (e.g., oxytocin, dopamine, testosterone and corticosterone). A secondary aim is to explore how variation in circulating hormones co-varies with variation in care behaviours.
Justification: Studying the hormonal regulation of parental care in species like White's skink (Liopholis whitii) offers valuable insights into how caregiving is regulated. Reptiles provide a unique model for this research due to the ability to experimentally manipulate parent-offspring environments, allowing us to explore the adaptability of parental care in ways not possible with other model systems (e.g., mammals and birds). This will broaden our taxonomic understanding of caregiving behavior as well as reveal whether the mechanisms involved in parental care are conserved across vertebrates or whether they vary among different vertebrate groups. Ultimately, such studies deepen our knowledge of the evolutionary and functional roots of parental care, offering perspectives that may even extend to human sociality.
Maximum likely numbers of individuals involved: We will use a total of 230 adult Whites skinks across the year. This includes 60 adult females who will be used for the experiment and 150 offspring who will be born to those females in the laboratory. An estimated 20 additional animals are included to cover by-catch.
Activities undertaken and methods: Lizards will be captured by hand, noosing or mealworm fishing and returned to the terrestrial ecology facilities at the University of Tasmania. Lizards will be measured for length and weight and then be housed to wait for birth of offspring. Once born offspring will be measured for length and weight and will be permanently marked for ongoing identification. Females and their offspring will then be moved to semi-natural enclosures at the University where females will be housed either with their offspring (social treatment: n = 30) or without their offspring (non-social treatment: n = 30). Females (and offspring) will be held under these conditions for eight weeks during which time we will collect a small blood sample biweekly (to explored how key hormones vary as a function of offspring presence) as well as behavioural data (time spent being active, time spent basking, time spent with offspring for females held with their offspring). Following the completion of the eight-week period all females and their offspring will be released at their mother’s site of capture.
Fate of animals: all animals will be released at the same location they were captured.
Likely impact on species involved (including any by-catch): Minimal. All individuals will be housed in semi-natural enclosures, covered with bird netting to eliminate predation from aerial predators. Animals will be fed and checked every day. Then all animals will be released.