Prime Basking Sites and Communal Basking in the Lizard, Lacerta bilineata; High Risk for Juveniles?

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I enjoyed reading this manuscript, which presents interesting and important findings on lizard basking behaviour. The introduction is well-written and explains the research questions and hypotheses well. The materials and methods are described in sufficient detail. The results are clearly presented and discussed. I have only some minor suggestions which can be found in the attached file. 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

We have dealt with all the comments and suggestions on the reply section of the version of the ms that the review. All the comments were very helpful and appreciated.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This manuscript reports a study on communal basking behavior and competition for prime basking sites in the European green lizard (Lacerta bilineata) and the sympatric wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) in a hedgerow habitat in western France. The authors used non-invasive photographic mark-recapture methods to identify individual lizards and observe their basking behavior at eight identified "prime" basking sites along the hedgerow. The main findings include differences in the use of prime basking sites between adult and juvenile L. bilineata, with juveniles being more constrained to a few sites and experiencing interference from adults. There was also evidence of interspecific communal basking between L. bilineata (adults and juveniles) and adult P. muralis.

 

Comments:

1.The authors should clarify how they defined and identified "prime" basking sites, as this is a critical aspect of the study.

2.The authors could consider providing more details on the observed interference behaviors (e.g., specific descriptions of aggressive interactions) and any potential impacts on fitness (reproduction or survivorship).

3.The authors could address potential confounding factors or limitations of the study, by analyzing the influence of weather conditions, time of day, or other environmental factors on basking behavior.

4.The tables and figures are generally clear and informative, but some additional annotations or explanations may be helpful for readers unfamiliar with the study system.

 

The manuscript would benefit from clarifications and expansions in the methodology and statistical analysis sections, better organization and integration of the results, and a more comprehensive discussion that situates the findings within the broader literature. Based on the provided information, I would consider accepting this manuscript for publication after addressing the suggested areas for improvement. The study appears to contribute original data and insights to the field of lizard behavioral ecology and thermoregulation, with the use of non-invasive methods. 

Author Response

We have responded to all the comments of reviewer 2. However although valid questions there are one or two that were beyond the scope of our study but we did add to the text to the ms as best we could. We do appreciate the time and insight of the reviewer which most certainly improved the ms.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf