Table 2 - uploaded by Sharon E Wise
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Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... -Some species of frogs commonly associate with edifi- carian habitats, including several species that feed on insects at lights (Table 2). Such species are typically only active at night, normally foraging under low ambient illumination (Woolbright 1985;Buchanan 1992). ...
Context 2
... species are typically only active at night, normally foraging under low ambient illumination (Woolbright 1985;Buchanan 1992). Some nocturnal frogs, such as the widely introduced Cane Toads (Bufo marinus), regularly forage under enhanced illumination near buildings (Table 2). Many nocturnal frogs show positive phototaxis (Jaeger and Hailman 1973), and laboratory studies have demonstrated that enhanced lighting can facilitate foraging in edificarian species (Larsen and Pedersen 1982;Buchanan 1998). ...
Context 3
... that are not normally active after dark, especially ano- lis lizards, have been observed foraging or being active near artificial lighting at night (Table 1), taking advantage of the "night-light niche" (Garber 1978). Normally nocturnal spe- cies, especially members of the family Gekkonidae, have also been documented around night lights (Table 2). At least some of these taxa are also known to occasionally be active during the day (McCoid and Hensley 1993;Teynié et al. 2004). ...
Context 4
... -The effects of night lighting are difficult to separate from other problems that snakes face in urban environments, such as persecution. Only two published reports have been found of nocturnal snakes foraging under lights (Table 2). Other nocturnal species, such as the Brahminy Blind Snake Ramphotyphlops braminus, are found near houses in tropical areas and in cities where they have become established, but what effect lights have on their populations is not known. ...
Context 5
... The ability of artificial light to enhance the invasive poten- tial of some species should be a source of broad concern. Some of the species listed in Table 1 and many of those in Table 2 were observed in areas outside their native range. The ability to use human habitats, which are often char- acterized by having additional lighting during the night, can be beneficial to invasive species, many of which first colonize urbanized areas. ...
Citations
... Recent studies have also detected an interactive deleterious effect between the introduction of invasive vertebrates and urbanization. Artificial light at night (ALAN), a key characteristic of urban spaces, serves not only to attract insects in large numbers but extends the activity period of several invasive reptiles into the night (Perry et al., 2008). Such instances of enhanced predation have been recorded in invasive populations of geckos of the genera Phelsuma, Hemidactylus, and Lepidodactylus, often on islands (Baxter-Gilbert et al., 2021;Perry et al., 2008). ...
... Artificial light at night (ALAN), a key characteristic of urban spaces, serves not only to attract insects in large numbers but extends the activity period of several invasive reptiles into the night (Perry et al., 2008). Such instances of enhanced predation have been recorded in invasive populations of geckos of the genera Phelsuma, Hemidactylus, and Lepidodactylus, often on islands (Baxter-Gilbert et al., 2021;Perry et al., 2008). Intense consumption of photophilic insects by introduced Hemidactylus frenatus under experimental conditions (Canyon & Hii, 1997) indicates a substantial impact on insect populations under ALAN-enhanced foraging. ...
Thousands of vertebrate species have been intentionally and unintentionally introduced to new locations beyond their native range. Many of these species have established alien populations, and some have become invasive and caused adverse impacts on native biodiversity. Research has improved our understanding of how these impacts affect native vertebrates, but comparatively little is known about how they affect native invertebrates, including insects. Yet, alien vertebrates may directly or indirectly interact with native insects wherever they are introduced (e.g., directly, by feeding on insects, and indirectly, by profoundly altering ecosystems). In this chapter, through a literature review, we identify direct and indirect impacts caused by a range of alien vertebrate species, and from many regions worldwide. We find that most research has focused on impacts affecting individuals of a native insect species, often by analyzing the stomach or fecal contents of an alien vertebrate species, and that reports of positive impacts are scarce and often inferred rather than measured. We conclude that the impacts of alien vertebrate species on insects remain largely unexplored. Future studies should aim to identify and quantify population-level impacts. Their robustness may be improved by adopting exclusion and before/after experiments, and collaborating with entomologists and insect ecologists.
... Although, it is unlikely that most humans are actively providing food for lizards as most consume invertebrate prey. However, lizard prey could become stable, abundant and concentrated around anthropogenic sources such as areas of human rubbish (Gross, 2015) or artificial lights (Perry et al., 2008), both of which attract different types of invertebrates. Iglesias et al. (2012) found support, through quantification of invertebrate prey abundance, for more stable resource availability in urban areas compared to natural areas. ...
Urban environments pose different selective pressures than natural ones, leading to changes in animal behavior, physiology, and morphology. Understanding how animals respond to urbanization could inform the management of urban habitats. Non-avian reptiles have important roles in ecosystems worldwide, yet their responses to urbanization have not been as comprehensively studied as those of mammals and birds. However, unlike mammals and birds, most reptiles cannot easily move away from disturbances, making the selective pressure to adapt to urban environments especially strong. In recent years, there has been a surge in research on the responses of lizards to urbanization, yet no formal synthesis has determined what makes an urban lizard, in other words, which phenotypic traits are most likely to change with urbanization and in which direction? Here, we present a qualitative synthesis of the literature and a quantitative phylogenetic meta-analysis comparing phenotypic traits between urban and non-urban lizard populations. The most robust finding from our analysis is that urban lizards are larger than their non-urban counterparts. This result remained consistent between sexes and taxonomic groups. Hence, lizards that pass through the urban filter have access to better resources, more time for foraging, and/or there is selection on attaining a larger body size. Other results included an increase in the diameters of perches used and longer limb and digit lengths, although this may be a result of increased body size. Urban lizards were not bolder, more active or exploratory, and did not differ in immune responses than non-urban populations. Overall, studies are biased to a few geographic regions and taxa. More than 70% of all data came from three species of anoles in the family Dactyloidae, making it difficult to generalize patterns to other clades. Thus, more studies are needed across multiple taxa and habitats to produce meaningful predictions that could help inform conservation and management of urban ecological communities.
... Thus, it is essential to improve our understanding on the potential impact of increasing urban ALAN on raptors (Almpanidou et al. 2020). The new predation opportunities provided by ALAN have been exploited by many species from different taxonomic groups (Fleming and Bateman 2018), such as fish (Bolton et al. 2017), amphibians, reptiles (Perry et al. 2008), bats (Stone et al. 2015), passerine birds (Lebbin et al. 2007), and diurnal and nocturnal raptors (Negro et al. 2000;DeCandido and Allen 2006;Rutz 2006;Canário et al. 2012;Buij and Gschweng 2017). Such exploitation of food resources can increase individual and population fitness, leading to urban colonization. ...
ContextUrbanization and artificial light at night (ALAN) are major drivers of local biodiversity losses causing community alterations, disruption of predator-prey interactions, and ultimately, promotion of cascading effects. However, some species can colonize urban environments.Objectives
We explore the role of ALAN as a driver of the colonization of urban environments by a nocturnal avian predator, the burrowing owl Athene cunicularia.Methods
We studied in a suburban locality in La Pampa, Argentina: (1) prey availability with pitfall traps under streetlights and control sites; (2) diet by analyzing pellets; (3) space use by deploying GPS data-loggers to breeding owls; (4) nesting habitat selection by comparing environmental variables at nest and random locations; and (5) productivity by correlating environmental variables with the number of fledglings.ResultsFirst, streetlights altered the invertebrate availability, attracting them to illuminated areas. Second, the owl diet was more similar to the invertebrate taxa trapped at pitfall traps under streetlights than that in control traps. Third, owl space use was determined by streetlights. Owls spent more time around light sources, particularly during the nighttime. Fourth, the most important habitat feature influencing the nesting habitat selection was the distance to streetlight. Owls selected areas close to streetlights for nesting. Finally, productivity was not explained by any of our habitat variables.Conclusions
We demonstrate that ALAN alters the availability of invertebrates and plays a role in the diet, space use, and occupation of urban burrowing owls. Streetlights increase foraging efficiency for owls due to the clumping of prey attracted to lights. This predator-prey relationship might be only supported in suburban environments where low urbanization levels let burrowing owls nest in bare ground areas, and invertebrates are attracted to ALAN from surrounding wilder areas.
... This ecological light pollution has important biological consequences, including changing animal activity patterns (Longcore and Rich 2004). Indeed, as a result of urbanization and artificial lighting, many diurnal species have been recorded extending or switching typical daytime behaviors into the night (e.g., Perry et al. 2008). ...
... The availability of artificial light is especially relevant for animals whose dominant sense is sight, such as diurnal lizards of the genus Anolis (hereafter, anoles). Seventeen species of anole have been documented using artificial lights (Perry et al. 2008). Most anecdotal observations of nocturnally active anoles document foraging behaviors (Perry and Fisher 2006). ...
Widespread human development has led to the proliferation of artificial light at night, an increasingly recognized but poorly understood component of anthropogenic global change. Animals specialized to diurnal activity are presented opportunities to use this night-light niche, but the ecological consequences are largely unknown. While published records make note of nocturnal activity in a diversity of diurnal taxa, few case studies have gone beyond isolated observations to quantify patterns of nocturnal activity, document animal behavior, and describe new species interactions. From 13 June to 15 July 2017, we conducted hourly nocturnal surveys to assess how two species of diurnal Anolis lizards (Leach's Anole, Anolis leachii, and Watt's Anole, A. wattsi) use artificial light on Long Island, Antigua. Our data show that both anole species foraged in artificially illuminated habitats and were more active prior to sunrise compared to the early night. Mark-resight data for a focal species, A. leachii, suggest that patterns of nocturnal activity were not significantly different between individuals. Finally, our behavioral observations for the two anoles and a third lizard species, the nocturnal Thick-tailed Gecko (Thecadactylus rapicauda), reveal a lack of agonistic interactions. Our study reveals an altered temporal niche for two diurnal Antiguan lizards and adds to a growing body of evidence documenting the broad influences of anthropogenic change on biodiversity.
Although growing evidence suggests that natural and sexual selection pressures may differ between natural and urban habitats, their consequences in terms of morphological differentiation, extent of sexual dimorphism and sex ratio remain poorly studied. Anolis lizards are an ideal model to study the phenotypic effects of urbanization, as they are well known for the existence of ecomorphs adapted to particular microhabitats. However, so far most studies of urban populations of anoles have considered invasive species and largely focused on males. Here, we compared morphological differentiation, sexual dimorphism and sex ratio between suburban and forest populations of the native A. homolechis , in Western Cuba, based on large sample size (n > 800) and a balanced nested design. Overall, both male and female individuals from surburban populations were larger and in better body condition than individuals from forest populations. In addition, evidence of caudal autotomy was more than twice more frequent in suburban populations compared to forest ones, with no sex effect. Habitat type and season of the year had additive effects on sex ratios, with a significant excess of males in surburban habitats and during the non-reproductive season. Accordingly, the extent of sexual dimorphism in size was more pronounced in suburban populations compared to forest ones. Our results suggest that the shape and direction of natural selection may differ between urban and natural populations of anoles.
