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Anolis Lizards of the Caribbean: Ecology, Evolution and Plate Tectonics
... Hutchinson (1959) also described how taxonomically similar species could reduce potential competition by differing morphologically, such that species with different feeding apparatus could partition the food niche. Put another way, large species that eat large prey items should be able to partition food resources with smaller species that eat smaller prey items (Roughgarden 1995). ...
... Species that share similar resources can partition themselves morphologically. For example, Hutchinson (1959) observed that co-existing species differed in body size by an average ratio of 1.3, and Roughgarden (1995), based on extensive studies of Caribbean anoles, reported that co-existing species differed in snout-vent length (SVL) by the same ratio. This difference in body size allows sympatric species to consume prey of different sizes, thereby partitioning shared food resources and avoiding competition (Pianka 1969;Pianka & Pianka 1976). ...
... According to Hutchinson (1959), if the geckos occurred in sympatry, species with a high overlap in diet should be able to co-exist along the food niche as long as their body sizes differ by a ratio of approximately 1.3, as demonstrated by the work of Roughgarden (1995). Consequently, the large size difference between N. ...
... Here, we seek to elucidate how a Caribbean lizard assemblage changed from the earliest Holocene to the present by focusing on community structure and taxonomic diversity. We center our study on the previously excavated site of Katouche Bay, Anguilla (Roughgarden, 1995). The primary goals of our study are to (1) place the Katouche Bay site into a broader chronology of Quaternary paleontological sites in the Caribbean and elsewhere; (2) describe the taxonomic diversity of the site throughout the Quaternary; and (3) determine how the loss of taxonomic diversity impacted community structure. ...
... The preservation of fossils in the fissure likely resulted from prey-item accumulation by generations of the American kestrel (Falco sparvarius) perching on the cliff. Four key conclusions about the lizard fauna were derived from morphological identifications and conventional radiocarbon dating of a piece of charcoal from the bottom of the unit (Roughgarden, 1995). First, the unit was dated as N10,000 14 C yr BP. ...
... Throughout the Lesser Antilles, co-occurring Anolis spp. exhibit character displacement, diverging in body size away from the medium size of species living alone on islands (66 mm; henceforth referred to as solitary lizards; Losos, 1990;Roughgarden, 1995). There are two notable exceptions to this phenomenon: A. gingivinus has a medium size (63 mm) despite overlapping with A. pogus on St. Martin, and A. ferreus is exceptionally large (male SVL = 119 mm) despite being a solitary lizard on Marie-Galante. A. ferreus exhibits significant sexual size dimorphism that is in line with the body-size distributions found on islands with two species of Anolis lizards (female SVL = 65 mm; Roughgarden, 1995). ...
Understanding how communities are impacted by environmental perturbations is integral for addressing the ongoing biodiversity crisis that impacts ecosystems worldwide. The fossil record serves as a window into ancient interactions and the responses of communities to past perturbations. Here, we re-examine paleontological data from Katouche Bay, Anguilla, a Holocene site in the Lesser Antilles. We reveal that the site was more diverse than previously indicated, with long-term, continuous records of three genera of extant lizards (Anolis, Ameiva, and Thecadactylus), and the early Holocene presence of Leiocephalus, a large ground-dwelling lizard that has since been completely extirpated from the Lesser Antilles. The disappearance of Leiocephalus from Katouche Bay resulted in high turnover, decreased evenness, and decreased species richness—a trend that continues to the present day. Our body size reconstructions for the most abundant genus, Anolis, are consistent with the presence of only one species, Anolis cf. gingivinus, at Katouche Bay throughout the Holocene, contrary to previously published studies. Additionally, we find no evidence of dwarfism in A. cf. gingivinus, which contrasts with a global study of contemporary insular lizards. Our data reveal that the impacts of diversity loss on lizard communities are long lasting and irreversible over millennia.
... Character displacement was thought to be the process that allowed species to evolve while minimizing competition among species (Losos, 1992a). Subsequent analysis of one-species islands of the Lesser Antilles suggested that these initial colonists of the Greater Antilles might be trunk-crown anoles, either because this ecomorph is better at dispersal Poe et al. 2011) or is better at cropping available prey (Roughgarden, 1995). Indeed, if such a consistent historical pattern was shown to have happened independently on the four Greater Antillean islands, this would have demanded some consistent process, such as convergent evolution. ...
... Our description is compatible with suggestions that a taxon loop (Roughgarden, 1992) or character displacement (Losos, 1992a) then shaped these anoles into the distinctive size categories of current one-and two-species islands of the Lesser Antilles. We simply add to these models the suggestion that the original colonists or participants in vicariance of the lower Lesser Antilles (Roughgarden, 1995) need not have been intermediate in size. ...
... In addition, several studies have shown that annual rates of species loss decrease logarithmically with increasing time since isolation (Wilcox 1978;Heaney 1986;Burkey 1995). Island communities also tend to show a pattern in which some widespread species occur on the majority of the islands in an archipelago while others survive only on a few, generally large islands (Patterson 1984;Jones et al. 1985;Patterson and Atmar 1986;Blake 1991;Cutler 1991;Roughgarden 1995). This pattern of distribution frequencies indicates that species exhibit differential persistence abilities (Brown 1986;Atmar and Patterson 1993), presumably due to differences in ecological requirements and/or life-history traits. ...
... We selected reptiles for our study because they generally have low potential for overwater dispersal among islands. Even though some reptile species have been known to colonize islands over substantial distances of water (Carlquist 1965;Zug et al. 1988;Schoener 1991;Zug 1991), most of these dispersal events occurred over very long periods of time (Roughgarden 1995). ...
One of the central questions of conservation biology is what life‐history traits render a species prone to extinction. We addressed this problem by calculating extinction rates for 35 species of turtles and squamates (lizards and snakes) occurring on 87 land‐bridge islands in the Mediterranean Sea. We calculated extinction rates in two ways: first, by incorporating the known sequence of historical island separations and second by ignoring history and assuming that the islands became isolated simultaneously. The second procedure is simpler and more frequently used in the literature and produces estimates of extinction rates that are similar to the first, more complex procedure. We then determined the relationship between extinction rates (calculated using both methods) and body mass, longevity, habitat specialization, and population abundance using two methods: first, by accounting for the phylogenetic relationships among species and, second, by ignoring them. Only population abundance and habitat specialization explained a significant amount of the observed variation in species extinction rates. Body mass itself did not explain variation in extinction rates, although it was strongly correlated with abundance. These conclusions were obtained using both procedures for calculating extinction rates and both procedures for correlating extinction rates with life‐history traits.
... La familia con mayor diversidad de especies y abundancia de individuos fue Anolidae (lagartos abaniquillos), con un total de 117 individuos de seis especies, constituyendo el 91% de los registros obtenidos en el área de estudio (Figura 3). Cabe resaltar que, a nivel mundial, el género Anolis comprende entre el 5 y el 10% de las especies de lagartos; Colombia, por su parte, posee la mayor diversidad de especies dentro de este género (Roughgarden 1995, IAvH 2021. ...
Los bosques de montaña ubicados en la vertiente de la Cordillera Occidental hacia el Chocó biogeográfico colombiano, se caracterizan por poseer una alta diversidad y endemismo de plantas, aves y anfibios, siendo esta una región de gran importancia para la conservación de la biodiversidad en Colombia. El Parque Natural Regional PNR Las Tángaras declarado en enero de 2024 por la autoridad ambiental CODECHOCÓ, posee bosques y otras coberturas naturales en muy buen estado de conservación, en un amplio rango altitudinal, convirtiéndose en un área crucial para la protección de la herpetofauna local. En este estudio se evaluó la estructura y composición de los ensamblajes de anfibios y reptiles en cuatro coberturas vegetales: bosque denso (BD), vegetación secundaria o en transición (VS), pastos enmalezados (PE) y mosaico de pastos con espacios naturales (MPEN). Se llevaron a cabo muestreos diurnos y nocturnos utilizando métodos de búsqueda libre y sin restricción, incluyendo encuentros visuales y registros auditivos a lo largo de transectos libres en cada cobertura vegetal. Los resultados revelaron la presencia de 26 especies de anfibios y 14 especies de reptiles. Asimismo, se resalta la presencia de 13 especies de herpetos endémicos para Colombia. Estos hallazgos demuestran la importancia del PNR Las Tángaras como un refugio para la biodiversidad y enfatiza la necesidad de su adecuado manejo, al igual que fortalecer la investigación con este y otros grupos de la biodiversidad.
... This suggests that the contention that "In general terms, the loss of biodiversity is caused by habitat loss. . ." [85] is an over-simplification, true mainly at the limit (i.e., again for landscapes holding <50% natural cover). ...
Simple Summary
Human activities have imposed unprecedented changes on more than half of the Earth’s terrestrial surfaces. Biodiversity losses will ensue. Considering patchy landscapes (e.g., different landcover types, from completely “unnatural” to “natural” systems), what should be the shape of the relationship between the total number of species as a function of the proportion of natural landcover? Current theoretical and empirical studies have insisted on monotonic increasing relationships, implying species linearly declining as natural covers are converted to human-dominated areas, ignoring non-linear unimodal ones. We addressed this issue, offering potential explanation of which factors may be linked to hump-shaped relationships between avian diversity and gradients of natural landcover in landscapes of different sizes (25–900 km²) in Ontario and New York State. We showed that the hump-shaped pattern is consistent across spatial scales and bioclimatic regions, where diversity reaches its maximum of around 40–60% of natural landcover. Pragmatic conservation actions aiming to mitigate biodiversity loss from land-use modifications should focus on alleviating environmental stress in intensively used areas while managing efficiently the ones holding moderate proportions of natural habitats.
Abstract
Predicting species’ ecological responses to landcovers within landscapes could guide conservation practices. Current modelling efforts derived from classic species–area relationships almost always predict richness monotonically increasing as the proportion of landcovers increases. Yet evidence to explain hump-shaped richness–landcover patterns is lacking. We tested predictions related to hypothesised drivers of peaked relationships between richness and proportion of natural landcover. We estimated richness from breeding bird atlases at different spatial scales (25 to 900 km²) in New York State and Southern Ontario. We modelled richness to gradients of natural landcover, temperature, and landcover heterogeneity. We controlled models for sampling effort and regional size of the species pool. Species richness peaks as a function of the proportion of natural landcover consistently across spatial scales and geographic regions sharing similar biogeographic characteristics. Temperature plays a role, but peaked relationships are not entirely due to climate–landcover collinearities. Heterogeneity weakly explains richness variance in the models. Increased amounts of natural landcover promote species richness to a limit in landscapes with relatively little (<30%) natural cover. Higher amounts of natural cover and a certain amount of human-modified landcovers can provide habitats for species that prefer open habitats. Much of the variation in richness among landscapes must be related to variables other than natural versus human-dominated landcovers.
... Studies on nesting in anoles can provide new insight into many well-studied aspects of their biology. For example, nest environments shape fitness-related phenotypes of offspring (e.g., body size and locomotor performance) that may relate to resource competition (Pearson and Warner, 2018); this could inform work on niche partitioning and community ecology (Roughgarden, 1995). Important eco-morphological traits that exhibit considerable convergence across species (e.g., limb length and body size) may be developmentally sensitive to early-life conditions (Losos et al., 2000;Downes and Hoefer, 2007; but see Warner et al., 2012); this could illuminate the role of developmental plasticity in convergent evolution and adaptive radiation (Losos, 2009;but see Feiner et al., 2020). ...
Maternal nesting behavior in oviparous species strongly influences the environmental conditions their embryos experience during development. In turn, these early-life conditions have consequences for offspring phenotypes and many fitness components across an individual’s lifespan. Thus, identifying the evolutionary and ecological causes and effects of nesting behavior is a key goal of behavioral ecology. Studies of reptiles have contributed greatly to our understanding of how nesting behavior shapes offspring phenotypes. While some taxonomic groups have been used extensively to provide insights into this important area of biology, many groups remain poorly studied. For example, the squamate genus Anolis has served as a model to study behavior, ecology, and evolution, but research focused on Anolis nesting behavior and developmental plasticity is comparatively scarce. This dearth of empirical research may be attributed to logistical challenges (e.g., difficulty locating nests), biological factors (e.g., their single-egg clutches may hinder some experimental designs), and a historical focus on males in Anolis research. Although there is a gap in the literature concerning Anolis nesting behavior, interest in nesting ecology and developmental plasticity in this group has grown in recent years. In this paper, we (1) review existing studies of anole nesting ecology and developmental plasticity; (2) highlight areas of anole nesting ecology that are currently understudied and discuss how research in these areas can contribute to broader topics (e.g., maternal effects and global change biology); and (3) provide guidelines for studying anole nesting in the field. Overall, this review provides a foundation for establishing anoles as models to study nesting ecology and developmental plasticity.
... Certainly, phylogeny, through its effects upon size (e.g., most members in the family Iguanidae are relatively large-bodied and all xenosaurid lizards are of similar adult size; Zamora-Abrego, Zúñiga-Vega & Nieto-Montes de Oca 2007) should affect, at least in certain extent, elasticity patterns of lizard species. For instance, it should be expected to find high fecundity elasticities in most members of the family Polychrotidae, which are in general small-sized (Roughgarden 1995). In contrast, high elasticities for adult survival should be observed in species of the family Varanidae, which are in general large-sized (Pianka 1995). ...
There appears to be variation in life-history strategies even between populations of the same species. It has been proposed that adult mortality rates can affect the life-history strategy that a population exhibits. In ectothermic organisms such as lizards, tropical populations experience longer periods for activity compared with temperate populations. In tropical sites, longer annualactivity periods can promote higher adult mortality. In this study I analyze two populations of the lizard Xenosaurus platyceps that inhabit contrasting sites comparing reproduction, body growth and its sources of variation, and demographic behavior in one tropical low-altitude site (410 m of elevation) in an sub-perennial tropical forest and the other population in a temperate high-altitude site (1460 m of elevation) in an oak forest, both in Tamaulipas, México. Also, a comparison of the demographic strategies of 28 lizard species was conducted. In both populations a significant relationship between female size and litter size was found. Females from the temperate site produced significantly larger litters in comparison with those from the tropical site. No relationship between female size and offspring size was detected, which suggested that the latter trait could be either constrained or optimized. Larger females exhibited greater relative litter mass and this trait showed significantly higher values in the temperate locality. This pattern is explained by the fact that females at the temperate population produce more young of similar size than those produced by their tropical counterparts. We did not find significant interannual variation in any of the reproductive traits studied. We suggest reciprocal transplant or common garden experiments to determine the genetic and proximal causes of the observed intraespecific variation. Body growth trajectories in both populations agreed with the model of Von Bertlanffy. No significant differences in the body growth rates were found between males and females in any of the two populations. Body growth rates were faster in the tropical population, in which the projected age at maturity was three years, one year less tan the projected age at maturity in the temperate population. A common garden experiment showed that in both populations temperature is a factor that speeds up the body growth rates. This
experiment suggests that responses of body growth to environmental variation are similar in both sites. Population growth rates in both types of environments indicated populations in numerical equilibrium. Of the two populations, we found that the temperate population experiences lower adult mortality. The relative importance (estimated as the relative contribution to population growth rate) of permanence and of the adult/reproductive size clases is higher in the temperate population. In contrast, the relative importance for average fitness of fecundity and growth is higher in the tropical population. These results are consistent with theoretical frameworks about life-historical differences between tropical and temperate lizard populations. We used elasticity analysis of population projection matrices to estimate the relative contribution of juvenile survival, adult survival, and fecundity for the population growth rate of 28 lizard species. Based on elasticity patterns we identified four main demographic strategies: 1) early-maturing species which survive more than one year, 2) annual species, 3) medium-sized species that mature after one year of age, and 4) late-maturing, long-lived and large-sized species. The relative importance of the life-cycle components showed a weak phylogenetic signal in the studied lizard species. Elasticity patterns of these lizards were correlated with juvenile and adult mortality, age at first reproduction, mean adult size, and population growth rate. In general, the results obtained in this thesis agreed with the “fast-slow” continuum hypothesis of life-history evolution.
... The result is that it is presently difficult to have an accurate understanding of the general processes impacting this region because only a few direct comparisons between islands can be drawn. For instance, among the Lesser Antillean islands, Guadeloupe (Bochaton et al., 2015Boudadi-Maligne et al., 2016;Stoetzel et al., 2016), Barbuda (Etheridge, 1964;Watters et al., 1984;Pregill et al., 1994), Antigua (Steadman et al., 1984;Pregill et al., 1988) and Anguilla (Cope, 1883;Pregill et al., 1994;Roughgarden, 1995;Kemp & Hadly, 2016) have been the object of many palaeontological studies, whereas the past biodiversity of most other islands still remain mostly unknown. The Anguilla bank ( fig. ...
Although there is an increasing amount of subfossil data available that documents the effects of past human impact on the biodiversity of the West Indies, many islands remain poorly documented, if at all. The palaeontological study of an assemblage of terrestrial mollusc shells and bone remains recovered on the surface level of two cave deposits, Trou de Souris 1 and 4, provides the first data on the past biodiversity of Tintamarre Island (northern Lesser Antilles). The results indicate the presence of at least six vertebrate taxa and a possible six terrestrial snail species that are no longer present on the island. As it was not possible to excavate the deposits from which these assemblages were collected, we currently lack a chronological framework to interpret the collected data. However, based on phenomena observed from several other islands in the Lesser Antilles, we propose several hypotheses linking the local extinction of these species to human activity on Tintamarre throughout the last few centuries.
... The rate maximisation modelling approach in foraging theory has been proposed by Stephens and Krebs (1986) and other methods are available for appropriate modelling of certain foraging decisions (Hilborn and Mangel, 1997;Houston and McNamara, 1988;Mangel and Clark, 1988). The cut off distance of rate-maximising foraging theory predicts on distance and lizard should pursue prey and beyond which the lizard should ignore prey is proposed by Roughgarden (1995) and Schoener (1979). Krebs and McCleery (1984), Krebs et al. (1983), Stephens (1985) and Stephens and Krebs (1986) predict the sigmoidal probability decision function with the inflection point demarcating to cutoff distance for pursuing prey. ...
... Rice rats from the Northern islands had very small molar size compared to the rest of the archipelago. A similar pattern has been observed in the Anolis lizards from Saint-Martin which particularly small size has been linked to the presence of competition (Brown and Wilson, 1956;Losos, 2000;Losos and Ricklefs, 2009;Roughgarden, 1995). Accordingly, the size of the oryzomyines from Saint-Martin and the other northern islands might be caused by the presence of a competitor species (e.g. ...
During the Ceramic Age (500 BCE–1500 CE), Lesser Antilles rice rats (Tribe Oryzomyini) made up a significant portion of the diet of Caribbean islanders. Archaeological excavations across the archipelago resulted to the discovery of large quantities of remains from to these now extinct taxa. It offers a unique opportunity to investigate the past biogeography of this taxon of high cultural and ecological importance. We have studied 1140 first lower molars originating from 40 archaeological sites across eleven islands of the Lesser Antilles archipelago using two-dimensional geometric morphometric approaches to establish spatiotemporal patterns relying on phenotypic variations. This study identified three morphological groups, present in all chrono-cultural periods, that were geographically restricted and consistent with published ancient mitochondrial DNA clusters. These three geographically-separate groups likely represent three distinct genera of rice rats. The first group includes specimens from the North of the archipelago (Saint-Martin, Saba, Saint-Eustatius, Saint-Kitts, and Nevis) and likely referable to as Pennatomys sp.; the second, occurring in the South (Martinique), is assigned to Megalomys desmarestii; and the third corresponds to specimens from the center of the Lesser Antilles (Antigua, Barbuda, Marie-Galante, and Guadeloupe) and likely corresponds to Antillomys sp. These oryzomyine morphotypes are present during all studied periods and support an older presence of these rodents in the region. Our results are congruent with ancient DNA studies that favor the hypothesis of a natural introduction of the group in the archipelago before settlement of human populations. Moreover, the observed phenotypic homogeneity and stability over the 2000 years of Pre-Columbian occupation suggests that rice rats were not part of long-distance inter-island exchanges by humans. Instead, rice rat human consumption was likely based on in-situ hunting of local populations.
... from place to place even though the species identities in those places vary (cf. Roughgarden 1995;Losos 2011). The suggestion that bacterial communities should be described in terms of bacterial functions rather than species accords with how community ecology has long described community structure in terms of niches. ...
A holobiont is a composite organism consisting of a host together with its microbiome, such as a coral with its zooxanthellae. To explain the often intimate integration between hosts and their microbiomes, some investigators contend that selection operates on holobionts as a unit and view the microbiome’s genes as extending the host’s nuclear genome to jointly comprise a hologenome. Because vertical transmission of microbiomes is uncommon, other investigators contend that holobiont selection cannot be effective because a holobiont’s microbiome is an acquired condition rather than an inherited trait. This disagreement invites a simple mathematical model to see how holobiont selection might operate and to assess its plausibility as an evolutionary force. This paper presents two variants of such a model. In one variant, juvenile hosts obtain microbiomes from their parents (vertical transmission). In the other variant, microbiomes of juvenile hosts are assembled from source pools containing the combined microbiomes of all parents (horizontal transmission). According to both variants, holobiont selection indeed causes evolutionary change in holobiont traits. Therefore, holobiont selection is plausibly an effective evolutionary force with either mode of microbiome transmission. The modeling employs two distinct concepts of inheritance, depending on the mode of microbiome transmission: collective inheritance whereby juveniles inherit a sample of the collected genomes from all parents, as contrasted with lineal inheritance whereby juveniles inherit the genomes from only their own parents. A distinction between collective and lineal inheritance also features in theories of multilevel selection.
... One group of lizards for which such a classification system is already established, and which has a substantial body of literature describing ecomorphology and natural history are the Anolis lizards (Roughgarden 1995;Losos 2011). Anolis lizards are a well-studied model for ecomorphological analyses and, like geckos, some have adhesive toepads (Losos 1992(Losos , 1994(Losos , 2010Irschick et al. 1996;Russell 2002;. ...
Modern biological research often uses global datasets to answer broad-scale questions using various modelling techniques. But detailed information on species–habitat interactions are often only available for a few species. Australian geckos, a species-rich group of small nocturnal predators, are particularly data-deficient. For most species, information is available only as scattered, anecdotal, or descriptive entries in the taxonomic literature or in field guides. We surveyed gecko communities from 10 sites, and 15 locations across central and northern Queensland, Australia, to quantify ecological niche and habitat use of these communities. Our surveys included deserts, woodlands, and rainforests, examining 34 gecko species. We assigned species to habitat niche categories: arboreal (9 species), saxicoline (4), or terrestrial (13), if at least 75% of our observations fell in one microhabitat; otherwise we classified geckos as generalists (8). For arboreal species, we described perch height and perch diameter and assigned them to ecomorph categories, originally developed for Anolis lizards. There was lower species richness in rainforests than in habitats with lower relative humidity; the highest species richness occurred in woodlands. Most arboreal and generalist species fit the trunk-ground ecomorph, except those in the genus Strophurus , whose members preferred shrubs, twigs of small trees, or, in two cases, spinifex grass hummocks, thus occupying a perch space similar to that of grass-bush anoles. Habitat use by Pseudothecadactylus australis , Saltuarius cornutus , and Gehyra dubia fit the trunk-crown ecomorph. We provide quantified basic ecological data and habitat use for a large group of previously poorly documented species.
... Anolis is one of the largest genera of vertebrates of the world, with nearly half of the species occurring on Caribbean islands (Roughgarden, 1995;Losos, 2009). Within each island, species have differentiated themselves in terms of morphology, ecology, and behavior as they have adapted to diverse structural microhabitats. ...
Ecological studies strive to identify factors that explain patterns of species distribution and abundance. In lizards, competition and predation are major forces influencing distribution and abundance, but there is also increasing evidence pointing at the influence of habitat structure and prey abundance. Our work explored the latter further by quantifying the effects of vegetation and prey abundance on occupancy and abundance (i.e., estimated probability of detecting more than two individuals) of two sympatrically occurring species in the northern karst belt of Puerto Rico. We hypothesized that Anolis cristatellus would occur in trunk–ground substrates and Anolis krugi on grass–bush substrates according to their ecomorphological classification. We also hypothesized that prey abundance, a component of habitat quality, would have a positive and strong effect on occupancy and abundance. Anolis cristatellus exhibited high occupancy rates (>0.80), influenced by mid-story tree size. A. cristatellus abundance fluctuated over time, with highest probability of detecting two or more individuals in January–March and July–September when prey abundance transitioned from low to high levels. Occupancy of A. krugi was positively influenced by sapling density and prey abundance. Prey abundance exerted a stronger influence on occupancy, but its influence on abundance was negative and strong. Biological interactions and the type of understory substrates may explain the negative relationship. Our study supported predicted relationships between ecomorphology and habitat, but also showed that higher prey abundance may not always translate to higher local abundance. We shed light on these interactions, knowledge needed to advance anole conservation in the advent of land use and climate change.
... 60 mm) and a large (ca. 115 mm) species (Schoener, 1970;Roughgarden, 1995). This difference in body size on two-species islands is believed to allow for the coexistence of sympatric Lesser Antillean species, by reducing the strength of interspecific competition through resource partitioning of prey size, which is correlated with body size (Pacala and Roughgarden, 1982;Rummel and Roughgarden, 1985;Losos, 2009). ...
... We now know that this argument is untenable. Roughgarden (1995) documents a fossil Anolis Daudin from the Dominican Republic, dated at 20 Ma or even 40 Ma, that is indistinguishable from living Hispaniola species. Within the Amphipoda, Weitschat et al. (2002) have described a corophioid amphipod from Oligocene amber that, while not attributable to a known species, appears to be entirely consistent morphologically with modern corophioid taxa (see Myers & Lowry 2003). ...
Prior to this study there were less than 50 species of benthic amphipods known from the Great Barrier Reef (Haswell 18xx; K.H. Barnard 1931; Berents 1983; Myers 1986; Lowry & Stoddart 1990, 1992; Thomas & Barnard 1991; Lowry & Berents 2005; Guerra-Garcia 2006; Peart 2007a, b; Lowry & Azman, 2007; Yerman & Krapp-Schickel, 2008). Examination of the benthic amphipod fauna of the Great Barrier Reef, based on new collections mainly from the Lizard Island Amphipod Workshop in February/March 2005, revealed 45 families, 116 genera, of which 8 (6.9%) are new, and 256 species, of which 107 (45%) are new. The amphipod fauna of the Great Barrier Reef is the richest fauna yet known from any tropical reef area.
... The reptile fauna of South America exhibits a striking diversity, including some of the most species-rich vertebrate clades on earth (Peters & Donoso-Barros 1970;Losos 1994;Avila-Pires 1995;Roughgarden 1995). Many aspects of the geological and climatic history of this continent have played a fundamental role in shaping its remarkable reptile richness. ...
Iguanian lizards comprise two of the most species-rich vertebrate genera on Earth (Anolis and Liolaemus). Therefore, studies with the aim of understanding their diversity and phylogenetic relationships may have major significance for ecological and evolutionary research. However, difficulties are often associated with these diverse groups. For example, adaptive radiations may lead to the evolution of conspicuous patterns of intraspecific (interpopulational) variation in response to local environmental conditions, in the absence of real speciation events. This can lead to the taxonomic recognition of new species in the absence of true reproductive isolation. In addition, although diverse taxa are appropriate models to evaluate comparatively the effects of selection on ecological and life-history traits, it is often a major challenge to gather all the available information on the distribution of these characteristics across species. This necessitates the development of synthetic works. Here we present a monographic catalogue of the diversity and phylogenetic structure of the entire South American iguanian family Liolaemidae, based on previously published studies. We also provide a complete table to summarize the distribution by country, elevational range, diet and reproductive mode of each species for which this information is available. The Liolaemidae family currently consists of a total of 229 species and subspecies belonging to the genera Ctenoblepharys, Liolaemus and Phymaturus. Remarkably, the genus Liolaemus alone comprises 209 of these taxa, consisting of 200 species, five of them polytypic, and recognized on the basis of 14 subspecies. Liolaemus species occur in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay, representing the widest range of environments occupied by a single lizard genus. In contrast, the genus Ctenoblepharys is monotypic (Ctenoblepharys adspersa) and endemic to Peru, while 19 species of Phymaturus are distributed in Argentina and Chile. In these lizards, plant consumption and viviparity are strikingly common. Among Liolaemus, dietary information was available for 153 taxa. We found that 76 are arthropofagous, 71 omnivorous and six strictly herbivorous. Reproductive information was gathered for 136 species of this genus: 73 are viviparous and 63 oviparous. In Phymaturus, all species are viviparous and dietary information for 17 species revealed that 16 are herbivorous and only one omnivorous. Ctenoblepharys adspersa is arthropofagous and oviparous. As previously supported both theoretically and empirically, plant consumption and viviparity are associated with high latitudes and elevations. Finally, we suggest that the recently proposed species Phymaturus dorsimaculatus Lobo & Quinteros is conspecific to P. vociferator Pincheira-Donoso, from which the former taxon does not differ in morphology, coloration, patterns of sexual dimorphism or geographical distribution.
... There is a rich history of studying the ecology and evolution of character displacement in Anolis lizards (Schoener 1970, Losos 1990, 1994, 2009, Roughgarden 1995, Miles and Dunham 1996, including in "natural experiments" of novel communities of nonnative species (Stuart et al. 2014, Stroud 2019. Repeated bouts of ecological character displacement, leading species to adapt to new microhabitats, has been attributed as a key mechanism driving the adaptive radiation of Caribbean anoles (Williams 1972, Losos 2009). ...
Character displacement may facilitate species coexistence through niche partitioning. However, the degree to which character displacement influences broader patterns of community assembly is unclear. Here, we capitalize on a natural experiment of community assembly on the oceanic island of Bermuda. Over the past century, three species of ecologically similar but distantly related Anolis lizards have been introduced to Bermuda where no Anolis has ever naturally existed. The Jamaican anole (A. grahami) arrived first in 1905 and dispersed rapidly across the island. Five decades later, the Antiguan anole (A. leachii) and the Barbadian anole (A. extremus) were introduced to independent locations. In 1991, A. leachii and A. extremus were observed to nearly meet at a contact zone, but not yet to coexist. We record that subsequent range expansion at this contact zone has been asymmetrical; A. leachii invaded the range of A. extremus, but reciprocal invasion by A. extremus has not occurred. When in allopatry in Bermuda, both species occupy identical ecological space. However, A. leachii underwent rapid ecological character displacement to use arboreal habitat when invading the range of A. extremus. These findings highlight how character displacement may influence the process of dispersal and drive patterns of coexistence and community assembly.
... This small-sized anole (Dactyloidae; Fig. 8) is widespread across the islands of Bahamas, Cuba (Campbell 1996), Honduras (Rodríguez Schettino 1999), and several islands nearby, such as Swan Island (Rodríguez Schettino 1999), Cayman Brac and Little Cayman (Losos et al. 1993). Although it seems that this species is widely distributed in Central America and the Caribbeans, many of the populations, including those in Jamaica, Grand Cayman (Roughgarden 1995), Belize (Rodríguez Schettino 1999), Grenada (Greene et al. 2002), and the East Coast of Mexico (Conant and Collins 1998) are invasive. It is also introduced to several regions of the USA, for example, Florida, Texas (Conant and Collins 1998), Louisiana (Steven and Lance 1994), Georgia (Campbell 1996), and even Hawaii (Kishinami and Kishinami 1996). ...
Invasive species have impacted biodiversity all around the world. Among various ecosystems, islands are most vulnerable to these impacts due to their high ratio of endemism, highly specialized adaptation, and isolated and unique fauna. As with other subtropical islands, Taiwan faces constant risk of biological invasions and is currently ranked as one of the countries most affected by invasive amphibians and reptiles. In this paper, a comprehensive checklist of all known exotic amphibians and reptiles is provided, including twelve species which have successfully colonized Taiwan and six species with a controversial status. We provide an update on the knowledge of all these species including their distribution, colonization history, threats to native animals, and population trends based on literature records, fauna surveys, and data collected during invasive species eradication and control programs. A list of species with high invasive potentials is also provided. This study reports, for the first time, a comprehensive survey of invasive herpetofauna in Taiwan, which should provide a valuable reference to other regions which might suffer from similar invasion risk.
... Furthermore, the level of genetic differentiation between populations is positively correlated to the phenotypic divergence caused by isolation and adaptation (Nosil, Funk, & Ortiz-Barrientos, 2009). Many groups, such as island bird species, may show decreased flight capacity (McNab, 1994), loss of dispersal capacity and body size changes (Lomolino, Riddle, & Brown, 2005) becoming smaller than their mainland homologs, as observed in lizard populations (Roughgarden, 1995;Schwartz & Henderson, 1991). The body size of island individuals therefore frequently differs from mainland individuals-"the island rule" (van Valen, 1973)-becoming either smaller or larger. ...
We examined the head morphology of island and mainland populations of the stingless bee Melipona subnitida. We employed geometric morphometrics to test for differences in head morphology and analyzed 122 colonies. Head measurements were performed using 25 landmarks and semi-landmarks. For head shape, landmarks were analyzed by generalized procrustes analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), Mahalanobis distance, discriminant function analysis, cross-validation and unweighted pair-group method clustering (UPGMA). For head size, data were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by the Tukey test. In addition, the relations between head shape, head size, geographical distance and altitude were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Morphological analyses revealed significant differences (p<.01) between mainland and island populations. Moreover, island bees differed in head shape and head size. The first two principal components explained 69.72% of the total variation, and UPGMA revealed that the individuals collected on the Island of Fernando de Noronha differed from the remaining locations, with 100% bootstrap support. Cross-validation correctly classified 84% of the individuals into their respective locations. The results also indicated structuring of those populations introduced to and isolated on the Island of Fernando de Noronha for more than 30 years. The characterization of the studied M. subnitida populations, especially the island populations, alerts us to the fact that isolation may lead to a loss of diversity, or even of the whole population, in M. subnitida and the remaining meliponines, possibly negatively affecting biotic interactions, especially plant–pollinator interactions.
Variación poblacional y efecto insular en Melipona subnitida (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
Examinamos la morfología de la cabeza de poblaciones insulares y continentales de Melipona subnitida. Empleamos morfometría geométrica para probar las diferencias en la morfología de la cabeza y analizamos 122 colonias. Las mediciones de la cabeza se realizaron utilizando 25 puntos y semi-puntos de referencia. Para la forma de la cabeza, los puntos de referencia se analizaron mediante el análisis procrustal generalizado, el análisis de componentes principales (PCA), la distancia Mahalanobis, el análisis de funciones discriminantes, la validación cruzada y la agrupación de métodos de grupos de pares no ponderados (UPGMA). Para el tamaño de la cabeza, los datos se analizaron mediante el análisis de varianza (ANOVA), seguido de la prueba de Tukey. Además, se analizaron las relaciones entre la forma de la cabeza, el tamaño de la cabeza, la distancia geográfica y la altitud utilizando los coeficientes de correlación de Pearson. Los análisis morfológicos revelaron diferencias significativas (p < 0,01) entre las poblaciones del continente y de las islas. Además, las abejas insulares diferían en la forma y el tamaño de la cabeza. Los dos primeros componentes principales explicaron el 69,72% de la variación total, y la UPGMA reveló que los individuos recolectados en la Isla de Fernando de Noronha difirieron del resto de las localidades, con un 100% de apoyo de bootstrap. La validación cruzada clasificó correctamente al 84% de los individuos en sus respectivas ubicaciones. Los resultados también indicaron la estructuración de las poblaciones introducidas y aisladas en la isla de Fernando de Noronha durante más de 30 años. La caracterización de las poblaciones estudiadas de M. subnitida, especialmente las poblaciones insulares, nos alerta de que el aislamiento puede llevar a una pérdida de diversidad, o incluso de toda la población, en M. subnitida y los meliponinos restantes, afectando posiblemente negativamente a las interacciones bióticas, especialmente las interacciones planta-polinizador.
... Anoles, in particular, have received substantial attention because of the high diversity of the genus Anolis (~400 species; Losos, 2009) and high density of several species (Schoener & Schoener, 1980). However, most of our knowledge about Anolis stems from studies in the West Indies (Roughgarden, 1995;Losos, 2009) and, although anoline diversity is also high on the mainland (Nicholson et al., 2005), only a few ecomorphological studies have been conducted on mainland species (e.g. Pounds, 1988;Vitt et al., 2002;Irschick et al., 2005a, b;Velasco & Herrel, 2007;Logan et al., 2012;Siliceo-Cantero et al., 2016). ...
Ecologists have long been intrigued by which factors influence habitat use by an organism and how communities are structured. However, the links between habitat preferences, morphology, biotic interactions and community structure are still poorly understood. Moreover, interpopulation variation in ecomorphological relationships has usually been neglected. Here, we use a wide-ranging Anolis lizard, Anolis limifrons, to test whether interpopulation variation in morphology and habitat use is a function of interspecific agonistic interactions across the distribution of this species in Costa Rica. We found differences both in morphology and in habitat use among populations of A. limifrons, with populations from the Caribbean versant of Costa Rica having longer hind legs and perching lower than those from the Pacific versant. The intensity of interspecific agonistic interactions also varied across versants, with A. limifrons from Pacific sites displaying more often to congeners than those from the Caribbean. Agonistic interactions appear to be an important factor shaping habitat use and morphology. These findings can be explained by an interaction between phenotypic plasticity and ecological plasticity.
... Anolis gengivinus, endémique du Banc d'Anguilla, est la seule'espèce autochtone d'Anolis vivant à Saint-Barthélemy. Anolis pogus Lazell, 1972, présent à Saint-Martin, aurait disparu d'Anguilla selon Roughgarden (1995), mais l'identification du matériel fossile sur lequel se base cette hypothèse a récemment été contredite (Kemp et Hadly, 2016). Ces deux analyses se fondent uniquement sur des critères de taille des Anolis fossiles et il est raisonnable de considérer que l'attribution spécifique de ces restes n'est pas encore clairement établie. ...
Summary – Taxonomic list of the herpetofauna in the overseas territories of France: II. Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy. The taxonomic checklist is established for the Amphibians and non-avian Sauropsids of the French Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy, in the Lesser Antilles. It takes into account of the most recent publications. In addition to zoological scientific names, a French scientific name is attached to each taxon. An update on the arrival of Tortoises in the Lesser Antilles is provided.
Key-words: Lesser Antilles, Saint Barthélemy, Herpetofauna, Amphibians, non-avian Sauropsids, Tortoises, taxonomic checklist, French scientific names.
... Anolis gengivinus, endémique du Banc d'Anguilla, est la seule'espèce autochtone d'Anolis vivant à Saint-Barthélemy. Anolis pogus Lazell, 1972, présent à Saint-Martin, aurait disparu d'Anguilla selon Roughgarden (1995), mais l'identification du matériel fossile sur lequel se base cette hypothèse a récemment été contredite (Kemp et Hadly, 2016). Ces deux analyses se fondent uniquement sur des critères de taille des Anolis fossiles et il est raisonnable de considérer que l'attribution spécifique de ces restes n'est pas encore clairement établie. ...
La liste taxinomique de référence est établie pour les Amphibiens et les Sauropsides non aviens de la collectivité d'outre-mer français de Saint-Barthélemy, dans les Petites Antilles. Elle tient compte des publications les plus récentes. À côté du nom scientifique zoologique, un nom scientifique français est joint à chaque taxon. Une mise au point sur l'arrivée des Tortues terrestres dans les Petites Antilles est faite.
... Lizards represent an excellent model to study adaptation, competition, niche shift and habitat segregation. For example, Anolis lizards from the Caribbean islands have been intensively investigated in this regard on each island, either one or more Anolis species are present, with different species assemblages on each island (Roughgarden, 1995). If several species live on the same island, they segregate into different ecomorphs that evolved several times independently (Losos, 1990). ...
... Interspecific territoriality has been reported most frequently among closely related species of birds (sum- maries in Lack 1971;Murray 1981;Price 2008), which is perhaps not surprising, because birds (like gibbons) tend to be monogamous and territorial. However, it has also been reported in other mammals (e.g., Miller 1964;Brown 1971;Heller 1971), lizards ( Gorman et al. 1971;Ortiz and Jenssen 1982;Roughgarden 1995), salamanders (Jaeger et al. 1983Nishikawa 1985;Hairston et al. 1987), and fish (Low 1971;Sale 1979). To our knowledge, no clear case of interspecific territoriality has been documented in primates. ...
Frugivores must deal with seasonal changes in fruit availability and changes from year to year, as most species of tropical forest fruiting trees have considerable interannual variation in phenology and many are mast fruiters. We quantified seasonal and interannual changes in the fruit diet in a frugivore and important seed disperser, the white-handed gibbon, Hylobates lar, in Thailand. We used 40-d following data during April and May replicated in six consecutive years to study interannual variability in the diet and compared it with seasonal changes measured in monthly samples of the same size collected in three successive years. The 40-d periods of following also allowed us to measure the decline in dietary similarity with time over a finer scale. We measured fruit diet similarity between replicated 5-d periods using the percentage overlap (Renkonen's) index and Jaccard's similarity index. Seasonally, average dietary overlap between adjacent months was low, and similarity approached zero after four months. Average rate of decline in similarity exceeded 20 percent per 5-d period. Variation in fruit species in the diet between years was high and was correlated with interannual variation in fruiting phenology. The strongest correlation occurred in the case of Nephelium melliferum, a highly preferred species that dominated the diet in good fruiting years. It is difficult to separate changes in food species preference from changes in availability from year to year. We devised a relative measure of preference that depends on the degree to which the gibbons rely on prior knowledge to find sources.
... Cette position était contraire a la classification originelle de Cope (1864). Actuellement, c'est cette dernière position qui prévaut (Williams, 1972;Schwartz and Thomas, 1975;Roughgarden, 1995), ces auteurs considérant qu'A. ferreus avait atteint le niveau d'espèce. ...
... Caribbean Anolis lizards fit these criteria closely. Anolis is one of the most diverse vertebrate genera, having radiated into several morphologically and ecologically distinct forms (ecomorphs) that exhibit varying degrees of territoriality and male-male competition (Losos 1994;Roughgarden 1995;Irschick et al. 1997). This is evidenced by the remarkable diversity in sexual size dimorphism (SSD) among anole species, with some species exhibiting no SSD and other species having males with about twice the body length of females (Stamps et al. 1997;Butler et al. 2000). ...
Despite the empirical and theoretical attention paid to the role of sexual signals in resolving agonistic interactions between conspecific males, few studies have applied a comparative perspective, particularly across species that vary in combat intensity. We investigated the relative roles of a male sexual signal (dewlap size) and whole‐organism performance capacity (bite force) on male combat outcomes in nine species of Caribbean Anolis lizards that differ markedly in territoriality, as indicated by sexual size dimorphism. We found that (1) dewlap size was generally an honest signal of bite force in dimorphic but not less dimorphic species; (2) maximum bite force consistently predicted male combat success in dimorphic but not less dimorphic species; (3) in contrast to a priori predictions, dewlap size significantly predicted male combat success in less dimorphic but not dimorphic species; and (4) the incidence of biting but not dewlapping increases as species become more dimorphic. These findings suggest that more dimorphic (and hence more territorial) species escalate to biting during fights more readily compared with less territorial species. The ecological and behavioral qualities of species may therefore modify both the shape and the size of sexually selected traits as well as the nature of the information those traits convey.
... Modern comparative studies emphasize the importance of using phylogenetically distinct taxonomic units in an effort to eliminate pseudoreplication (Harvey & Pagel 1991, Hurlbert 1984. Thus, the majority of comparative studies of insular biota have concentrated on endemic species and multi-species radiations (Roughgarden 1995, Schluter 2000, which have often been isolated for hundreds of thousands, 1 Corresponding author. Email: michael.l.logan@dartmouth.edu ...
In Honduras, Norops lemurinus (Sauria; Polychrotidae) is distributed along the Atlantic versant of the mainland and on the Caribbean island system consisting of the Bay Islands and Cayos Cochinos archipelagos. In the Cayos Cochinos, N. lemurinus occurs on two islands, Cayo Menor and Cayo Mayor. The abiotic and biotic environment of these islands differs noticeably from the mainland, while the environments of each island differ from each other to a lesser degree. To examine the potential morphological, ecological, and physiological correlates of these differences in environment, we sampled lizards from both islands, measuring 15 morphometric variables, 13 habitat variables, and field active body temperatures. Additionally, we measured upper thermal tolerance and evaporative water loss for the Cayo Menor population, and compared our results to previously published data for mainland populations. After correcting for snout-to-vent-length, Cayo Menor males had greater mass and dewlap diameter, while females did not differ in any morphological character examined. When males and females were pooled, perch width and temperature at perch site were greater on Cayo Mayor. Additionally, lizards on Cayo Menor were found at greater distances from open environments (areas with breaks in canopy cover). Observed differences in morphology, physiology, and habitat use can perhaps be explained by differences in temperature and rainfall regimes, habitat availability, and niche relationships with potential competitors.
... Here van Buurt dusts off the idea of the Dominica/Martinique tectonic juxtaposition put forth by Roughgarden (1995) to explain the Lesser Antillean relationship of Anolis bonairensis and the South American relationship of Cnemidophorus vanzoi. Perry and Lazell (1997) reviewed the geological evidence cited by Roughgarden and asserted that it had been catastrophically misunderstood: no evidence exists for that tectonic theory. ...
... Here van Buurt dusts off the idea of the Dominica/Martinique tectonic juxtaposition put forth by Roughgarden (1995) to explain the Lesser Antillean relationship of Anolis bonairensis and the South American relationship of Cnemidophorus vanzoi. Perry and Lazell (1997) reviewed the geological evidence cited by Roughgarden and asserted that it had been catastrophically misunderstood: no evidence exists for that tectonic theory. ...
... These include systematics; community, physiological, and behavioral ecology; functional morphology; ethology; and demography. Studies have been conducted in the laboratory and in the field, and have included basic natural history, geographic and temporal comparisons of populations, and a wide variety of experimental approaches to the study of phenotypic plasticity, ethology, ecology, and evolution [recent reviews include Losos (1994) and Roughgarden (1995)]. The result is an unusually broad and detailed understanding of the factors that promote and sustain evolutionary diversification and species coexistence. ...
... Ruibal et al. 1972, McManus and Nellis 1973, Ruibal and Philibosian 1974a,b, Philibosian 1975, Reagan 1991, Leal and Rodríguez-Robles 1997, Mortensen 1998, Perry et al. 2000, Genet 2002, Jensen 2002, Perry et al. 2004, Rios-López 2004). An extensive review of Caribbean Anolis and their evolution was published by Roughgarden (1995). Conservation efforts underway for the Anolis of the northern USVI include habitat characterization, distribution, and population status. ...
Situated near the eastern terminus of the Greater Antillean chain of islands in the northern
Caribbean Sea, the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) comprise three major islands (St.
Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix) and more than 50 smaller cays for a total land area of
353 square kilometers. Within the USVI the Division of Fish and Wildlife of the
Department of Planning and Natural Resources is the agency responsible for the
assessment of marine and wildlife resources. Given the increasing threats from
development to the fish and wildlife resources of the USVI, a growing public awareness
of environmental issues, and a shift from consumptive to non-consumptive uses of
wildlife, a proactive strategy for wildlife conservation is urgently needed. The strategy
presented herein is intended to provide guidelines, subject to revision as new information
becomes available, for prioritizing the research, management, and conservation of
wildlife and wildlife habitats of the USVI for their intrinsic and instrumental values.
This management strategy document is a compilation of two separate planning efforts.
The first is a strategic management plan for the USVI with funds from a USFWS FW16
grant. The strategic plan focuses on species or species groups that are harvested
commercially or recreationally, and in the USVI this translates to animals with “fur” or
“feathers”. The second is for a comprehensive management plan with funds from a
Comprehensive Plan Grant (T2) under the State Wildlife Grant program. This plan
focuses on all of the other non-harvested species or species groups that make up the
wildlife and marine resources of the USVI. Both of these plans have been combined here
into this one comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy. In July 2004, USFWS
provided guidelines for writing this plan in the form of eight specific elements. This plan
was developed based on these eight elements.
This plan is divided into four parts: 1) Introduction, providing background information;
2) Habitats of the USVI, focusing on major ecosystems as conservation targets; 3)
Wildlife Species of the USVI, focusing on taxonomic groups and high priority species as
conservation targets; and 4) Implementation of the CWCS, addressing the relationships
between the Division of Fish and Wildlife and its stakeholders. Within parts 2 and 3, each
chapter 1) describes the status of each conservation target, identifies its major threats, and
summarizes past efforts at research, management, and conservation; 2) identifies the
species of concern; 3) outlines our strategies for implementing research, management,
and conservation of the target; 4) briefly describes current and future needs for assessing
conservation status and effectiveness of implemented actions for conservation; and 5)
provides pertinent references of previous studies in the USVI. Part 4 of the plan outlines
the status and issues for each subject, the priorities for action, and (when necessary) the
literature cited. Finally, a collection of appendices provide the supporting documentation
for the CWCS. Appendix one provides a list of the plant species of concern, followed by
a comprehensive list of amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal species of the USVI (fish
and other marine resources are covered in the Marine Resources and Fisheries Strategic
and Comprehensive Conservation Plan), and a summary of their statutory status and
management concerns. Appendices two and three contain the current USVI Endangered
Species list and a proposed revision to this list reflecting up-to-date research and
inventory findings. Appendix four presents habitat maps of the major islands, while
Appendix five lists the available habitat by area. Appendix six lists the wetland types of
the USVI. Appendix seven lists the personnel and organizations to whom the plan was
sent for review.
Each of the eight required elements is addressed within the plan. Distribution and
abundance of species of wildlife (Element 1) are treated in parts 2 and 3 (Habitats and
Wildlife Species), and the locations and conditions of the key habitats for these species
(Element 2) are treated in part 2 (Habitats). For each species or species group and habitat
we list the species of concern and address the conservation threats and action priorities
and research required to overcome these threats (Element 3). In part 1 we present an
overall territory-wide prioritization of conservation effort needed to improve the
conditions of wildlife territory-wide (Element 4). In part 4 we outline the monitoring
effort required to ensure long-term sustainability of wildlife populations, and to ensure
the effectiveness of conservation efforts (Element 5), and we list specific monitoring
needs for each species group and ecosystem in parts 2 and 3. In part 1 we also outline the
procedure for the review of the plan into the future (Element 6). We address the level of
coordination with other agencies required to develop and implement the plan in part 1
and more in detail in part 4 (Element 7). Parts 1 and 4 describe the public participation in
the plan (Element 8).
... In a global warming scenario, lizards will have at least three main responses: dispersal, behavioural and physiological plasticity, and adaptation (Sinervo et al., 2010). The genus Anolis (anoles) consists of about 400 species of small, arboreal, insectivorous lizards (Roughgarden, 1995). It is among the largest genera of vertebrates, occurring throughout the subtropical and tropical Western hemisphere, in the southern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and about 150 species occur on the Caribbean Islands (Williams, 1969;Losos & Schneider, 2009). ...
... Lizards have often served as model organisms in ecological studies (e.g., Milstead 1967;Vitt and Pianka 1994). Because of their abundance and visible nature, Anolis lizards have been especially extensively investigated (Roughgarden 1995;Reagan 1996). Anolis stratulus (adult mass approximately 1.7 g; Butler and Losos 2002) has received considerable attention, with studies ranging from habitat use (Dial et al. 1994) to molecular systematics (Jackman et al. 1999). ...
Many organisms modify their behavior to reduce exposure to unfavorable abiotic conditions, but detailed information is available for only a few species. We studied the diurnal activity patterns of Anolis stratulus and Ameiva exsul on Guana Island, British Virgin Islands, in order to determine how they are affected by temperature and humidity. We surveyed transects on foot between 0730 and 1700 h, scanned the ground and vegetation for visible lizards and recorded temperature and relative humidity. Lizard activity patterns were influenced by ambient conditions and body size. We found an inverse relationship between daily activity patterns and temperatures for juvenile A. stratulus; the cooler the temperature, the more juveniles were present. Adult A. stratulus did not show any significant correlations with temperature and time of day. Temperature and abundance were strongly positively correlated for A. exsul; the higher the temperature, the more abundant A. exsul became. Activity was strongly significantly correlated with humidity. Because temperature and relative humidity were significantly inversely correlated, we cannot identify which parameter most impacted lizard activity.
... Because P. cornutum eats ants and other insects that are active on the surface (Whitford and Bryant, 1979; Munger, 1984), vision apparently suffices to detect prey (Ott et al., 2004). Many phrynosomatids and other iguanian ambush foragers adopt elevated perches on trees, bushes, or rocks that increase the field of view, permitting greater prey detection rates than would be possible for lizards on the ground (Roughgarden, 1995). Horned lizards differ from many but not all phryno somatids in that they do not rely on elevated perches to find prey (Sherbrooke, 2003; pers. ...
We tested tongue-flicking responses to food chemicals and control stimuli in the Texas Homed Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) by presenting chemical stimuli on cotton swabs. No evidence of discrimination between prey chemicals (from the ant Pogonomyrmex rugosus), plant chemicals (romaine lettuce), cologne, and distilled water via the lingual-vomeronasal system was detected despite extremely high statistical power. We conclude that P. cornutum does not use tongue flicking to sample chemicals to permit detection and identification of food. Horned lizards forage by moving between ant colonies, capturing numerous ants at each colony by lingual prehension. Because ants are abundant above ground and mobile, visual search may suffice. Despite the absence of evidence for prey chemical discrimination, the lizards tongue flicked up to 15 times in a 60-sec trial: Because homed lizards do not usually enter crevices likely to contain predators and because they rely on crypsis to avoid detection, they are presumably less likely than lizards such as skinks, lacertids, and geckos to use vomerolfaction to detect predators' chemicals. However, homed lizards tongue flick each other during courtship. Therefore, the primary adaptive use of tongue flicking may be for pheromonal communication.
... In contrast to the Greater Antillean radiations, Lesser Antillean anoles do not display regular patterns in morphology, with the marked exception of body size (Schoener, 1969a), which converges in solitary species, but is separated by a ratio of 1.5-2 in coexisting species (there are never more than two species per island). The causes of this pattern of size variation have received continued attention (Roughgarden, Heckel & Fuentes, 1983;Rummel & Roughgarden, 1985;Roughgarden & Pacala, 1989, Losos, 1990cRoughgarden, 1995), but within-island variation in body size in the solitary species from environmentally heterogenous islands (A. marmoratus from Basse Terre, Guadeloupe, A. roquet from Martinique and A. oculatus from Dominica in particular) presents a problem to general theories. ...
We examined the variation in a number of meristic characters in the lizard Anolis oculatus on the island of Dominica, West Indies. Both males and females were sampled from 33 localities on the island, encompassing a wide variety of ecological conditions present. We studied patterns of variation univariately and multivariately. Geographic patterns are portrayed by contouring of locality mean scores. All characters studied were significantly different between sites and sexes. Plots of the ordination scores show that while there is evidence of geographic variation, there are no clear or distinct groupings. Females show broadly the same patterns as males. We then investigated possible causes of these patterns using partial Mantel (matrix correlation) tests to test multiple hypotheses. These hypotheses consisted of selection by various facets of the environment, including altitude, temperature, rainfall, and vegetational type, and an isolation-by-distance model represented by geographical proximity. The partial Mantel test rejected the null hypothesis of no association with environmental patterns for generalized scalation. Partial Mantel tests of individual characters showed that rainfall seems to be an important predictor for many scalation characters, although other correlations were also present. We review the evidence for and against natural selection on reptilian scale numbers in the light of this evidence. However, when the scores on the first canonical variate are contoured, consistent differences are revealed between populations in the southern and northern parts of the leeward (Caribbean) coast, which are not markedly different in prevailing ecological conditions. Clearly other causal factors are important, but their nature is not obvious.
... Therefore, births are probably more important than immigration for the increase in population size of T. torquatus. A relationship between recruitment and population peaks also occurs in T. itambere (Van Sluys 2000) and in various lizard species with seasonal reproductive patterns, such as Liolaemus darwinii (Viana et al. 1994), Mabuya buettneri (Barbault 1976), and Anolis gingivinus and A. pogus (Roughgarden 1995). Age structure of the population also varied seasonally. ...
The demography of a population of Tropidurus torquatus was studied from March 1996 until December 1998, in the Cerrado biome of the Central Brazil, using the method of capture and recapture. Population size, number of incoming individuals in the population, and age structure varied seasonally, reflecting the reproductive cycle of the species. The instantaneous rate of population increase did not differ from zero throughout the study. In general, the permanence rate of juveniles and adults were low, indicating a large turnover of individuals in the population, with a maximum life expectancy of three years. The sex-ratio among adults was biased toward females. Since no bias was observed among juveniles and there was no difference in adults permanence between sexes, we suggestet that the biased adult sex-ratio resulted from a lower permanence of males during a short ontogenetic period, when secondary sexual characteristics develop. When compared to T. itambere, the studied population of T. torquatus attained a higher density and a greater female bias in the sex-ratio. In general, the studied population presented characteristics that, according to life history theory, should be associated with early age at maturity and polyginy: short life expectancy, high population turnover, and female biased sex-ratios.
... Researchers have taken advantage of such 'convergent adaptation' in many studies [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]; as just one example, conclusions regarding the adaptive nature of many traits associated with Caribbean Anolis lizard ecomorphs are greatly strengthened by the fact that all ecomorphs have evolved multiple times. Without the independent evolution of these correlated suites of traits, the Caribbean Anolis system would be just one example among many lizard ecomorphological patterns, rather than the model system in adaptive radiation that it is [6,7,9,12]. Similar arguments apply to studies of phenomena besides adaptation, such as developmental constraint [13,14]. ...
Convergent evolution is central to the study of life’s evolutionary history. Researchers have documented the ubiquity of convergence and have used this ubiquity to make inferences about the nature of limits on evolution. However, these inferences are compromised by unrecognized inconsistencies in the definitions, measures, significance tests and inferred causes of convergent evolution. I review these inconsistencies and provide recommendations for standardizing studies of convergence. A fundamental dichotomy exists between definitions that describe convergence as a pattern and those that describe it as a pattern caused by a particular process. When this distinction is not acknowledged it becomes easy to assume that a pattern of convergence indicates that a particular process has been active, leading researchers away from alternative explanations. Convergence is not necessarily caused by limits to evolution, either adaptation or constraint; even substantial amounts of convergent evolution can be generated by a purely stochastic process. In the absence of null models, long lists of examples of convergent events do not necessarily indicate that convergence or any evolutionary process is ubiquitous throughout the history of life. Pattern-based definitions of convergence, coupled with quantitative measures and null models, must be applied before drawing inferences regarding large-scale limits to evolution. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.
Accurate assessment of historical species ranges is important for conservation science and management. Inaccurate historical species ranges can lead to incorrect assumptions about local extinctions, population trends, and potential sites for reintroductions. Yet, historical knowledge is often lacking for many species. Here, we examine the case of the bearded anole, Anolis pogus, which has long believed to have been recently extirpated from the island of Anguilla. We addressed the evidence for the historical presence and recent local extinction of A. pogus on Anguilla using species abundance modeling, fossil and extant morphological data, and archival DNA sequencing from museum specimens. We found that although viable habitat remains on Anguilla, it is highly fragmented. We also falsified the prior characterization of two size classes of anoles in Anguilla's fossil deposits as evidence for two species (A. gingivinus and A. pogus) by comparing with the size distribution of both species on neighboring St. Martin. Instead, our data indicate that fossil deposits on Anguilla likely correspond to males and females of the larger anole species, A. gingivinus, with no fossil evidence for A. pogus. Finally, we sequenced all known museum specimens of A. pogus from Anguilla and demonstrate that these specimens were incorrectly identified. Together, our results show that there is no evidence for the historical presence, and thus no evidence for the local extinction, of A. pogus on Anguilla. These data are vital for the appropriate management of this species of conservation concern. Furthermore, our study provides a case study for the critical assessment of historical species ranges and narratives of extinction.
Colored oil droplets are a common feature in the cones of almost all diurnal lizards. Using white light microscopy, three chromotypes of droplet can be identified in anoles – yellow, green and colorless. These droplets have been associated with different cone classes using microspectrophotometry. The principal member of double cones contain a yellow droplet while the accessory member contains a diffuse yellow pigment. Both members contain the LWS visual pigment. One class of large single cone contains a yellow droplet and the LWS visual pigment. The two remaining classes of large single cone contain the green droplet and either the LWS or MWS visual pigment. As such, by noting the distribution and numbers of the different droplet chromotypes, information about cone distribution, type, and number can be deduced microscopically. Retinas from three anole species ( A. cristatellus , A. sagrei , and A. carolinensis ) were isolated, flattened and oriented using the two foveae as landmarks. A 19-gauge needle was used to punch out six full-thickness retinal disks from identical retinal regions from both eyes of the three species. The different oil droplets were microscopically identified by color and counted. In all three species at all six retinal areas, the colorless droplets associated with the UVS and SWS single cones represented approximately 10% of the total droplets counted. However, the proportions of the yellow and green droplets were significantly different between the species. For A. cristatellus , 80% of the droplets were green while 10% were yellow. For A. sagrei approximately 85% of the droplets were yellow while only 5% were green. For A. carolinensis 50% of the droplets were yellow while 40% were green. The possible significance of these variable proportions is discussed in terms of possible effects on color vision and ecotype of the three anoles.
Le numéro 09 d’HERP me! consacré à l’herpétofaune de la Guadeloupe vient clore le projet CLEF porté par la Société Herpétologique de France – SHF et grâce à des fonds de l’Office français de la biodiversité.
À travers une clé de détermination illustrée et des cartes de répartition, il permet d’offrir une vision actualisée de l’état de conservation de la faune de la Guadeloupe et des îles périphériques (Marie-Galante, la Désirade, les Saintes). Une bibliographie très complète est également présentée afin de permettre au lecteur d’aller plus loin dans l’étude de cette faune.
En 2024, l’herpétofaune de la Guadeloupe et de ses dépendances se compose de 6 espèces d’amphibiens, de 9 espèces de tortues (incluant les cinq espèces marines) et de 21 espèces de squamates (lézards et serpents). Parmi les 31 espèces terrestres que l’on peut observer en Guadeloupe, 15 sont indigènes : la moitié des espèces a donc une origine exotique. Il est malheureusement prévisible que ce ratio évolue dans les prochaines années avec l’arrivée de nouvelles espèces « envahissantes » comme le démontre la découverte récente d’une population introduite d’Anolis de la Sagra.
Amphibians and Reptiles of Martinique: identification, distribution and bibliography.
Aim
In the half‐century since publication of the Theory of Island Biology, ecologists have come to recognize the importance of predation as a decisive determinant of alternate states in many ecosystems. Island species are notorious for their vulnerability to introduced predators, yet the strength of island predator regimes has not been fully incorporated into our understanding of the forces that structure island consumer communities.
Location
The Greater and Lesser Antilles.
Taxon
Birds and Anolis lizards.
Methods
Field surveys of sclerophyll and rainforest sites on islands ranging in size from 3.5 km ² Terre‐de‐Haut to 76,000 km ² Hispaniola.
Results
Evidence gathered in the 1970s and 1980s shows that Antillean anoles live at higher densities on fewer resources, grow more slowly, reproduce later and live longer than mainland counterparts in conformity with the ‘island syndrome’. Data from this period show that Antillean bird communities display density overcompensation, community saturation, size‐structured foraging guilds, low species diversity and low species packing, all traits consistent with the island syndrome and a regime of low predation and intense competition. Mainland species and communities display none of these features.
Main conclusions
I propose that the island syndrome is an alternative state that distinguishes low‐predation island communities from high‐predation mainland counterparts. It follows that strong mainland predation regimes tend to prevent island species from colonizing. Conversely, invasion‐resistant, size‐structured island communities, despite low species diversity, prevent mainland species from colonizing islands. These predictions are experimentally testable with Anolis lizards and, if confirmed, could set island biogeography on a new course.
Anolis lizards originated in continental America but have colonized the Greater Antillean islands and recolonized the mainland, resulting in three major groups (Primary and Secondary Mainland and Greater Antillean). The adaptive radiation in the Greater Antilles has famously resulted in the repeated evolution of ecomorphs. Yet, it remains poorly understood to what extent this island radiation differs from diversification on the mainland. Here, we demonstrate that the evolutionary modularity between girdles and limbs is fundamentally different in the Greater Antillean and Primary Mainland Anolis . This is consistent with ecological opportunities on islands driving the adaptive radiation along distinct evolutionary trajectories. However, Greater Antillean Anolis share evolutionary modularity with the group that recolonized the mainland, demonstrating a persistent phylogenetic inertia. A comparison of these two groups support an increased morphological diversity and faster and more variable evolutionary rates on islands. These macroevolutionary trends of the locomotor skeleton in Anolis illustrate that ecological opportunities on islands can have lasting effects on morphological diversification.
Aim
To investigate the influence of oceanic island area on speciation by small mammals, in the context of other land vertebrates.
Location
Mindoro Island (9,735 km²), an oceanic island in the Philippines.
Methods
Extensive field surveys on Mindoro, followed by sequencing one mitochondrial and three nuclear genes for use in phylogenetic, population genetic and coalescent‐based analyses, and by morphometric analysis of craniodental data.
Results
Our analyses documented the presence on Mindoro of an endemic clade of probably four species of Apomys, subgenus Megapomys. The common ancestor likely arrived from Luzon Island across a narrow sea channel between 2.4 and 1.5 Ma; the four probable species occur allopatrically, with variation in their ranges along elevational gradients. Mindoro thus becomes the smallest oceanic island on which speciation by small mammals has been documented.
Main conclusions
A review of land‐living vertebrates suggests that bats and large mammals have the greatest area requirements for speciation, whereas frogs, lizards, birds and small mammals have lower and similar minimum area requirements. However, with the exception of Anolis lizards, data are scattered and limited; much research is needed to document the impact of island area on speciation. The existence of a lower limit implies that the biological processes that influence species richness do not operate equivalently along a gradient of island areas: speciation within islands may not contribute to changes in species richness below some limit, unlike colonization and extinction, which operate at all island sizes.
Stoetzel E., Fraysse A., Grouard S., Bochaton C., Gala M., Lenoble A. & Denys C.
This study presents new information on the diet of Tyto insularis in Dominica, Lesser Antilles. The
study of 57 pellets and bulk material collected in 1999 (23) and 2000 (34) contained 517 prey items of relatively high diversity. These included squamates (2 species), rodents (2 species), bats (7 species), birds (17 identified taxa and several unidentified Passeriformes) and insects. Although our inferences stem a few owls, results suggested that the diet of T. insularis in Dominica is similar to the diet of T. glaucops in Hispaniola.
Twelve species of anoles (Anolis aeneus, A. extremus, A. gingivinus, A. griseus, A. luciae, A. marmoratus, A. oculatus, A. richardi, A. roquet, A. sabanus, A. trinitatis, and A. wattsi) from the Lesser Antilles were examined for helminths. Twelve species of helminths were found: Mesocoelium monas, Oochoristica maccoyi, Oswaldocruzia marechali, Parapharyngodon cubensis, Spauligodon caymanensis, Trichospirura teixeirai, Abbreviata sp., Ascarops sp., Physaloptera sp., Physocephalus sp., Porrocaecum sp., and Centrorhynchus sp. Twenty-nine new host records are reported. The highest prevalence (75%) was P. cubensis in A. sabanus; greatest mean intensity (56.8) was 5. caymanensis in A. marmoratus. The highest diversity of helminths was found in Anolis gingivinus, which harbored 9 species; the lowest diversity occurred in A. trinitatis, which harbored 1 species. Islands with the greatest numbers of helminth species are located in the northern Lesser Antilles.
Abstract. Morphological diversification in island anoles follows different patterns in the Greater and Lesser Antilles, respectively. Most Greater Antillean anoles are grouped within six ecomorph classes according to habitat use: crown giant, trunk-crown, trunk, trunk-ground, grass-bush and twig. In contrast, most species from the Lesser Antilles cannot be assigned to these ectomorphs (two-species island anoles) or are similar only to the trunk-crown ecomorph (solitary species or single-species island anoles). Anolis concolor (San Andrés island) and A. pinchoti (Providencia, Santa Catalina and Crab Cay islands) are sister endemic taxa. We characterized the morphology of these species in order to compare them to other island anoles previously assigned to Greater Antillean ecomorphs. Neither, A. concolor nor A. pinchoti was fully assigned to these ecomorphs. However, A. concolor is similar
to both trunk-crown and trunk-ground ecomorphs, while A. pinchoti resembles trunk-ground species. It seems that some ecological traits, such as perch height – lamellae number relationship, also suggest that A. concolor is intermediate between trunk-crown and trunk-ground ecomorphs. Thus we conclude that only A. concolor is similar to other solitary island species. Environmental and topographic variation among islands, as well as differences in colonization times might explain the pattern observed in these species with respect to other solitary species.
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