Anolis conspersus

About: Anolis conspersus is a(n) research topic. Over the lifetime, 8 publication(s) have been published within this topic receiving 670 citation(s).

The Ecological Significance of Sexual Dimorphism in Size in the Lizard Anolis conspersus.

Abstract: Adult males of Anolis conspersus capture prey of significantly larger size and occupy perches of significantly greater diameter and height than do adult females; similarly, these three dimensions of the niche are significantly larger for adult females than for juveniles. Adult males on the average eat a smaller number of prey, and the range in size of prey is larger. The relationship between the average length of the prey and that of the predator is linear when the predator size is above 36 millimeters, but becomes asymptotic when it is below that value. Subadult males as long as adult females eat significantly larger food than do the latter, but only in the larger lizards is this correlated with a relatively larger head. Anolis conspersus selects prey from a wide range of taxa and shows no obvious intraspecific specialization not connected to differences in microhabitat and prey size. The efficiency of this system for solitary species is pointed out.

Habitat use and ecological interactions of an introduced and a native species of Anolis lizard on Grand Cayman, with a review of the outcomes of anole introductions

Abstract: Since its introduction ten years ago, Anolis sagrei has spread over much of Grand Cayman and is now more common in some habitats than the native anole, A. conspersus. Interspecific differences in body size, perch height, and microclimatic preference may have facilitated the colonization. Nonetheless, competition may be occurring between the species; comparisons with studies of habitat use prior to the arrival of A. sagrei indicate that in open habitats, where A. sagrei is now abundant, A. conspersus perches higher, but in closed habitats, where A. sagrei is absent, no change in perch height is evident. Review of data concerning 23 Anolis introductions indicates that the presence or absence of an ecologically similar native species may be an important determinant of colonization success or failure.

Habitat light, colour variation, and ultraviolet reflectance in the Grand Cayman anole, Anolis conspersus

Abstract: Data from a diversity of sources are consistent with the hypothesis that the Grand Cayman anole, Anolis conspersus, is descended directly from Anolis grahami of Jamaica. Although the two species have remained morphologically similar, coloration in A. conspersus has changed considerably from that of its ancestor. The most dramatic difference is seen in dewlap colour, where A. conspersus has evolved a blue and highly UV-reflective dewlap from the ancestral orange-and-yellow colour state. In addition, variation in normal (non-metachrosis) dorsum coloration in A. grahami populations is limited to shades of green (olive, emerald, teal), whereas in A. conspersus dorsum coloration varies from green to blue and to brown. This increased colour variation occurs despite Grand Cayman being a small, relatively featureless island only 35 km in length. Results of this study suggest that ambient light differences associated with precipitation-related vegetation structure may have played an important role in the evolution of A. conspersus body colour variation. Evidence is presented to show how geological, ecological, and physiological factors could have interacted to select for a short wavelength-reflective dewlap from a long wavelength-reflective precursor following the colonization of Grand Cayman from Jamaica by A. grahami between 2 and 3 Mya.

Evidence for asymmetrical intraguild predation between native and introduced Anolis lizards.

Abstract: Since its introduction, Anolis sagrei (Sauria: Polychrotidae) has been replacing native A. carolinensis in Florida and native A. conspersus in Grand Cayman Island as the common anole of urban environments and other open habitats. To assess the likelihood that predation of juvenile native anoles by A. sagrei adults is an important interaction in this process, the propensities for intraguild predation and cannibalism were assessed for A. sagrei and A. carolinensis in Florida and for A. sagrei and A. conspersus in Grand Cayman. Predation experiments were conducted in cages, using freshly captured lizards, in which adult males of each species were presented with conspecific and heterospecific juveniles. Adult A. sagrei were (1) significantly more likely to eat juveniles than were adult A. carolinensis or A. conspersus, and (2) significantly more likely to eat heterospecific than conspecific juveniles, whereas adult A. carolinensis and A. conspersus were not. Thus, the propensity for intraguild predation is asymmetrical in favor of introduced A. sagrei in Florida and Grand Cayman. Further study is needed, however, to determine the importance of intraguild predation under field conditions.