Anoles of St. Vincent (Squamata: Polychrotidae): Population Densities and Structural Habitat Use

Hite, Jessica L.; Gómez, Carlos Andrés Rodríguez; Larimer, Samantha C.; Díaz-Lameiro, Alondra M.; Powell, Robert

doi:10.18475/cjos.v44i1.a11

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This is not surprising given that anoles are good dispersers and that population densities, especially in the Lesser Antilles, can be extraordinarily high; more than 32,000 individuals per hectare have been estimated for A. trinitatis from St. Vincent (Hite et al . ). Thus, all indications are that phenotypic divergence among subspecies on Grande Terre occurred due to divergent selection in primary contact.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Finally, there is no sign of a population bottleneck or founder event, and the ancestral population size for these subspecies is inferred to be large, with N e estimated at 369,000 individuals. This is not surprising given that anoles are good dispersers and that population densities, especially in the Lesser Antilles, can be extraordinarily high; more than 32,000 individuals per hectare have been estimated for A. trinitatis from St. Vincent (Hite et al 2008). Thus, all indications are that phenotypic divergence among subspecies on Grande Terre occurred due to divergent selection in primary contact.…”

Section: The History Of Divergence Among Subspeciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Divergence in coloration and ecological speciation in the Anolis marmoratus species complex

et al. 2013

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Adaptive divergence in coloration is expected to produce reproductive isolation in species that use colourful signals in mate choice and species recognition. Indeed, many adaptive radiations are characterized by differentiation in colourful signals, suggesting that divergent selection acting on coloration may be an important component of speciation. Populations in the Anolis marmoratus species complex from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe display striking divergence in the colour and pattern of adult males that occurs over small geographic distances, suggesting strong divergent selection. Here we test the hypothesis that divergence in coloration results in reduced gene flow among populations. We quantify variation in adult male coloration across a habitat gradient between mesic and xeric habitats, use a multilocus coalescent approach to infer historical demographic parameters of divergence, and examine gene flow and population structure using microsatellite variation. We find that colour variation evolved without geographic isolation and in the face of gene flow, consistent with strong divergent selection and that both ecological and sexual selection are implicated. However, we find no significant differentiation at microsatellite loci across populations, suggesting little reproductive isolation and high levels of contemporary gene exchange. Strong divergent selection on loci affecting coloration probably maintains clinal phenotypic variation despite high gene flow at neutral loci, supporting the notion of a porous genome in which adaptive portions of the genome remain fixed whereas neutral portions are homogenized by gene flow and recombination. We discuss the impact of these findings for studies of colour evolution and ecological speciation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: The History Of Divergence Among Subspeciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergence in coloration and ecological speciation in the Anolis marmoratus species complex

et al. 2013

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“…Corallus did occur at multiple sites and in a variety of habitats on Union, but nowhere did we encounter snakes in numbers comparable to many sites on Grenada and St. Vincent (for C. cookii Harris et al (2004) reported anoline densities of 6,490-15,090/ha (A. aeneus and A. richardii combined) on Grenada, and Hite et al (2008) reported densities of 7,680-32,867/ha (A. trinitatis and A. griseus combined) on St. Vincent. These are many times greater than the densities recorded for A. aeneus on Union (0-450/ha), although differences in methods might account for some of the disparities in densities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

A Rapid Assessment of Reptilian Diversity on Union Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

McTaggart

Quinn

Parmerlee

et al. 2011

South American Journal of Herpetology

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Union Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (8.4 km 2 ) has an unusually diverse reptilian fauna for such a small area, but lacks native or well-established introduced amphibians. In June 2010, we conducted a rapid assessment of 10 sites (coastal or with some variation of dry forest habitats) chosen on the basis of vegetative complexity, height and extent of canopy, and degree of human disturbance. We encountered 10 of the 15 species recorded from Union, missing only a few secretive litter-dwelling or fossorial forms and a recently introduced species for which the current status is unknown. Shannon-Weiner indices of diversity were negatively correlated with vegetative complexity, but the density of Anolis aeneus, the most frequently encountered species, was positively correlated with complexity. We supplemented the rapid assessment with visual surveys for Corallus grenadensis, an arboreal boid, smaller individuals of which feed largely on anoles. Encounter rates for C. grenadensis were not correlated with anoline densities, which we attribute to the relative paucity of both snakes and their prey on a small, dry island.

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“…The increased relative abundance of Anolis starting at 7000 yr could be a signal of ecological release in the fossil record, although it is difficult to say with confidence due to the limited number of stratigraphic levels containing Leiocephalus. Yet the high densities that anoles reach in the Lesser Antilles, as high as 32,867/ha on St. Vincent (Hite et al, 2008), could be a recent phenomenon catalyzed by extinction events, synonymous to the removal of keystone species at ecological and geological timescales (Paine, 1969;Sallan et al, 2011).…”

Section: Stratigraphicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Holocene turnover, followed by Stability, in a Caribbean lizard assemblage

Kemp

Hadly

2016

Quat. res.

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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.

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Anoles of St. Vincent (Squamata: Polychrotidae): Population Densities and Structural Habitat Use

Cited by 9 publications

References 22 publications

Divergence in coloration and ecological speciation in the Anolis marmoratus species complex

Divergence in coloration and ecological speciation in the Anolis marmoratus species complex

A Rapid Assessment of Reptilian Diversity on Union Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Early Holocene turnover, followed by Stability, in a Caribbean lizard assemblage

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