HABITAT USE AND ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS OF AN INTRODUCED AND A NATIVESPECIES OF ANOLIS LIZARD ON GRAND CAYMAN, WITH A REVIEW OF THE OUTCOMES OF ANOLE INTRODUCTIONS
Jb. Losos et al., HABITAT USE AND ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS OF AN INTRODUCED AND A NATIVESPECIES OF ANOLIS LIZARD ON GRAND CAYMAN, WITH A REVIEW OF THE OUTCOMES OF ANOLE INTRODUCTIONS, Oecologia, 95(4), 1993, pp. 525-532
Since its introduction ten years ago, Anolis sagrei has spread over mu
ch of Grand Cayman and is now more common in some habitats than the na
tive anole, A. conspersus. Interspecific differences in body size, per
ch height, and microclimatic preference may have facilitated the colon
ization. Nonetheless, competition may be occurring between the species
; comparisons with studies of habitat use prior to the arrival of A. s
agrei indicate that in open habitats, where A. sagrei is now abundant,
A. conspersus perches higher, but in closed habitats, where A. sayrei
is absent, no change in perch height is evident. Review of data conce
rning 23 Anolis introductions indicates that the presence or absence o
f an ecologically similar native species may be an important determina
nt of colonization success or failure.