Natural history of an anoline lizard community in the Sierra de Baoruco, Dominican Republic

In June 1999, we examined diet, structural habitat, thermal biology, and re lative population sizes in a community of Anolis lizards at an elevation of approximately 900 m in an agriculturally modified habitat in the Sierra de Baoruco, Dominican Republic. Anolis bahorucoensis was the most commonly en countered species in forest interior and edge habitats. Anolis cybotes was more abundant than A. distichus in the forest interior, but the latter was more numerous along edges. Anolis coelestinus was rare in both habitat situ ations. Structural habitats used by the species was consistent with expecta tions based on ecomorphology. Cloacal temperatures of the four species were significantly higher than air or substrate temperatures but varied accordi ng to ambient conditions. Temperatures of A. bahorucoensis were significant ly lower than those of the other three species. The four species consumed m ostly arthropods, and dietary niche breadths of all but A. distichus genera lly supported assumptions that most anoles are dietary generalists. A dispr oportionate fraction of the diet of A. distichus consisted of ants. Data ge nerally conform to those of studies of communities of similar composition a t lower and higher elevations, although the rarity of A. coelestinus at thi s site and the abundance of A. bahorucoensis along exposed edges was unexpe cted.