Author: Gregory C. Mayer

I'm a professor of biological sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

A Survey on Surveying Reptiles

On July 18, 2019

Simon Harris, a research student at the University of Gloucestershire, is seeking herpetologists to participate in a survey on the use of artificial hiding places (“refugia”).

Calling on anyone who has ever conducted a reptile survey!
My name is Simon Harris, I'm a research student @uniofglos conducting a survey on the use of artificial refugia in reptle surveying. Would greatly appreciate anybody filling it out.https://t.co/aFULHhm8th

— SimonHarrisHerpetology (@SimonHarrisHer1) September 20, 2018

What he has in mind is the placement of artificial cover on the ground, under which reptiles might seek refuge. I’ve participated in such a study myself, using large plywood boards to sample Butler’s garter snakes (Thamnophis butleri) around Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The method doesn’t seem that propitious for anoles. I can imagine artificial cover on walls or trees being a good technique for geckos– I’ve often surveyed house geckos using existing artificial objects (tapestries, paintings, etc.), but anoles, which were present at all sites surveyed, rarely turned up in a gecko survey. If anyone has ever used such a technique, or a similar one, for anoles, please tell us in the comments, and let us know how it worked. And, since many anologists have broader herpetological experience, if applicable, please fill out Simon’s survey!

Evolution 2019: Miscellanea

By Gregory C. Mayer

On July 11, 2019

In All Posts

There have been lots of posts on the many great anole papers and posters at Evolution 2019, but here are a few of the non-scientific anole-related items from the meetings. First, a group of anolologists gathered at Trattoria Zooma on Federal Hill for lunch, where we feasted on Neapolitan specialties. Thanks to Nick Herrmann for picking the restaurant!

Anolologists gathered at Trattoria Zooma on Federal Hill, Providence, RI, for lunch on 24 June 2019.

Left side, front to back: Sofia Prado-Irwin, Todd Jackman, Jonathan Losos, Greg Mayer, Hannah Frank, Ambika Kamath, Ian Wang, Nick Herrmann. Right side, front to back: Ivan Prates, Chris Schneider, Liam Revell, Kevin AvilésRodriguez, Brian Langerhans, Jason Kolbe, Kristin Winchell, Emmanuel D’Agostino.

And, a closer look at Kristin Winchell’s absolutely fabulous Anolis lineatopus dress, which has already been noted.

Kristin also produced a set of attractive anole (pus one boa) stickers, which she was handing out during her poster session.

And finally, huge props to Jonathan Huie. He gave a nice talk on the ecomorphology of mainland anoles, but what I want to highlight here is that he did so under the most dire circumstances: not just afternoon of the last day, but his slides wouldn’t project! The modern equivalent of the old overturned slide carousel, Jonathan handled the absence of his visuals with aplomb, calmly opening his talk and introducing his topic before an empty screen, as technicians scurried to resuscitate the projection system.

When it seemed that the technicians would fail, I decided to document Jonathan’s admirable handling of the situation, but as I brought out and readied my camera, the slides finally appeared, so the photo below shows Jonathan with one of his slides. (Note the technician still at the podium, and that’s Ivan Prates and Kevin de Queiroz in the slide with Jonathan.) It was 5 minutes into his talk before the slides worked– an eternity for a 12 minute talk with 2 minutes for questions. Jonathan’s an undergraduate, but dealt with adversity like a pro!

JMIH 2016: Rock ‘n’ Bowl Anole

By Gregory C. Mayer

On September 6, 2016

In Introduced Anoles, Notes from the Field

At the JMIH in New Orleans this past July, the 100th anniversary celebration of the ASIH was held at the Rock ‘n’ Bowl, where music, food, drink, dancing, and bowling were enjoyed by all. But for those who were alert on their way in, there was an added bonus: anoles! Or, at least, one anole, spotted by Quynh Quach and corralled by Kristin Winchell.

As other attendees file in, Quynh and Kristin spot their quarry in the bushes.

Taking a picture of the crowd filing in, I serendipitously caught our two intrepid anoleers about to make the catch in the bushes to the right of the entrance. Kristin made the grab, and displayed her catch.

Kristin displays the catch.

It was, of course, Anolis sagrei, the invasive Cuban species which has been spreading through the southeastern US for more than 80 years now. He was a nice-sized adult male, typical of the nominate form that occurs through most of the species’ US range. The edificarian habitat– in bushes at the edge of a parking lot next to a building– is also typical of where invasive sagrei can be found.

Adult male Anolis sagrei, New Orleans, Louisiana, 10 July 2016.

An appreciative crowd gathered.

Eager anolologists immortalize the NOLA anole in pixels.

I was glad to see it, because prior to this I had only seen Anolis carolinensis in New Orleans (more on this in a later post).

Quynh and Kristin show off their catch.

Evolution 2013: Anolologist Diet

By Gregory C. Mayer

On July 8, 2013

In Anole Art, Literature, and Humor

As students of anole biology, we are interested in anoles’ ecological relationships, including what they eat (which apparently includes fingers!). But what do anolologists eat? At the Evolution 2013 meetings, ably covered by Jonathan Losos and Martha Munoz in a series of informative posts from the anole point of view, I was able to obtain photographic evidence. The foraging seems optimal.

Jon Losos at Evolution 2013, displaying food item.

A Brief History of Anoles in Research

By Gregory C. Mayer

On August 26, 2011

In All Posts

The sequencing of the genome of the green anole (Anolis carolinensis) is a landmark in the age of genomics, and a highpoint in the annals of anole studies. It is the first complete genome sequence of a reptile, and a great step forward in the development of comparative genomics. Results are already coming in: Matthew Fujita, Scott Edwards and Chris Ponting have a paper in press in Genome Biology and Evolution, using an earlier release of the anole genome, showing that the green anole genome lacks the large guanine-cytosine rich regions (called isochores) that are characteristic of birds and mammals. Is this lack unique to the green anole, or a feature of some larger group? We don’t know, of course, because the green anole is the first non-avian/non-mammalian amniote to be sequenced, but it is a hint of new things to come. As Rich Glor put it in his commentary here at Anole Annals,

Fujita et al.’s work is a good example of the insight offered by comparative genome sequencing; as the number of available genomes expands, this work is sure to continue to challenge overly simplistic assumptions about genome architecture and evolution derived from biased sampling of the tree of life.

Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis, New Orleans, LA. Note the expanded subdigital toepads.

So why was an anole chosen to be the first reptile sequenced? The short answer is that, among a small group of candidate species of reptiles announced by the NIH in May of 2005, the response of the biological community favored the green anole over the garter snake. But the longer answer includes why the community preferred the green anole: it has long been the subject of diverse physiological, behavioral, ecological, and other studies (a “model” organism in the functional biology sense), and, more importantly, anoles in general have been favored and favorable materials for a diverse array of physiological, behavioral, ecological, evolutionary, and zoogeographic studies over many decades. The goal of this post is to review a bit of the rich history of anole studies to provide some background on why so many researchers have found anoles to be vastly interesting animals.

NOLA ANOLE

By Gregory C. Mayer

On January 30, 2011

In Notes from the Field

During a visit to New Orleans last month , I came across this little fellow.

Young male Anolis carolinensis, Washington Square, New Orleans, 30 December 2010

He was about 2 feet up on some broad-leaved plants planted around a tree in Washington Park, at the corner of Frenchmen and Royal Streets in Faubourg Marigny, just east of the French Quarter. Here’s an overview of the Square looking east, taken from about where the lizard was found.

Washington Square, New Orleans, 30 December 2010

I was actually a little surprised to find carolinensis, rather than sagrei. Anolis sagrei is well known as a good colonizer, both natural and introduced, and is now known from Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana, with stragglers reported as far north as Virginia. I was once given a tiny baby anole that was caught on a windowsill in Cambridge, Massachusetts (!) that I believe was this species; it had probably arrived as an egg in the soil of a houseplant.