I am most interested in understanding how different species of lizards live together. Specifically, I research the ecological mechanisms that facilitate coexistence and the subsequent evolutionary consequences. I am a post-doc in the Losos Lab at Washington University in St. Louis. Website: www.jamesTstroud.com
In Journal of Helminthology Helminths associated with Norops fuscoauratus (Squamata, Dactyloidae) in highland marshes of the Brazilian semi-arid
J.M. dos Santos Mesquita, S.S. de Oliveira, R. Perez, R.W. Ávila
Summary
Helminthological studies may contribute with valuable information on host biology and conservation. Herein, we provide new data on helminths infecting the lizard Norops fuscoauratus, testing one of the factors considered most important in parasitic ecology: host size. We analysed 25 specimens of N. fuscoauratus from three highland marshes in the Brazilian semi-arid. Eight taxa of helminths belonging to Nematoda, Trematoda and Acanthocephala were found. Physaloptera sp. showed the higher prevalence (40%), with a mean intensity of infection of 3.3 ± 1.46 (1–16) and mean abundance 1.32 ± 0.65 (0–16). Norops fuscoauratus represents four new host records for the helminths Cyrtosomum sp., Pharyngodon travassosi, Strongyloides sp. and Centrorhynchus sp. There is no relationship of host body size (P = 0.79) and mass (P = 0.50) with parasite richness. In addition, the present study contributes to the knowledge of the parasitic fauna of N. fuscoauratus and the Neotropical region.
In Hormones and Behavior Arginine vasotocin impacts chemosensory behavior during social interactions of Anolis carolinensis lizards
Stephanie M. Campos, Valentina Rojas, Walter Wilczynski
Summary In reptiles, arginine vasotocin (AVT) impacts the performance of and response to visual social signals, but whether AVT also operates within the chemosensory system as arginine vasopressin (AVP) does in mammals is unknown, despite social odors being potent modifiers of competitive and appetitive behavior in reptiles. Here, we ask whether elevated levels of exogenous AVT impact rates of chemical display behavior (e.g. tongue flicks) in adult males, and whether conspecific males or females can chemically discriminate between competitor males based on differing levels of exogenous AVT in green anoles (Anolis carolinensis). We injected wild-caught green anole males with either AVT (AVT-Males) or a vehicle control (CON-Males) solution, then presented treated males with a conspecific stimulus (Intruder-Male or Intruder-Female) and filmed 30-minute interactions. We found that AVT-Males were faster than CON-Males to perform a tongue flick to conspecifics, and faster to chemically display toward Intruder-Females, suggesting AVT increased male interest in available chemical information during social encounters. Intruders performed more lip smack behavior when interacting with AVT-Males than with CON-Males, and Intruder-Males performed more tongue flick behavior when interacting with AVT-Males than with CON-Males, suggesting anoles can discriminate between conspecifics based on exogenous AVT levels. We also found a reduction in Intruder movement behavior when Intruders were paired with AVT-Males. This study provides empirical support for AVT-mediated chemosensory behavior in reptilian social interactions, in a microsmatic lizard species, suggesting the mechanism by which mammalian AVP and non-mammalian AVT mediate chemosensory behavior during social interactions may be evolutionarily conserved.
Communicating anole science to the public recently reached dizzy new heights as anoles were immortalized in a New York Times cartoon!
“Scientists studying lizards in the Americas found that populations in regions battered by hurricanes have larger toe pads that help them hang on in high wind. It’s proof that extreme weather events can alter the course of a species.” Artist: James Yang
The cartoon was published in relation to a recent study in PNAS investigating how hurricanes may drive the evolution of anole toepads by Colin Donihue et al.
Another one bites the dust for Team Anole! The cover image of the most recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is a beautiful green anole (Anolis carolinensis), which accompanies a study in the same issueinvestigating the evolutionary effects of hurricanes on anole toepads by Colin Donihue et al.
Congrats too to Neil Losin for taking this fabulous photo!
Donihue, C.M., Kowaleski, A.M., Losos, J.B., Algar, A.C., Baeckens, S., Buchkowski, R.W., Fabre, A.C., Frank, H.K., Geneva, A.J., Reynolds, R.G., Stroud, J.T., Velasco, J.A., Kolbe, J.J., Mahler, D.M., Herrel, A. 2020. Hurricane effects on Neotropical lizards span geographic and phylogenetic scales. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117 (19): 10429-10434
Writing in Biology Letters recently, Alex Gunderson (Tulane University) leads a study revealing that incubation temperature does not underlie the thermal tolerance limits of resulting lizards; individuals which hatch from eggs incubated in hot conditions are not able to withstand hotter air temperatures as adults, relative to lizards hatched from cooler incubation temperatures. A preliminary discussion of the relationship between incubation conditions and adult thermal physiology was put forward as a potential explanation for observed divergence in thermal physiology between crested anoles (A. cristatellus) in Puerto Rico and an introduced population in Miami, Florida USA (Leal & Gunderson 2012), “Additional studies are needed to explore the possibility that incubation temperature can influence the [thermal tolerance limits] CTmin of A. cristatellus.” Below is the abstract and the main figure from the paper, enjoy!
Abstract
Extreme heat events are becoming more common as a result of anthropogenic global change. Developmental plasticity in physiological thermal limits could help mitigate the consequences of thermal extremes, but data on the effects of early temperature exposure on thermal limits later in life are rare, especially for vertebrate ectotherms. We conducted an experiment that to our knowledge is the first to isolate the effect of egg (i.e. embryonic) thermal conditions on adult heat tolerance in a reptile. Eggs of the lizard Anolis sagrei were incubated under one of three fluctuating thermal regimes that mimicked natural nest environments and differed in mean and maximum temperatures. After emergence, all hatchlings were raised under common garden conditions until reproductive maturity, at which point heat tolerance was measured. Egg mortality was highest in the warmest treatment, and hatchlings from the warmest treatment tended to have greater mortality than those from the cooler treatments. Despite evidence that incubation temperatures were stressful, we found no evidence that incubation treatment influenced adult heat tolerance. Our results are consistent with a low capacity for organisms to increase their physiological heat tolerance via plasticity, and emphasize the importance of behavioural and evolutionary processes as mechanisms of resilience to extreme heat.
Eggs at different temperatures did not produce adults capable of tolerating different temperatures. Here, Fig 1. shows the upper limits of heat tolerance of adult brown anoles (A. sagrei) hatched from eggs incubated under different thermal treatments.
Leal, M. and Gunderson, A.R., 2012. Rapid change in the thermal tolerance of a tropical lizard. The American Naturalist, 180(6), pp.815-822.
Gunderson, A.R., Fargevieille, A. and Warner, D.A., 2020. Egg incubation temperature does not influence adult heat tolerance in the lizard Anolis sagrei. Biology Letters, 16(1), p.20190716.
In reporting a case of tail bifurcation in a Bahamian brown anole (A. sagrei) from south Eluethera, Sebastian Hoefer and Nathan Robinson (The Cape Eleuthera Island School), write in Herpetology Notes proposing so!
“Another interesting observation was that this individual was particularly easy to capture and did not attempt to escape. The lack of avoidance could be explained by the anole being stunned due to stress at the time of capture. Alternatively, it could be that multiple tails infer higher energetic costs than a single tail. In turn, this could negatively affect the individual’s activity patterns or ability to avoid predators.”
Hoefer, S. and Robinson, N.J., 2020. Tail bifurcation in a Brown Anole, Anolis sagrei (Duméril & Bibron, 1837). Herpetology Notes, 13, pp.333-335.
Give the elaborate and charistmatic behaviours of our favourite lizards — anoles — many researchers have attempted to piece apart the intricacies of anole social dynamics. In a recent study in Zoology, Glenn Borgmans (University of Antwerp) tests whether dominant adult male American green anoles (A. carolinensis) – dominant in relation to other males – are actually at an advantage, for example by establishing priority access to food or other resources, or if risks associated with being the big boss in town outweigh any perceived benefits, like an increased likelihood of injury due to aggressive male-male interactions. You can read all about it here!
Abstract
Male Anolis carolinensis lizards will fight and form social dominance hierarchies when placed in habitats with limited resources. Dominance may procure benefits such as priority access to food, shelter or partners, but may also come with costs, such as a higher risk of injuries due to aggressive interaction, a higher risk of predation or a higher energetic cost, all of which may lead to an increase in stress. While most research looks at dominance by using dyadic interactions, in our study we investigated the effect of dominance in a multiple male group of A. carolinensis lizards. Our results showed that dominant males in a multiple male group had priority access to prey and potential sexual partners but may run a higher risk of predation. We could not confirm that dominant males in a multiple male group had a higher risk of injuries from aggressive interactions or a higher energetic cost by being dominant. Overall our results seem to indicate that dominant male A. carolinensis lizards in a multiple male group obtain clear benefits and that they outweigh the disadvantages.
Dominant lizards ate more food items (left; A) and hid less (right; B) than more submissive individuals.
Borgmans, G., Van den Panhuyzen, S. and Van Damme, R., 2020. The (dis) advantages of dominance in a multiple male group of Anolis carolinensis lizards. Zoology, 139, p.125747.
Just over 3 weeks ago a wild cold front swept through Florida, bring a decade-low temperature to the subtropical region. The National Weather Service released the following warning:
But what about the anoles?! Did any of our Floridian AA readers snap a pic of a cold-stunned anole on 22nd Jan? We would love to see it!
Recently, the guys over at SquaMates Podcast — a podcast about all things herpetological — asked if I would be interested in joining them for a special episode on anoles to discuss the recent Anolis Newsletter VII. The podcast is hosted by Mark D. Sherz, Ethan Kocak, and Gabriel Ugueto, who was responsible for the wonderful drawing which graced the cover of ANVII.
The Anole Special, “Episode 8: The Last Anole”, has just gone live and you can listen to it at the link below. Here’s hoping the title isn’t true and there are many more anole episodes to come in the future!
Following on from the last Anolis Symposium, held at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, Miami FL, from 17-18 March 2018, we solicited submissions for the next issue of the Anolis Newsletter. We now finally have them all together! The newsletter represents an informal forum for the presentation of data and discussion of theory relevant to anoles. It serves three functions: to allow investigators to inform others of their current and future research; to provide an outlet for speculation and theoretical musings perhaps inappropriate for publication in more formal venues; and to give an opportunity to present data and ideas that otherwise might never be distributed. As with previous newsletters, there is a general request that nothing said herein be quoted without the authors’ express permission.
Spanning 333 pages, including 47 separate articles, I can now bring you the Anolis Newsletter VII!
Here’s a rundown of the articles included in Edition VII:
Yasel U. Alfonso and Dennis D. Ávila
Ectoparasite-host relationships: a case study of Anolis lizard ecomorphs on southeastern Cuba
Yasel U. Alfonso, Javier Torre, and Daniel J. Paluh
The bizarre false-chameleons (clade Chamaeleolis, Anolis) from Cuba
Andrew C. Battles How do anoles respond to urbanization? A summary of Ph.D. research on ecology and thermal biology in Anolis in Miami, FL
Winter A. Beckles
Variation in habitat lighting may mediate the persistence of dewlap color polymorphism
in South Florida bark anoles
Tom W. Brown
Conservation concerns for loyal lizards: Habitat specificity, site fidelity, a localised territory and in-situ growth rates for Anolis bicaorum (Squamata; Dactyloidae), endemic to Isla de Utila, Honduras
Stephanie L. Clements, Shantel Catania, and Christopher A. Searcy
Non-native species dominate herpetofaunal community patterns in both native and non-native habitat patches in urban Miami-Dade County
Rachel E. Cohen
Anole behavioral neuroendocrinology.
Jens De Meyer, Colin M. Donihue, Daniel Scantlebury, Julienne Ng, Rich E. Glor, Jonathan B. Losos, and Anthony J. Geneva
Protocol for setting up and rearing a successful lizard room
Colin M. Donihue and Anthony Herrel
A report on Anolis nubilus from the now rat-free island of Redonda
J. Sean Doody, Sean Sullivan, and Deby Cassill
Plasticity in hatching of anoles
Claire Dufour
Ongoing and future research on Anolis
A. C. Echternacht Anolis research in the Echternacht Lab
Sean T. Giery and James T. Stroud
Geographic variation in trophic ecology of the Brown anole (Anolis sagrei): species-rich
communities are composed of more diverse populations
Joshua M. Hall, Timothy S. Mitchell, and Daniel A. Warner
The brown anole (Anolis sagrei) as a model for studying life-history adaptation to seasonality
Emma A. Higgins, Adam C. Algar, and Doreen S. Boyd
Revealing controls on abundance and microhabitat use of Anolis lizards in a changing
island landscape using airborne remote sensing
Michele A. Johnson
The potential for large-scale behavioral studies: A call to Anolis field biologists
Janson Jones
Beneath the Spanish moss: Growing up with Anolis in Florida. A photographic naturalist’s perspective
Masakado Kawata
Collaborative research projects on Anolis lizards in Cuba
Oriol Lapiedra
The ecological and evolutionary consequences of behavior in a changing Planet
Oliver Ljustina and James T. Stroud
Little evidence for size-structured habitat use in a diverse Anolis community
Michael L. Logan
Using transplant experiments to understand adaptation and speciation in anoles
Jonathan B. Losos Anolis research in the Losos Lab
Inbar Maayan
A case study of character displacement and phylogeography of Jamaican anoles
D. Catalina Mantilla, Samuel D. Morales, Rafael Parra-Medina, and James T. Stroud
Histopathology of large epidermal cysts on the invasive Puerto Rican Crested Anole
(Anolis cristatellus) in Miami, Florida, USA
Gregory C. Mayer and Tony Gamble
Using archival DNA to elucidate anole phylogeny
Gregory C. Mayer and Jonathan B. Losos
Anoles not found
Walter E. Meshaka, Jr
The winds of stability: A south Florida residential Anolis assemblage over time
Walter E. Meshaka, Jr
What are the ecological costs and benefits to northern geographic expansion by a
successful anole?
Tim Mitchell
A call for more long-term studies of plasticity in anoles
Caitlin C. Mothes, James T. Stroud, Stephanie L. Clements, and Christopher A. Searcy
Predicting the invasion dynamics of anoles (and other lizards) using ecological niche
modeling
Julienne Ng, Daniel J. MacGuigan, Audrey L. Kelly, and Richard E. Glor
Do male-male interactions drive changes in dewlap size?
Stuart V. Nielsen, Aaron M. Bauer, and Tony Gamble
Natural History Note: Anolis sagrei foraging on a patch of obvious prey
Joanna Palade, Kenro Kusumi, Alan Rawls, and Jeanne Wilson-Rawls
Satellite cells demonstrate expanded musculoskeletal potential
Ivan Prates
Using mainland anole genomes to understand habitat shifts through time
Ashley M. Rasys, James D. Lauderdale, and Douglas B. Menke
Establishment of genome editing methods in Anolis sagrei
Liam J. Revell
Can we detect differences in the rate of discrete character evolution between clades of
anoles?
M. Christine Rose-Smyth
Role of a sweet-toothed anole (Anolis conspersus) in orchid pollination
James T. Stroud
Using introduced anoles as natural experiments in ecology and evolution
James T. Stroud
Thoughts on the ecology and evolution of anoles; insights from 5 years of meandering
strolls
Lindsey Swierk
Ongoing research on the ecology and behavior of Anolis aquaticus
Sarin (Putter) Tiatragul and Daniel A. Warner
Beating the Heat: nest characteristics of anoles across suburban and forest habitats in
South Miami
Javier Torres
Sterility in odd-looking Anolis mestrei (Dactyloidae) living in sympatry with trunkground
anoles
Nathan W. Turnbough
Are anole appetites altering ambient ant assemblages?
Kamau Walker, Andrew C. Battles, and James T. Stroud
Inter-specific predation bteween two eco-morphologically similar Anolis lizards
Kristin M. Winchell
Urban habitats: A natural experiment perfect for anoles
Amber N. Wright
Some thoughts on the use of experimental enclosures for studying anoles
Cindy Xu, Elizabeth D. Hutchins, Minami A. Tokuyama, Jason M. Newbern, and Kenro Kusumi
Identifying molecular and cellular mechanisms of tail regeneration in anoles
