invasive – Anole Annals

Imagine being notified that someone is at your door, only to find this friendly fellow on your doorbell!

This is the everyday experience for residents of a lush neighborhood in Tampa, Florida, that have had a rogue Allison’s anole colony pop up and spread across their houses and yards. Many residents love and cherish the beautiful anoles and have been happy to share them with me. So these pictures are the result of this summer’s visits to the colony. Enjoy these beautiful anoles and the stories that come with them!

Having heard about the location, I sent letters to all the homeowners in the area, requesting permission to study the colony. Many homeowners generously allowed me to wander their properties with gates kindly opened for me.

The male above is one of the alpha males near the epicenter. Around 70-80% of the males observed were on houses, instead of trees and bushes as normally expected from an arboreal anole.

The other alpha male of the epicenter is pictured below in the next three pictures.

His territory includes the lily plants where the first anole was spotted by the homeowner in 2017. This is clearly defined as the epicenter, since the rest of the surrounding homeowners said that they did not see the A. allisoni until a year or two later.

Here is his reaction to me getting too close and bothering him.

A female, pictured above warily watching me, is less dressed to impress and more to camouflage.

One of the most common ways for invasive anoles to spread is through the plant trade. Bromeliads, lilies, and other thick shrubs are imported from Cuba or other countries in the Caribbean with anole eggs unknowingly hidden in their leaves and trunks. When the plants arrive and are placed in a lush garden, or kept at a nursery, the eggs hatch and the anoles grow and being to reproduce, starting a new non-native population.

Pictured above is one of the many new arrivals to the colony this season. Eggs are laid from April-October and hatch from May-December.

A male, pictured below, whose territory does not include any houses, but a few trees and a fence, displays and then scurries away to hide in his tree.

Before catching sight of me, he was proudly displaying himself.

After noticing me he escaped into his tree.

Across the street, two anoles mate while clinging to the side of a house. You can see the drastic sexual dimorphism in this species in this picture, as well as the deep blue coloration that comes out in the males while mating or during territorial disputes.

The anoles seem to prefer properties on the block with houses that have rough stucco walls to cling to, for example the beautiful male below. Houses with smooth exterior siding are shunned by A. allisoni at this colony.

The male below is one of my personal favorites at the colony, a male with almost every color of the rainbow! I only saw him during one visit in July, and in my many visits since then, I have not once seen him. Did he leave to find a new territory? Or was he eaten by a predator? I hope to one day see him again.

Above, another alpha male surveys his territory from a branch, and after catching sight of me, decides to leap away and leave the scene.

Video linked below.

He leapt away.

Video linked below.

And then he taunted me in his successful escape.

Another blue male and a female from his territory, a few feet away.

The colony’s active season is between March and September. Outside of these months, the males have subdued colors, remain brown most of the time, and hide in nooks and crannies of the exterior of the houses.

A young male watches me as I take his picture, above. It was a great experience to find one mid-transition from juvenile to adult and see the colors coming in nicely. Sadly, I have not seen this anole either since then.

A male on the northern outskirts of the colony displays from a tree.

A male with some vivid light blue coloration peeks over the top of a fence to spy on me.

This is an interesting observation. Note the markings on this male clinging upside down to the side of a fence. Was he grabbed by a bird or bitten by a rival male? The rounded imprint close to his legs seems to give away some kind of injury.

A vivid green female peers at me inquisitively.

A juvenile popping its head out from a bush.

Usually I was able to spot at least one mating pair on each of my visits.

An interesting observation, this adult male with no blue, only green.

This male has proclaimed himself King of the Gutter, and basks in his territory.

This male is acrobatically clinging upside down to a copper pipe.

It was interesting to see the variety in the blue coloration.

Just a year ago, I believed I would have to journey to Cuba to see these exotic creatures. Little did I know I would be spending the following summer with them without leaving home!

I will return to the colony March 2022 to continue my observations. Follow me on iNaturalist as well for more anole content!

If you’re interested in seeing more Florida Allison’s anoles, please visit my Instagram @dailyanole. Don’t forget to watch my video on this colony as well!

SICB 2020: Brown and Green Anoles Have Similar Activity Levels Across Temperatures

By Chris Thawley

On January 7, 2020

In New Research

Brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) are found in many urban habitats.

Invasive species are a common ecological issue worldwide. In certain situations, they can prey on, outcompete, or otherwise disrupt the ecology of native species, potentially leading to population declines or extirpation.

The brown anole (Anolis sagrei) is native to Cuba and surrounding Caribbean islands, but has been repeatedly introduced to mainland North America via Florida over the past ≈100 years. Brown anoles have continued to spread and now occupy most of Florida, along with areas of the Gulf Coast. These anoles are particularly adept at exploiting urban habitats, such as Houston and New Orleans, where they may attain higher body size and compete with the native green anole (Anolis carolinensis). Brown anoles can outcompete green anoles in habitats such as the ground or lower levels of vegetation, where they can use their larger, more muscular bodies to chase off the native anoles or even prey on young green anoles. While green anole populations are likely not extirpated by brown anoles, they shift their locations higher into vegetation, to avoid competition with brown anoles.

The ability of these species to maximize their activity at different temperatures may play a role in determining the outcomes of interactions between brown and green anoles. While green anoles are present throughout the southeastern US and can tolerate colder temperatures, brown anoles may be ancestrally adapted to higher, more tropical temperatures. Lucy Ryan, a masters student in the Gunderson Lab at Tulane University decided to investigate this possibility by monitoring the activity levels of each species at a variety of different temperatures. The research team hypothesized that, based on their thermal preferences, brown anoles would have higher activity levels than green anoles at both higher temperatures and over a wider range of temperatures. Lucy conducted focal observations of anoles to quantify activities such as feeding, displaying, and moving. They measured the temperature of each anole’s microhabitat with a copper model containing a thermocouple.

Over an 18° C range of temperatures, Ryan found that there was no difference in the activity levels of the two species. These results, while surprising, suggest that effects of temperature on activity are not driving the competitive advantage of brown anoles over green anoles. In fact, since both species’ activity rates peak at similar intermediate temperatures, this situation may increase competition between brown and green anoles. Ryan plans to continue this work through the winter and spring to determine whether there are any species differences over an entire year of activity which may impact this system. Stay tuned and follow them on Twitter!

Green anole activity rate, including dewlap displaying, shows a peak at intermediate temperatures.

Out of Puerto Rico?: A Puerto Rican Anole Hatchling in Need of an ID

By Chris Thawley

On August 27, 2018

In Introduced Anoles, Natural History Observations

The nursery trade is a known vector for many invasive species including anoles. Anoles have quite the affinity for laying eggs in the moist soil of potted plants, which may then be transported to various locations. Indeed, the nursery trade is the suspected vector for introductions to Hawaii and California of A. carolinensis and A. sagrei and likely accelerated their spread within those states. In fact, citizen scientists on iNaturalist document a reasonable number of brown anoles well outside their normal range. These observations have a distribution that suspiciously coincides with locations of Home Depots and Lowes. However, while the nursery trade is a suspected vector for other species of anoles, verified instances of long-distance transport via the trade are fewer and farther between.

An (as yet) unidentified anole hatchling transported from Puerto Rico to Virginia. From user kimjy3 on iNaturalist.org

One recent observation on iNaturalist documented a hatchling anole that popped out of a potted plant shipped from Puerto Rico as the user unwrapped it…in Alexandria, Virginia. Can anyone on Anole Annals having experience with Puerto Rican anoles and their hatchlings help ID this little one? The user reports that the anole does not have blue eyes; instead they are brown or black.

Feel free to add IDs/comments on the iNaturalist observation as well!

Nephila Predation on Brown Anole

By Gabriel Gartner

On September 21, 2013

In Introduced Anoles, Natural History Observations

A brown anole is caught up in the web of an Argiope orb-weaving spider

A brown anole is caught up in the web of an Nephila orb-weaving spider

Anoles eating spiders and spiders turning the table on anoles are well reported in both the literature and here on Anole Annals (1, 2). Recently, biologists Sarah French and Matthew Wolak of UC Riverside encountered this unfortunate Anolis sagrei that had been caught up in the web of an Nephila orb-weaving spider. Here’s what they had to say about the enounter: “We were at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton. Matt & I were walking down the boardwalk, totally creeped out by the abundance of spiders, when we encountered the anole caught in a web. He was still alive, but pretty well caught. The spider didn’t seem entirely sure what to do with it, but she seemed to occasionally bite it, which caused the anole to jerk & thrash about for a few seconds. It was hard not to feel sympathy for the anole, but native species trump exotic, and so we refrained from interfering! (But we also didn’t stick around for too long to watch).”

Invasive Anole Research In Florida

By Amber Brace

On July 9, 2013

In Introduced Anoles

One of the greatest threats to ecosystems is the continued introduction and spread of invasive species, which are commonly introduced to new areas by humans. Invasive species not only threaten nature preserves, but can harm commerce (such as zebra mussels damaging ships, or lionfish devastating fishing grounds) and pose a threat to public health by spreading disease (such as introduced rodents and mosquitoes). However, despite the problems caused by invasive species, we still know surprisingly little about what makes certain species successful in new ranges.

For my dissertation research in the Martin lab at the University of South Florida, I hope to identify the mechanisms that enable these species to survive and spread following an introduction. By identifying some of these mechanisms, we will be able to focus control efforts in a more effective manner by ascertaining which species have this potential. Specifically, I study Anolis sagrei, the brown anole, which is native to Cuba and the Bahamas, but is widespread across Florida where it has displaced the native green anole. My research aims to address if A. sagrei is able to be so successful in its introduced range in Florida because it changes the way it uses dietary resources as it invades new territory. The results of my study will not only fill a gap in the knowledge that we have on a common invasive species in Florida, but will also provide a stepping stone for future research on invasive species from other taxonomic groups.

The scientific community is no exception to having cope with budget cuts. Many labs that have traditionally depended on funding from federal agencies are finding money for research (especially ecological research) harder to come by. That is where the general public comes in. Crowd funding provides an opportunity for the general public to personally contribute to research projects and allows scientists to reach out and bridge the gap between the public and scientific communities. The support I receive from funders will be used to help me travel to different locations across the introduced range of A. sagrei in Florida and for sample processing at the University of South Florida. I will be sampling from sites close to the point of original introduction (Key Largo and Miami-Dade, FL), as well as sites where brown anoles have been reported for less than 20 years.
Please help to support my research: http://rkthb.co/25521
You can also keep up with my research by following me on Twitter @OffbeatScience and visiting my website.