An experimental evaluation of foraging decisions in urban and natural forest populations of Anolis lizards

Chejanovski, Zachary A.; Avilés‐Rodríguez, Kevin J.; Lapiedra, Oriol; Preisser, Evan L.; Kolbe, Jason J.

doi:10.1007/s11252-017-0654-5

Cited by 43 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Therefore, it was hypothesized that urban lizards should take more risks and act less neophobic during foraging compared to rural conspecifics, but no significant differences in behaviour were found between urban and rural lizards. The few previous studies on boldness and risk‐taking in urban lizards have yielded mixed results (Chejanovski et al., ; Lapiedra et al., ; Moule et al., ; Pellitteri‐Rosa et al., ). Most studies on birds and mammals, however, seem to confirm that urban animals are indeed bolder (Charmantier, Demeyrier, Lambrechts, Perret, & Grégoire, ; Evans et al., ; Lowry et al., ; Miranda et al., ; but see Seress, Bókony, Heszberger, & Liker, ; Valcarcel & Fernández‐Juricic, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, some species have adapted to life in the city and now thrive in urban environments, although requiring specific behavioural adjustments (Audet, Ducatez, & Lefebvre, ; Lowry, Lill, & Wong, ; Sol et al., ). Similar to islands, it has been suggested that predation pressure in urban areas is low, as many of the normal predators will either be absent (Candler & Bernal, ; Faeth et al., ; Sol et al., ; Valcarcel & Fernández‐Juricic, ) or will have shifted to anthropogenic food sources (Chejanovski, Avilés‐Rodríguez, Lapiedra, Preisser, & Kolbe, ). Urban animals can therefore afford being bolder, which has been demonstrated in species of various taxa (see Miranda et al., for a review).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Urban birds and mammals generally behave bolder, while Chejanovski et al. () found urban anoles to be more shy in a foraging context compared to conspecifics from a nearby forest. Moule, Michelangeli, Thompson and Chapple () found no differences in exploratory behaviour and risk‐taking between urban and rural skinks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hunt or hide: How insularity and urbanization affect foraging decisions in lizards

et al. 2018

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Foraging decisions should reflect a balance between costs and benefits of alternative strategies. Predation risk and resource availability in the environment may be crucial in deciding how cautious individuals should behave during foraging. These costs and benefits will vary in time and context, meaning that animals should be able to adjust their foraging behaviour to new or altered environments. Studying how animals do this is essential to understand their survival in these environments. In this study, we investigated the effect of both insularity and urbanization on risk‐taking and neophobia during foraging in the Dalmatian wall lizard (Podarcis melisellensis). Small islets tend to have both a lower number of predators and less resources. Therefore, islet populations were expected to show more risk‐taking behaviour and less neophobia in a foraging context. Previous studies on behaviour of urban lizards have yielded inconsistent results, but due to a lack of both predators and arthropod prey in urban habitats, we expected urban lizards to also take more risks and behave less neophobic. We sampled several inhabited and uninhabited locations on Vis (Croatia) and surrounding islets. Risk‐taking behaviour was tested by measuring the latency of lizards to feed in the presence of a predator model, and neophobia by measuring the latency to feed in the presence of a novel object. We found that islet lizards do indeed take more risks and were less vigilant, but not less neophobic. Urban and rural lizards did not differ in any of these behaviours, which is in sharp contrast with previous work on mammals and birds. The behavioural differences between islet and island lizards were novel, but not unexpected findings and are in line with the theory of “island tameness”. The effect of urbanization on the behaviour of animals seems to be more complex and might vary among taxa.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hunt or hide: How insularity and urbanization affect foraging decisions in lizards

et al. 2018

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“…It is important to note that while costs of thermoregulation may be lower in urban sites, Basson, Levy, Angilletta, and Clusella‐Trullas () showed that even in a low‐quality thermal habitat with high thermoregulatory costs in the laboratory, Cordylus lizards prioritized maintaining T b within T pref . It may be necessary to maintain warmer body temperatures that confer higher activity in urban habitats in the Miami area, even if costly, to successfully compete with multiple other introduced and native anoles (Kolbe et al, ), or manage urban predation pressure (Chejanovski, Avilés‐Rodríguez, Lapiedra, Preisser, & Kolbe, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Miami heat: Urban heat islands influence the thermal suitability of habitats for ectotherms

Battles

Kolbe

2018

Global Change Biology

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The urban heat island effect, where urban areas exhibit higher temperatures than less‐developed suburban and natural habitats, occurs in cities across the globe and is well understood from a physical perspective and at broad spatial scales. However, very little is known about how thermal variation caused by urbanization influences the ability of organisms to live in cities. Ectotherms are sensitive to environmental changes that affect thermal conditions, and therefore, increased urban temperatures may pose significant challenges to thermoregulation and alter temperature‐dependent activity. To evaluate whether these changes to the thermal environment affect the persistence and dispersal of ectothermic species in urban areas, we studied two species of Anolis lizards (Anolis cristatellus and Anolis sagrei) introduced to Miami‐Dade County, FL, USA, where they occur in both urban and natural habitats. We calculated canopy openness and measured operative temperature (Te), which estimates the distribution of body temperatures in a non‐thermoregulating population, in four urban and four natural sites. We also captured lizards throughout the day and recorded their internal body temperature (Tb). We found that urban areas had more open canopies and higher Te compared to natural habitats. Laboratory trials showed that A. cristatellus preferred lower temperatures than A. sagrei. Urban sites currently occupied by each species appear to lower thermoregulatory costs for both species, but only A. sagreihad field Tb that were more often within their preferred temperature range in urban habitats compared to natural areas. Furthermore, based on available Te within each species' preferred temperature range, urban sites with only A. sagrei appear less suitable for A. cristatellus, whereas natural sites with only A. cristatellus are less suitable for A. sagrei. These results highlight how the thermal properties of urban areas contribute to patterns of persistence and dispersal, particularly relevant for studying species invasions worldwide.

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“…In addition, native reptiles might be particularly resistant to human land use. For instance, urban anole populations can even develop a better body condition than conspecific forest populations (Chejanovski, Avilés‐Rodríguez, Lapiedra, Preisser, & Kolbe, ). However, given the highly significant positive association of native abundances with forest habitat, forest‐living likely presents optimal conditions for native species, and it is deforestation that reduces population numbers rather than purely the addition of man‐made substrates (Shochat et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human land use promotes the abundance and diversity of exotic species on Caribbean islands

Jesse

Behm

Helmus

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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Human land use causes major changes in species abundance and composition, yet native and exotic species can exhibit different responses to land use change. Native populations generally decline in human-impacted habitats while exotic species often benefit. In this study, we assessed the effects of human land use on exotic and native reptile diversity, including functional diversity, which relates to the range of habitat use strategies in biotic communities. We surveyed 114 reptile communities from localities that varied in habitat structure and human impact level on two Caribbean islands, and calculated species richness, overall abundance, and evenness for every plot. Functional diversity indices were calculated using published trait data, which enabled us to detect signs of trait filtering associated with impacted habitats. Our results show that environmental variation among sampling plots was explained by two Principal Component Analysis (PCA) ordination axes related to habitat structure (i.e., forest or nonforest) and human impact level (i.e., addition of man-made constructions such as roads and buildings). Several diversity indices were significantly correlated with the two PCA axes, but exotic and native species showed opposing responses. Native species reached the highest abundance in forests, while exotic species were absent in this habitat. Human impact was associated with an increase in exotic abundance and species richness, while native species showed no significant associations. Functional diversity was highest in nonforested environments on both islands, and further increased on St. Martin with the establishment of functionally unique exotic species in nonforested habitat. Habitat structure, rather than human impact, proved to be an important agent for environmental filtering of traits, causing divergent functional trait values across forested and nonforested environments. Our results illustrate the importance of considering various elements of land use when studying its impact on species diversity and the establishment and spread of exotic species.

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An experimental evaluation of foraging decisions in urban and natural forest populations of Anolis lizards

Cited by 43 publications

References 71 publications

Hunt or hide: How insularity and urbanization affect foraging decisions in lizards

Hunt or hide: How insularity and urbanization affect foraging decisions in lizards

Miami heat: Urban heat islands influence the thermal suitability of habitats for ectotherms

Human land use promotes the abundance and diversity of exotic species on Caribbean islands

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