Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
E-ISSN: 1939-9170|55|3|525-537
ISSN: 0012-9658
Source: Ecology, Vol.55, Iss.3, 1974-05, pp. : 525-537
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Abstract
Populations of Anolis acutus, the only anole on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, were studied for three years. A mark and resight method, used to estimate population size, was tested twice by capturing the entire population studied; the error in estimating the adult population was 3% and 13%. Structural and climatic habitats, diurnal activity, distance to nearest neighbor, migration, survival, and homing were also studied. The species has one of the densest lizard populations known, at one locality an average of 0.4 lizards/m2–density ranged 2,000—5,600 lizards/ha, biomass 13—23 kg/ha. A single tree may have a population of 80 adult lizards and a biomass of 300 g. Anolis acutus has a broader structural habitat than other solitary anoles, occupying a range of perches from near ground level to the tops of the highest trees. The lizards are active from before sunrise to after sunset with no peaks of activity or basking behavior. Territories are small; they mean distance to nearest neighbor was 1.5 m for males, 0.7 m for females, and 0.5 m for male—female pairs. The mean survival over 12 mo was 12% for adult males and 37% for adult females. Adult males homed rapidly; 50% returned when displaced 71—90 m. Migration rate of adults is low. Attempts to relocate adults were unsuccessful since the lizards deserted the new site. Adults are sedentary and once having established a territory on a tree rarely move from that tree. Immigration into a tree devoid of resident lizards is primarily by juveniles. The habibat partitioning results from the adults excluding juveniles from trees. Egg and/or juvenile mortality may function to regulate the population size.
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