Skip to main content
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Español
  • Site Search
  • Log in
  • Create Account
  • Community
    • Group Rules
    • Join the Community
  • Classroom Resources
  • Teaching Tools
  • Professional Development
  • Partner Content

Effects of Predation on the Niche of Lizards

Image from the activity

Topic

  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Ecology
  • Populations
  • Science Practices
  • Graph Interpretation

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Data Points

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Saved By
19 Users
Share This
View in Spanish

Description

This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study that investigated how a new predator affected the behavior of Bahaman anoles.

Between April 1996 and April 1997, a large lizard called Leiocephalus carinatus colonized a small island in the Bahamas. L. carinatus preys on smaller lizards, including the island’s native anole species Anolis sagrei. Because L. carinatus hunts for prey on the ground, A. sagrei can avoid this predator by perching on the branches of trees or shrubs. The figure shows the average perch height and perch diameter of A. sagrei before and after the colonization of L. carinatus.

The “Educator Materials” document includes a captioned figure, background information, graph interpretation, and discussion questions. The “Student Handout” includes a captioned figure and background information.

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.

Student Learning Targets

  • Analyze and interpret data from a scientific figure. 
  • Examine the impacts of an introduced or invasive species on other species in an ecosystem.

Estimated Time

Within one 50-minute class period.

Key Terms

adaptation, anole, behavioral trait, colonization, introduced species, line graph, predator avoidance

Primary Literature

Schoener, Thomas W., David A. Spiller, and Jonathan Losos. “Predation on a common Anolis lizard: can the food-web effects of a devastating predator be reversed?” Ecological Monographs 73, 3 (2002): 383–407. https://doi.org/10.2307/3100096.

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 02.29.16
Date Updated 09.26.23

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS2-6; SEP2, SEP4, SEP5

AP Biology (2019)

ENE-3.D, IST-5.A, ENE-4.B, SYI-2.A; SP1, SP4

IB Biology (2016)

A.6, C.1

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 1.1, 2.3, 2.6
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-1.A, ERT-2.E, ERT-2.H, SP5

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.1

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9-12.7
Math.S-ID.3, Math.S-IC.1; MP2, MP5

Vision and Change (2009)

CC5; DP2, DP3

Materials

Download Resource Google Folder (Link)
Download Educator Materials (PDF) 1 MB
Download Student Handout (PDF) 777 KB
Download Figure (JPG) 141 KB
Download Educator Materials — Español (PDF) 361 KB
Download Student Handout — Español (PDF) 363 KB
Download Figure — Español (JPG) 57 KB

Explore Related Content

Other Resources About Lizards

Showing of
Image of a researcher holding a lizard
Film Activities
Activity for Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree
Computer illustration of anoles from the video
Animations
Reproductive Isolation and Speciation in Lizards
Picture of an anole
Card Activities
Using DNA to Explore Lizard Phylogeny
Image of an anole from the activity
Phenomenal Images
The Lone Anole
Image from the film of researcher attaching homing device to a lizard.
Scientists at Work
How Lizards Find Their Way Home
Image of a lizard from the activity
Card Activities
Look Who's Coming for Dinner: Selection by Predation
Image of an anole from the film.
Short Films
The Origin of Species: Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree
Photos of four lizards taken from the interactive.
Virtual Labs
Lizard Evolution Virtual Lab
Diagram from the paper
Phenomenal Images
Lizards in Hurricanes
A portion of the image taken from Figure 2
Data Points
Lizards in the Cold

Other Related Resources

Showing of
Sable antelope
Lessons
Scientific Inquiry and Data Analysis Using WildCam Gorongosa
interface image of the population dynamics interactive
Click & Learn
Population Dynamics
Lemming graph from the paper
Data Points
Predator-Prey Relationship Dynamics
Chart from the paper
Data Points
Patterns of Predation
Photo of wildebeest on the Serengeti plain
Phenomenal Images
Wildebeest Populations
Photo of a herd of wildebeest preparing to cross a river.
Case Studies
Population Regulation in the Serengeti
Photo of a lionfish
Click & Learn
Lionfish Invasion: Density-Dependent Population Dynamics
Wildebeest population graph from the interactive
Data Points
Serengeti Wildebeest Population Regulation
Image from the activity
Data Points
Bat Echolocation
Part of a phylogenetic tree with many branches. Some branches are black, and others are orange.
Data Points
Evolution of Ant-Mimicking Beetles
HHMI BioInteractive
  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Our Advisors
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility