Effects of Predation on the Niche of Lizards

Resource Type
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
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)
Version History
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