Establishment of brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) across a southern California county and potential interactions with a native lizard species

PeerJ
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Abstract

The brown anole, Anolis sagrei, is a native species to the Caribbean; however, A. sagrei has invaded multiple parts of the USA, including Florida, Louisiana, Hawai’i and more recently California. The biological impacts of A. sagrei invading California are currently unknown. Evidence from the invasion in Taiwan shows that they spread quickly and when immediate action is not taken eradication stops being a viable option. In Orange County, California, five urban sites, each less than 100 ha, were surveyed for an average of 49.2 min. Approximately 200 A. sagrei were seen and verified across all survey sites. The paucity of native lizards encountered during the surveys within these sites suggests little to no overlap between the dominant diurnal western fence lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis, and A. sagrei. This notable lack of overlap could indicate a potentially disturbing reality that A. sagrei are driving local extirpations of S. occidentalis.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Establishment of brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) across a southern California county and potential interactions with a native lizard species
Series title PeerJ
DOI 10.7717/peerj.8937
Volume 8
Year Published 2020
Language English
Publisher PeerJ
Contributing office(s) Western Ecological Research Center
Description e8937, 12 p.
Country United States
State California
County Orange County
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