Can. J. Zool. 84(6): 877–886 (2006)  |  doi:10.1139/Z06-068  |  © 2006 NRC Canada  

What drives variation in habitat use by Anolis lizards: habitat availability or selectivity?

M.A. Johnson, R. Kirby, S. Wang, and J.B. Losos

Abstract: Geographic variation in habitat availability may drive geographic variation in a species’ habitat use; alternatively, species adapted to particular habitat characteristics may use a habitat regardless of its availability within an environment. In this study, we investigated habitat use of two sympatric species of Anolis lizards that are morphologically specialized to use different microhabitats. We examined variation in microhabitat use and availability among four distinct forest types. In each forest type, we quantified available microhabitats (i.e., perch diameter, angle of inclination, and visibility), as well as microhabitats actually used by each species. We found that species consistently differed in microhabitat use, corresponding to each species’ morphological specializations. However, microhabitat use of both species varied among sites. This variation in Anolis gundlachi Peters, 1876 reflected differences in microhabitat availability, while the variation in Anolis krugi Peters, 1876 resulted from differential microhabitat selectivity. These results indicate that both habitat availability and habitat preferences must be examined in multiple localities for a species to understand the causes of variation in its habitat use.

Résumé : La variation géographique de la disponibilité des habitats peut expliquer la variation géographique de l'usage qu'une espèce fait de son habitat; d'autre part, une espèce adaptée à des caractéristiques particulières de l'habitat peut utiliser un habitat quelle que soit sa disponibilité dans un milieu. Nous examinons dans notre étude l'utilisation de l'habitat par deux espèces sympatriques d'Anolis spécialisées par leur morphologie à utiliser des microhabitats différents. Nous déterminons la variation dans l'utilisation et la disponibilité des microhabitats dans quatre types distincts de forêt. Dans chaque type de forêt, nous quantifions les microhabitats disponibles (c.-à-d., diamètre des perchoirs, angle d'inclination, visibilité) ainsi que les microhabitats actuellement utilisés par chaque espèce. Les deux espèces diffèrent constamment dans leur utilisation des microhabitats, de façon qui correspond à leurs spécialisations morphologiques. L'utilisation des microhabitats varie, cependant, d'un site à un autre. Chez Anolis gundlachi Peters, 1876, cette variation résulte de la disponibilité des microhabitats, alors que chez Anolis krugi Peters, 1876 elle s'explique par une sélectivité différentielle des microhabitats. Ces résultats indiquent que la disponibilité des habitats ainsi que les préférences d'habitat doivent toutes deux être examinées en plusieurs sites pour une même espèce, si l'on veut comprendre les causes de la variation de son utilisation de l'habitat.

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