Anolis Lizards of the Caribbean: Ecology, Evolution, and Plate Tectonics

by Jonathan Roughgarden

Overview

The Anolis lizards of the Caribbean are ideally suited for the study of evolutionary ecology. Offering fascinating insights into the more than 150 species dispersed throughout the Caribbean islands, Jonathan Roughgarden details the differences between species in a wide range of behavioral and physical characteristics, including foraging behaviors, body size, and habitat use, resulting from evolutionary divergences concurrent with the plate-tectonic origins of the region. This book will be of interest to students and researchers--ecology and theoretical, tropical, and population biology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195361919
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/18/1995
Series:	Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Jonathan Roughgarden is highly regarded as one of the world's leading ecologists. He has spent the last twenty years developing theoretical models of evolutionary ecology. He is a member of the Departments of Biological Sciences and

Table of Contents

Preface1. The Sentient Forager1.1. The Optimal Foraging Distance1.2. Learning to Forage Optimally1.3. Energy as a Criterion1.4. Seasonality and Growth, St. Martin1.5. Growth of an Optimal Forager1.6. Optimal Life History of an Optimal Forager1.7. Discussion2. Invasion and Coevolution2.1. Biogeography of Body Size2.2. Early Hypotheses2.3. Evidence for Competition2.4. Theory of Faunal Assembly2.5. Historical Evidence2.6. Hypotheses Evaluated2.7. Biogeography of Habitat Use2.8. Theory of Habitat Use2.9. Discussion3. Origin of the Caribbean3.1. Systematics of Anolis3.2. Biogeographic Data3.3. Geologic Data3.4. Discussion4. The Food Tangle4.1. Food Webs4.2. St. Martin Web—First Pass4.3. St. Martin Web—Second Pass4.4. Puerto Rico4.5. DiscussionContents of Diskette

Editorial Reviews

"[Roughgarden's] careful effort to bring all the observations and experiments together to answer the questions is refreshing. Every step of the way there is a crystal-clear logical development with succinct prose." —Science

"Roughgarden describes the foraging energetics, behavious, evolution, and biogeography of Caribbean island Anolis lizards. [He] has combines expertise in theoretical modeling with his extensive field experience to produce this unique, scholarly contribution to the biology of a diverse saurian genus."—Choice

"After decades of fruitful research in the Caribbean, especially on the lizard genus Anolis, Roughgarden is undeniably one of the world's foremost authorities on the topic." —Copeia

"Roughgarden, a recognized leader in the field of theoretical ecology, has apparently taken the next logical step in education, that of lucidly providing the theoretical basis of ecological theory, along with the software to examine the consequences and predictions derived from various foraging strategies . . . . Overall, it is a wealth of information on theoretical ecology as it applies to anole lizards and is exceptionally easy to read."—The Canadian Field-Naturalist

From the Publisher