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Effect of immersion in seawater on egg survival in the lizard Anolis sagrei

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Abstract

Studies on the lizard, Anolis sagrei, revealed that after Hurricane Floyd devastated the Bahamas in 1999, some populations consisted only of hatchlings. Because the storm surge of the hurricane completely inundated these islands, apparently for up to 6 h, survival of anole eggs in salt water for such periods is implied. To test this hypothesis directly, we placed A. sagrei eggs in saltwater for 3 or 6 h with unimmersed eggs serving as the control. Hatching success and incubation time did not differ among the three treatments. These findings help explain the persistence of anole populations on small islands vulnerable to hurricanes.

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Acknowledgements

J. Diani, C. Deggendorf, D. Piatchek, T. Witsberg and M. Leal for assistance in caring for lizards; R. Andrews, S. Echternacht, K. Warkentin and two anonymous reviewers for advice and discussion; and NSF (DEB-9903587 and DEB-9904121) for support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Washington University, Campus Box 1137, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA

    Jonathan B. Losos

  2. Section of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA

    Thomas W. Schoener & David A. Spiller

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  1. Jonathan B. Losos
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  2. Thomas W. Schoener
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  3. David A. Spiller
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Correspondence to Jonathan B. Losos.

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Losos, J.B., Schoener, T.W. & Spiller, D.A. Effect of immersion in seawater on egg survival in the lizard Anolis sagrei . Oecologia 137, 360–362 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-003-1363-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-003-1363-8

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