9407202 Losos This project consists of a long-term experiment on Bahaman islets to test for competitive interactions between two similar species of Anolis lizards. The investigators are introducing each species of lizard alone, or in combination, onto replicate islets naturally lacking these lizards. The investigators are also collecting data that will reveal whether morphological character displacement has occurred during the course of the experiment. The project also measures the direct and indirect effects of the lizards, singly and in combination, on lower trophic levels. Character displacement has been a very important concept in population biology and ecology, yet has never been demonstrated experimentally. This experiment is important because it will measure for the first time the ecological processes that operate during character displacement. The results of this study can be applied to conservation biology, especially in the design and management of natural reserves and the management of endangered species.
