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Activity Patterns of Green Iguana (Iguana Iguana)

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Activity Patterns of Green Iguana (Iguana Iguana) ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF GREEN IGUANA (IGUANA IGUANA) AT HUGH TAYLOR BIRCH STATE PARK, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA by Stacey R. Sekscienski A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida December 2012 Copyright by Stacey R. Sekscienski 2012 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am greatly indebted to Hank Smith, whose passion for life and herpetology sustained me through this project. I thank my committee, Dr. Jon Moore, Dr. Dale Gawlik, and Dr. Erik Noonburg, for their guidance and support throughout this project and Walt E. Meshaka Jr. for his encouragement. This study would not have been possible without the support of the Florida State Park Service and Parknership Program, Jim Gibson, Mark Foley, and all of the staff and volunteers at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. Not only did they support this research, but they accepted me as one of their own. I am extremely grateful to Trudi Stevenson, Connie Theis, Gregg Sekscienski, Heather Parmeter, Robert Stevenson, Dr. Teresa Randall, Steve Gooch, and Oklahoma City Zoo staff for their continued encouragement and support throughout this project. Additionally, I thank Heather Cress, Russ Mapp, Sandy Jensen, and Steve Crossett for assistance in data collection as well as Dr. Tracy Morris, Faten Alamri, Kristin Laurie, and Monica McGarrity for statistical advisement. Research was made possible under Florida DEP Division of recreation and Parks permit number 5-06-80. iv ABSTRACT Author: Stacey R. Sekscienski Title: Activity Patterns of Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Fort Lauderdale, Florida Institution: Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Dr. Jon Moore Degree: Master of Science Year: 2012 Activity patterns of Iguana iguana from two locations within Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Fort Lauderdale, Florida were documented and examined. Between May 1, 2006 to April 20, 2007, I. iguana were observed on a routine basis and activities were documented as one of six major activity categories (basking, locomotion, foraging, resting, visual signaling, and other). Data was analyzed to determined differences between activity patterns of I. iguana relative to sites, seasons, and size category within the park. Iguana iguana spent more time basking at Site 1 than Site 2. Size 4 animals which consisted of dominant adult males, spent more time basking than other males and adult females. Size 4 animals also spent less time foraging than hatchlings, juveniles, and other adults. These results complement the existing research on behavior of I. iguana and may be useful in determining invasive control efforts of I. iguana in Florida. v DEDICATION Henry T. “Hank” Smith ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF GREEN IGUANA (Iguana Iguana) AT HUGH TAYLOR BIRCH STATE PARK, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Distribution and Diet .................................................................................................... 1 Behavioral Patterns ....................................................................................................... 2 Effects of Non-Native Species ...................................................................................... 7 Iguana Iguana in Florida ............................................................................................... 8 Hypotheses ....................................................................................................................... 13 Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 14 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 15 Research Site ................................................................................................................ 15 Data Collection ........................................................................................................... 21 Statistical Analysis ...................................................................................................... 25 Results ............................................................................................................................... 26 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 36 References ......................................................................................................................... 45 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Behavioral categories of Iguana iguana .............................................................. 23 Table 2: MANOVA results with respect to site and size. ................................................. 28 Table 3: Summary statistics for activities at study sites ................................................... 28 Table 4: Summary statistics for size categories ................................................................ 29 Table 5: Summary statistics for each combination of site and size .................................. 30 Table 6: Mean temperatures in °C between sites across seasons ...................................... 31 Table 7: Plants consumed by Iguana iguana .................................................................... 41 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Aerial map of study sites at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park .............................. 17 Figure 2: Habitat classifications within Hugh Taylor Birch State Park ........................... 18 Figure 3: Burrows at Study Site 1 (Seawall) .................................................................... 19 Figure 4: Study Site 1 (Seawall) ....................................................................................... 20 Figure 5: Study Site 2 (Lagoon) ....................................................................................... 20 Figure 6: Observation blind at Study Site 1 (Seawall) ..................................................... 24 Figure 7: Observation blind at Study Site 2 (Lagoon) ...................................................... 24 Figure 8: Percentage of time each activity performed at each site .................................. 31 Figure 9: Percentage of time each activity performed by each size category .................. 31 Figure 10: Percentage of time each activity performed (Site 1) ....................................... 32 Figure 11: Percentage of time each activity performed (Site 2) ....................................... 32 Figure 12: Percentage of time each activity performed (Size 2/Site 1). ........................... 33 Figure 13: Percentage of time each activity performed (Size 2/Site 2) ............................ 33 Figure 14: Percentage of time each activity performed (Size 3/Site 1). ........................... 34 Figure 15: Percentage of time each activity performed (Size 3/Site 2). ........................... 34 Figure 16: I. iguana utilizing sun-shade mosaic at Site 1 (Seawall) ................................. 42 Figure 17: Three smaller adult male I. iguana. Study Site 1 (Seawall) ............................ 43 Figure 18: Two dominant male I. iguana. Study Site 2 (Lagoon). ................................... 43 viii INTRODUCTION Iguana iguana The green iguana (Iguana iguana) is one of the most identifiable and charismatic members of the lizard family Iguanidae. Eight extant genera encompassing 35 species share this family with I. iguana including the closely related taxa, Cyclura (Weins and Hollingsworth 2000, Frost et al. 2001). Members of this herbivorous clade share three derived and distinct morphological characters: large bodies; transverse folds or valves in the colon; and flared and polycuspate marginal teeth (Etheridge and de Quieroz, 1988). Distribution and Dietary Preference The historic geographic range of the green iguana, Iguana iguana, extends south from northern Mexico, through Central America to the Tropic of Capricorn in South America (Etheridge 1982). While there are few accounts of I. iguana on Pacific islands, its presence on islands in the western and southern Caribbean and in the Lesser Antilles is prominent (Lazell 1973, Etheridge 1982). In its native range, this lizard thrives in coastal, as well as riparian habitats (Rand et al. 1989, Alvarado et al. 1995). Most researchers suggest I. iguana is exclusively herbivorous (Iverson 1982, McBee and McBee 1982, Rand et al. 1990, van Marken Lichtenbelt 1993). Iverson (1982) describes I. iguana as a “true herbivore” feeding primarily on fruits, flowers, seeds, and foliage. Dietary shifts in iguanids are uncommon (Troyer 1984b, Durtsche 1 2000). Studies of marine and Galapagos land iguanas did not reveal dietary shift in those species. However, Troyer (1984b) showed young I. iguana selecting leaves with higher protein content and Durtche (2000) found that Ctenosaura pectinata shifted their preference from insects to plants. While a distinct dietary shift has not been proven in I. iguana, there have been multiple reports of carnivory in this species (Hirth 1963, Loftin
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