DOI: 10.5061/dryad.66t1g1k2v
title: Clinging performance on natural substrates predicts habitat use in anoles and geckos

description: 1. For arboreal lizards, the ability to cling or adhere to the substrate
 is critical for locomotion during prey capture, predator escape,
 thermoregulation, and social interactions. Thus, selection on traits
 related to clinging is likely strong.  2. Correlations between
 morphology, performance, and habitat use have been documented in arboreal
 lizards, providing a framework for using functional traits to predict
 habitat use in the field. 3. We tested the hypothesis that clinging
 performance predicts habitat use in an actively assembling community of
 introduced lizards in Hawaiʻi comprised of anoles (Anolis carolinensis, A.
 sagrei) and day geckos (Phelsuma laticauda). 4. We measured morphological
 traits (toepad area and lamellae number) and tested clinging performance
 on two artificial and eight natural substrates in the lab. We measured
 habitat use in 10 m x 10 m outdoor enclosures where habitat availability
 was controlled and the lizard species assemblage was manipulated to
 reflect all species combinations. The enclosure experiment generated more
 than 9,000 habitat use observations from 360 lizards. 5.
 Morphological traits that predict performance
 in Anolis were not predictive in Phelsuma,
 indicating that direct measures of performance are necessary for
 comparisons between the genera. 6. Measuring clinging performance on
 multiple substrates provided key insights into patterns of habitat use.
 While all three species performed best on an artificial smooth substrate
 (acrylic), performance on natural substrates predicted which texture
 (rough vs. smooth) was most often used by each species.  7.
 Performance predicted perch height use: species with the greatest clinging
 performance (A. carolinensis and P. laticauda) across
 substrates perched twice as high as A. sagrei. 8. We did not
 observe habitat shifts in the height or texture of
 perches used by any species in response to experimental manipulation of
 the lizard species assemblage. 9. Our results highlight the inextricable
 link between ecology, morphology, and performance, the importance of
 measuring functional traits in ecologically-relevant ways, and the
 potential for resource partitioning to be influenced by differences in the
 ability to attach to different substrates. 
description: See the manuscript.
description: Metadata describing each column of the file "clinging data
 2021-08-05.csv" ID: unique id for each
 individual sex: f = female; m = male
 substrate: different substrates used to test clinging
 performance max.force.per.mass = maximum force in
 Newtons to dislodge a lizard clinging with one foot from the substrate
 dividided by lizard mass in kg. texture: smooth
 substrate vs. rough substrate species: ACAR =
 <em>Anolis carolinensis</em>, ASAG = <em>Anolis
 sagrei</em>, PLAT = <em>Phelsuma
 laticauda</em> year: data were collected in two
 different years, 2016 and 2019 type: substrate type,
 whether artificial (acrylic, sandpaper) or natural (all others)
 Metadata describing each column of the file
 "toepad morphology 2021-08-05.csv" ID:
 specimen ID number from the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu,
 HI species: ACAR = <em>Anolis
 carolinensis</em>, ASAG = <em>Anolis sagrei</em>, PLAT =
 <em>Phelsuma laticauda</em> sex: male vs
 female SVLmm: snout-vent-length in mm
 meanArea: mean toepad area of the 4th toe on the hindfeet in
 mm<sup>2</sup>. Average is calculated as (area of toepad of
 4th toe on left hind foot + area of toepad of 4th toe on right
 hindfoot)/2. The 4th toe is the longest toe on the hindfoot in
 <em>A. sagrei </em>and <em>A.
 carolinensis</em>.  meanLam: mean number of
 lamellae (i.e. undivided scales) on the 4th toe on the hindfeet. Average
 is calculated as (number of lamellae on 4th toe on left hind foot + number
 of lamalle on 4th toe on right hindfoot)/2. The 4th toe is the longest toe
 on the hindfoot in <em>A. sagrei </em>and <em>A.
 carolinensis</em>.  Metadata
 describing each column of the file "perch use
 2021-08-05.csv" species: ACAR = <em>Anolis
 carolinensis</em>, ASAG = <em>Anolis sagrei</em>, PLAT =
 <em>Phelsuma laticauda</em> sex: F =
 female, M = male svl: snout-vent length upon initial
 capture, measured in mm. Measure of body size. lizID:
 unique identifier for each individual lizard. PHcm:
 perch height in centimeters. How high off the ground was the lizard
 perching when first seen undisturbed? Perch heights of zero indicate
 animal was on the ground. PT: perch type. What was the
 lizard perching on?  viewType: scan = lizard
 observation was recorded during a standardized scan where similar effort
 was applied to all plots (i.e. a "snapshot" of all lizards in
 all plots). incidental = lizard observation was recorded opportunistically
 (i.e. without controlling effort).  plot: There are
 seven enclosures and each was identified by a number, e.g. plot 1 is the
 first enclosure.  rep: Replicate. The study was
 replicated six times using the same seven enclosures. 
 plotRep: factor to indicate combined plot and
 replicate.  treatment: lizard assemblage. plat
 = <em>Phelsuma laticauda</em>; acar = <em>Anolis
 carolinensis</em>; asag = <em>Anolis sagrei</em>;
 acar-plat = <em>Phelsuma laticauda</em> + <em>Anolis
 carolinensis</em>; asag-plat = <em>Phelsuma
 laticauda</em> + <em>Anolis sagrei</em>; acar-asag =
 <em>Anolis carolinensis</em> + <em>Anolis
 sagrei</em>; acar-asag-plat = <em>Anolis
 carolinensis</em> + <em>Anolis sagrei</em>
 + <em>Phelsuma laticauda</em> texture:
 texture of the perch the lizard was seen on, smooth vs. rough.
 NA