About This Project

This study aims to better understand reptile ecotoxicology by testing the impacts of heavy metal contamination on reproduction parameters of two anole species: the native green anole and the invasive brown anole across an urbanization gradient in the Florida scrub ecosystem. As urbanization continues to increase worldwide, it's imperative to understand how species are affected by these pollutants to implement successful conservation strategies.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Environmental contamination is accumulating rapidly worldwide due to increasing urbanization rates. Heavy metals are known to be particularly toxic to organisms, are known to accumulate in biological systems, and tend to be found in higher concentrations in animals when they are located in areas of high human activity. Heavy metals are endocrine disrupters, capable of affecting the endocrine system across various vertebrate taxa and may lead to population declines. Most studies on the impacts of environmental contaminants on vertebrates focus on birds and mammals, leaving our understanding of reptile ecotoxicology comparatively unknown, despite reptiles being ideal bio-monitor species. I am looking to fill in the current knowledge gaps of reptile ecotoxicology.

What is the significance of this project?

Reptile populations are declining globally, making their conservation vital to preserving the earth's biodiversity. Reptiles provide invaluable services to their ecosystems as mesopredators, both controlling prey species' populations and providing food sources for their predators. Most reptiles are also excellent bio-monitor species, as they are particularly sensitive to environmental contaminates. However, they are the most understudied vertebrate group in ecotoxicology, and our knowledge of how pollutants and the effects of increasing human activity are impacting them is limited. As urbanization continues to increase worldwide, it's imperative to understand how reptiles are affected by these pollutants to implement successful conservation strategies.

What are the goals of the project?

The goal of this project is to better understand terrestrial reptile ecotoxicology by testing the impacts of heavy metal contamination (mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium) on reproduction parameters (hatchling survivorship and growth, body condition) of two anole species in the Florida scrub ecosystem. This will be done by taking blood and tissue samples of green and brown anoles from nine different field sites of varying urbanization levels, and analyzing the samples for heavy metal contamination. I will also breed brown anoles to test for any impacts that these heavy metals may have on the lizards' reproduction and hatchling health, and to see how these impacts may change across varying degrees of contamination.