Yukari Ohno, a researcher at the Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, has shown that the invasive alien lizard "green anole" may rapidly expand its population and distribution in Okinawa as well.

 Green anole is an invasive alien species and is a specific alien species designated by the Alien Species Act.In the Ogasawara Islands, after the invasion in the 1960s, the number has expanded rapidly and the endemic organisms have been extinct, which has a great impact on the natural environment.Therefore, the deregistration of the Ogasawara Islands from the World Natural Heritage is a major concern.

 On the other hand, in the southern part of Okinawa Island, the introduction was confirmed for the first time in 1989, and there are places where it inhabits at high density in the suburbs of Naha.At present, the distribution has not expanded to the entire area of ​​Okinawa Island, but research is needed to implement effective control measures in the future.

 Therefore, the research group first investigated the genotype of green anole.As a result, it was estimated that the origin of the green anole on Okinawa Island was a group distributed inland from the bay in the southeastern part of North America.
Next, based on the habitat of this import source, the suitable habitat on Okinawa Island is estimated using a species distribution model.The result was that the entire island of Okinawa was a suitable habitat.
Furthermore, when the distribution limiting factors in the northern part of Okinawa Island were estimated, it was suggested that the low annual average temperature and the small number of open environments were related.However, due to rapid adaptation and global warming, the low temperature environment may not be a limiting factor in the future.Deforestation and an increase in open environment increase the risk of green anole expansion, he said.

 In Ogasawara, a phenomenon occurred in which the number and distribution of individuals rapidly expanded from a state in which they did not expand for a long period of time.A similar situation may occur on Okinawa Island, and urgent measures are required by capture and killing.

Paper information:[Ecology and Evolution] Factors restricting the range expansion of the invasive green anole Anolis carolinensis on Okinawa Island, Japan (English)

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