Progress Report for Leopard Lizard Survey. Thesis, Taylor Noble

1. The direct and indirect mechanisms
of facilitation by shrubs play a
central role in maintaining leopard
lizard populations.
Progress Report
Taylor Noble
M.Sc. Candidate
Supervisor: Dr. Christopher Lortie
Committee Member: Dr. Bridget Stutchbury

2. Positive Interactions: Facilitation
High abiotic
stress
environments
Many examples
plant-plant
interactions
Dubai Desert Conservation
Reserve,http://www.ddcr.org
/en/conservation/research/
(Bertness et al. 1997, Bruno et al. 2003, Holzapfel et al. 1999, Liu et al. 2014)

3. Animals too!
Amanda Liczner
B.Peterson, http://www.arkive.org/giant-kangaroo-
rat/dipodomys-ingens/
(Holzapfel et al. 1999, Hughes 2012)

4. Direct and Indirect Interactions
Moon, D. C., Moon, J. & Keagy, A. (2010) Direct and Indirect Interactions. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):50
Direct Interaction
Indirect Interaction

5. Direct and indirect effects of shrubs on lizards.

6. Blunt-nosed leopard lizard
Gambelia sila
Photo by Gary Nafis.
http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/images/gsilaslo6084.jpg

7. USFWS 2010. 5-Year Review, Blunt-
nosed Leopard Lizard

8. Karin Jeske

9. Study Site
Carrizo Plains National Monument

10. https://www.flickr.com/photos/darthjenni/4683874516/

11. Panoche Hills
Photo by Andrew Alden. http://science.kqed.org/quest/2012/03/08/side-trips-from-
interstate-5-panoche-and-tumey-hills/

12. UC Davis arboretum

13. Dennis Stevensen

15. Chris Lortie

16. Hypothesis
Desert shrubs provide direct benefits to small animals such as shelter,
indirect benefits in the form of resources such as prey.

17. Chapter 1: A systematic review of the effects of
indirect plant-animal interactions.

18. Moon, D. C., Moon, J. & Keagy, A. (2010) Direct and Indirect
Interactions. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):50
Indirect
Interaction
Direct
Interaction
Direct
Interaction

19. Menge 1995

20. Predictions
Keystone predation and habitat facilitation.
Intermediate species will most often be a plant species.
Animal abundance or survival will increase.

21. Search Terms
Plant
AND
Animal
AND
Indirect

22. Initial Search
N = 349

23. Preliminary Findings
46%
33%
18%
3%
Trophic Environmental Behavioral Chemical
Categories of Indirect Interactions Study

24. 31%
15%
15%
8%
4%
27%
Habitat Facilitation
Trophic Cascade
Exploitation Competition
Keystone Predation
Apparent Predation
Other
What types of indirect effect sequences are studied?

25. Were interactions positive or negative?
56%35%
9%
Positive Negative Neutral

26. Was an intermediate species discussed?
Yes No

27. Was the intermediate species plant or
animal?
Plant Animal

28. Was animal survival or abundance discussed?
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
Abundance Survival

29. Chapter 2: A field survey of the effects of Ephedra
californica on leopard lizard activity patterns.

31. Hypothesis: Desert shrubs provide direct benefits to small animals such
as shelter, indirect benefits in the form of resources such as prey, and
indirect benefits by increasing annual-plant density within the canopy
thereby providing additional protection.

33. Predictions
Lizard activity will be highest under shrubs.
Larger shrubs will have higher lizard activity.
Insect density will be greater under shrubs.

34. Experimental Design

35. 5 shrub size gradients x 4 trap arrays x 10 days
New Shrubs for each day.

36. Track Trap Array
Open vs. Shrub vs. Open Trail

37. Timeline of study
Jan.-Feb. Feb.-March March- April April- June
Large Shrub
Survey
Planning and
Systematic
Review
Pick Sites, Pilot
Study, Set up
Survey
Conduct Survey

38. Chapter 3: An experimental manipulation of the
shelter and resource effects of Ephedra californica
on leopard lizard foraging.

39. Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (juvenile), Cochise
Couny, AZ. Photo by Jim Rorabaugh

40. Hypothesis: Desert shrubs provide direct benefits to small animals
such as shelter, indirect benefits in the form of resources such as prey,
and indirect benefits by increasing annual-plant density within the
canopy thereby providing additional protection, making them safer and
more desirable for animals to forage at.
>
>

41. Predictions
Lizards will forage more frequently under shrubs and other shelters.
Lower giving-up densities (GUD) at shrubs.
Lizards will prefer stations with annuals removed.

42. Experimental Design

43. 3 site treatments x 2 food densities x 2 annual treatments x 4 repeats x
5-10 days

44. Timeline of study
Large Shrub
Survey
Continue to
Research
Foraging
Pilot Food
Choices, Prep
Full Study
Conduct Feeding
Trials

45. Acknowledgements
Thanks to:
Dr. Christopher Lortie
Dr. Bridget Stutchbury
Dr. Mike Westphal
Dr. Tim Bean
The Lortie Lab

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