Name: ____________________________________ Period_________ Date_______________ Score _______

Anolis Lizards of the Greater Antilles: Using Phylogeny to Test Hypotheses

CONGRATULATIONS! You are about to journey to the Greater Antilles, several islands that include Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico,
and Jamaica just south of Florida in the Caribbean. Your goal is to study and collect Anolis lizards to learn where different species of
Anolis lizards live and how they are related. Where they live (called their distribution) and how they are related will help you make
hypotheses about how they evolved on the islands.

Here are your goals:

A. Observe and describe what each lizard species looks like.
B. Look for patterns in where they live to make hypotheses about how they evolved.
C. Use a phylogenetic tree to test your hypotheses.

Part 1: The Islands

Before you begin your research, learn a bit about the islands and the lizards. Your teacher will provide you a map of the islands and
other resources to review.
1) The islands on the map are to be color coded so that each island is a different color, according to this key:
a. Cuba = purple c. Hispanola (Haiti and Dominican Republic) = red
b. Jamaica = blue d. Puerto Rico = yellow
2) Answer the following questions about the islands:
a. Where are the Greater Antilles? ____________

b. Which Islands make up the Greater Antilles? ______________________________________________________

c. What is the goal of this research? (What is it you are trying to find out about Anolis?)

Anolis Lizards of the Greater Antilles: DATA TABLE

ID Name of lizard Island Habitat Body Shape
# species
1 Anolis alutaceus Cuba Grass, bushes Slender body, very long tail
2 A. angusticeps Cuba Twig Short body, slender legs, and
tails
3 A. chlorocyanus Hispaniola Upper trunk; Large toe pads, can change
canopy colors
4 A. cuvieri Puerto Rico Tree crown (very Large body, large toe pads
top)
5 A. cybotes Hispaniola Lower trunk, Stocky body, long hind limbs
ground
6 A. distichus Hispaniola Mid tree trunk Long fore limbs, flattened body
7 A. equestris Cuba Tree crown (very Large body, large toe pads
top)
8 A. evermanni Puerto Rico Upper trunk; Large toe pads, can change
canopy colors
9 A. garmani Jamaica Tree crown (very Large body, large toe pads
top)
10 A. graham Jamaica Upper trunk; Large toe pads, can change
canopy colors
11 A. gundlachi Puerto Rico Lower trunk, Stocky body, long hind limbs
ground
12 A. insolitus Hispaniola Twig Short body, slender legs, and
tails
13 A. lineatopus Jamaica Lower trunk, Stocky body, long hind limbs
 ground
14 A. loysiana Cuba Mid tree trunk Long forelimbs, flattened body
15 A. occultus Puerto Rico Twig Short body, slender legs, and
tails
16 A. olssoni Hispaniola Grass, bushes Slender body, very long tail
17 A. porcatus Cuba Upper trunk; Large toe pads, can change
canopy colors
18 A. pulchellus Puerto Rico Grass, bushes Slender body, very long tail
19 A. ricordii Hispaniola Tree crown (very Large body, large toe pads
top)
20 A. sagrei Cuba Lower trunk, Stocky body, long hind limbs
ground
21 A. valencienni Jamaica Twig Short body, slender legs, and
tails

Part 2: The Lizards

You travel from island to island observing the lizards that you find. You pay attention to their body shape, their habitat, and the island
on which they are found. After several weeks of work you put your data in a data table called Data Table: Anolis lizards.

1) Locate your Data Table and the Lizard pieces. Study the data table and familiarize yourself with what information is
there and how it is organized.
2) Answer the following questions
a. What type of information does the data table show? (list it)
b. The scientific name of lizard #1 is Anolis alutaceus:
i. What classification level does Anolis represent? __________________
ii. What does alutaceus represent? ___________________
3) Using the Data Table, look at lizards #1, 16, and 18.
i. What do you notice are two similarities? _________________________________________________
ii. What are two differences? _____________________________________________________________

4) Describe the six different types of body shapes that the lizards have. (all variations)

5) Organize your lizards into groups based on body shape. You should have a total of 21
lizards in 6 groups (4 of the groups have four members, one group has 3 and one has 2).

6) Use the Data Table to place each lizard icon in the correct place on the map.
a. Start with lizard #1. Determine which island it should be on (For example, #1 =
Cuba).
b. Then determine which habitat on the tree it belongs on (For example, #1 = grass
& bushes).
c. Put lizard #1 on the correct island AND in the correct habit.
d. Repeat steps a-c for lizards #2-21. (Your teacher will tell you if you should tape
the lizards in place on the map or just rest in the correct place.)

7) Once all your lizards are on the map, raise your hand and your teacher will check
with you to make sure you have them in the right place.
St
a. TEACHER Initials __________________________
op

8) Answer the following questions about your lizards on your map.

a. What patterns do you see between the type of body shape a lizard has and the habitat it lives in?

b. Does this pattern exist on all islands? Explain your reasoning.

 c. Which lizards do you think are more closely related;
i. those that live on the same island but in different habitats, OR
ii. those that live on different islands but have the same body features and live in the same type of habitat?
Explain your reasoning.

d. Write two alternative (different) hypotheses about how these lizards might have speciated/evolved on and
between these islands. IN OTHER WORDShow did the lizards end up on different islands and why do they
have similar habitats, color, and body structure on each island?
1.

2.
e. Using the scientific method, what will you need to do to determine the better of your two
hypothesizes?

f. Describe your experimental design. Tell me exactly how you could do this.
i. What would be your independent variable? _________________________________
ii. Dependent variable? ___________________________________________________
iii. What would you use as a control? _________________________________________
iv. What materials would you need? _________________________________________
v. Describe the procedure you would do.

Part 3: Testing your hypotheses

You decide to test your hypotheses by using the DNA from each Anolis species to create a phylogenetic tree. The phylogenetic tree is a
hypothesis of the relationships between the lizards. The more similar their DNA is the more closely related they are and therefore the
closer they are together on the tree. Your teacher will supply your results from the lab for you.

1) Look closely at the phylogenetic tree on the Anolis Lizards of the Greater Antilles: Phylogenetic Tree worksheet.
Color in your key for each island (color your key the same colors that are on your map!)
2) Color the branches on the phylogenetic tree the same color as the island the lizard is from (refer to data table)
3) Notice that each lizard has a symbol next to the name in the key. Place the correct symbol for each lizard on the
phylogenetic tree (place it next to their scientific name), making sure that each lizard has the coordinating symbol for
their body type.
4) Then look carefully at the phylogenetic tree for the patterns that exist.
5) Answer the following questions carefully:

a. Explain the different patterns that you see in the phylogenetic tree and the lizard map. Look at their body shape,
habitat, and the island on which they are found. Write down as many observations as you can.

Body Shape Patterns Habitat Patterns Island Patterns

b. Based on the phylogenetic tree, which lizards do you think are more closely related:
a. Those that live on the same island but in different habitats, OR
 b. Those that live on different islands but have the same body shape and live in the same type of habitat? Explain
using specific examples.

c. Look back at your original hypotheses (from Part 2, Question #8d). Explain how these new data support or do not
support your hypotheses about how these lizards might have speciated/evolved.

d. How could you further test your hypotheses? What type of information would you want to have?

e. How could fossil evidence help you test your hypotheses?

f. How do you think the lizards of different species but similar characteristics ended up on all the different islands?

Part 4: Understanding Evolution in Action

1. How can we see divergent evolution with Anolis Lizards? Explain using data from the Lab materials.

2. How can we see adaptive radiation with Anolis Lizards? Explain using data from the Lab materials.

3. How do Anolis Lizards show us both Convergent and Divergent Evolution in their patterns of dispersal on the islands?

4. Using what you have learned in this lab, describe a reason as to why some Caribbean Islands lack lizard species.