Understanding the impacts of urbanization on predation risk for lizards across the United States

Authors

Linnea LyonsFollow
Eliana BlashFollow
Amanda OverbyeFollow
Isabel HartwigFollow
Amy ChenFollow
Jacqueline McLeanFollow

Publication Date

Spring 4-21-2022

College

Sciences and Mathematics, College of

Department

Biology, Department of

BURS Faculty Advisor

Matthew Heard

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Abstract

Urbanization can drive alterations in predator-prey dynamics and impact survival of species. To better understand this issue, we used citizen science data from iNaturalist to determine if urbanization was impacting predation risk for seven of the most common species of lizards found in the United States. To do this, we downloaded research grade observations for our seven lizard species from 2016-2020. We then examined individual photos for 2,000 of these research observations and determined if species had been impacted by predation. After this, we used impervious surface data from the National Land Cover Database to determine if the risk of predation varied between our species and was impacted by urbanization. Using this approach, we found that both predation and urbanization affect lizard species differentially. Collectively, our findings suggest that urbanization can significantly impact different species and alter inter-specific interactions.

Recommended Citation

Lyons, Linnea; Blash, Eliana; Overbye, Amanda; Hartwig, Isabel; Chen, Amy; and McLean, Jacqueline, "Understanding the impacts of urbanization on predation risk for lizards across the United States" (2022). Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS). 159.
https://repository.belmont.edu/burs/159