Exploring the Potential of Morphometrics to Inform the Conservation of <i>Iguana delicatissima</i>
Invasive alien species severely impact native and endemic species, disproportionately affecting insular species like Caribbean reptiles. The Lesser Antillean iguana, <i>Iguana delicatissima</i>, is rapidly declining due to hybridization with non-native green iguanas (NNGIs). With numerou...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Conservation |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/4/4/38 |
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| author | Matthijs P. van den Burg Jeroen Kappelhof Adam Mitchell Adolphe O. Debrot |
| author_facet | Matthijs P. van den Burg Jeroen Kappelhof Adam Mitchell Adolphe O. Debrot |
| author_sort | Matthijs P. van den Burg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Invasive alien species severely impact native and endemic species, disproportionately affecting insular species like Caribbean reptiles. The Lesser Antillean iguana, <i>Iguana delicatissima</i>, is rapidly declining due to hybridization with non-native green iguanas (NNGIs). With numerous NNGI populations present in the region, the last <i>I. delicatisisma</i>-inhabited islands remain highly susceptible to invasion, whereupon the rapid in situ differentiation of NNGIs is essential. However, currently only few scale and coloration characters allow the in situ identification of NNGIs. Here, we assessed the differentiating power of an additional 20 meristic and length-dependent characteristics between the <i>I. delicatissima</i> population on St. Eustatius and the NNGI population on St. Maarten, the main source of NNGIs arriving on St. Eustatius. Of these, 13 significantly differed between <i>I. delicatissima</i> and NNGIs, with a ≥94% assignment accuracy in multi-variate predictive models. We recommend that these characteristics be assessed and validated, especially for hybrid individuals, allowing the identification of NNGIs even in populations where hybridization is ongoing. Our work demonstrates the value of investing in baseline morphometric datasets for <i>I. delicatissima</i> and other native iguanas to aid in the rapid in situ detection of NNGIs for removal. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-76e7e9c234ca49faae045430e8ce7d82 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2673-7159 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-76e7e9c234ca49faae045430e8ce7d822025-08-20T02:50:59ZengMDPI AGConservation2673-71592024-11-014461762610.3390/conservation4040038Exploring the Potential of Morphometrics to Inform the Conservation of <i>Iguana delicatissima</i>Matthijs P. van den Burg0Jeroen Kappelhof1Adam Mitchell2Adolphe O. Debrot3IUCN SSC Iguana Specialist Group, 1196 Gland, SwitzerlandRoyal Rotterdam Zoological & Botanical Gardens, 3041JG Rotterdam, The NetherlandsSint Eustatius National Parks Foundation, Oranjebaaiweg 59, St. Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean, The NetherlandsWageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, 1780AB Den Helder, The NetherlandsInvasive alien species severely impact native and endemic species, disproportionately affecting insular species like Caribbean reptiles. The Lesser Antillean iguana, <i>Iguana delicatissima</i>, is rapidly declining due to hybridization with non-native green iguanas (NNGIs). With numerous NNGI populations present in the region, the last <i>I. delicatisisma</i>-inhabited islands remain highly susceptible to invasion, whereupon the rapid in situ differentiation of NNGIs is essential. However, currently only few scale and coloration characters allow the in situ identification of NNGIs. Here, we assessed the differentiating power of an additional 20 meristic and length-dependent characteristics between the <i>I. delicatissima</i> population on St. Eustatius and the NNGI population on St. Maarten, the main source of NNGIs arriving on St. Eustatius. Of these, 13 significantly differed between <i>I. delicatissima</i> and NNGIs, with a ≥94% assignment accuracy in multi-variate predictive models. We recommend that these characteristics be assessed and validated, especially for hybrid individuals, allowing the identification of NNGIs even in populations where hybridization is ongoing. Our work demonstrates the value of investing in baseline morphometric datasets for <i>I. delicatissima</i> and other native iguanas to aid in the rapid in situ detection of NNGIs for removal.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/4/4/38Caribbeanextinctiongreen iguanahybridization<i>Iguana iguana</i>in situ detection |
| spellingShingle | Matthijs P. van den Burg Jeroen Kappelhof Adam Mitchell Adolphe O. Debrot Exploring the Potential of Morphometrics to Inform the Conservation of <i>Iguana delicatissima</i> Conservation Caribbean extinction green iguana hybridization <i>Iguana iguana</i> in situ detection |
| title | Exploring the Potential of Morphometrics to Inform the Conservation of <i>Iguana delicatissima</i> |
| title_full | Exploring the Potential of Morphometrics to Inform the Conservation of <i>Iguana delicatissima</i> |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Potential of Morphometrics to Inform the Conservation of <i>Iguana delicatissima</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Potential of Morphometrics to Inform the Conservation of <i>Iguana delicatissima</i> |
| title_short | Exploring the Potential of Morphometrics to Inform the Conservation of <i>Iguana delicatissima</i> |
| title_sort | exploring the potential of morphometrics to inform the conservation of i iguana delicatissima i |
| topic | Caribbean extinction green iguana hybridization <i>Iguana iguana</i> in situ detection |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/4/4/38 |
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