PARENT SESSION
Poster Session 20: Invasive Species
Wednesday, August 10, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Exhibit Hall 220 A-E, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Microhabitat use by the introduced gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus).
Gomez-Zlatar, Patricia1, Moulton, Michael*,1, 1 Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, Gainesville, Florida, USA
ABSTRACT- We analyzed microhabitat use by introduced Mediterranean geckos (Hemidactylus turcicus) on buildings in the vicinity of the campus of the University of Florida. Geckos generally showed no preference for older versus more recently constructed surfaces. We further found that geckos showed no preference for surfaces that faced different directions, or for surfaces made of any specific material. Gecko presence also was not dependent on the presence of any light source, and the texture of the surface did not influence the presence or absence of geckos. However, we did find that geckos were encountered significantly more frequently on light-colored walls versus dark-colored walls and they occurred in higher numbers of larger walls. Finally, we found a significant difference in mean temperatures of the four different wall construction materials. However this had no significant effect on gecko use. These results support the notion that the invasive ability of this species is linked in part to their ability to use a variety of microhabitats.
Key words: Introduced gecko, microhabitat use