FLORIDA – A team of scientists from the University of Florida is exploring the impact of a lizard population shift that could influence the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
The brown anole, a nonnative lizard, has grown to be a common sight in Florida. However, it’s possible that its population is now declining, due to the arrival of Peters’s rock agama.
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The Peters’s rock agama is an aggressive and nonnative lizard, reducing the number of brown anole lizards that are available for mosquitoes to bite.
While it may seem minor compared to other invasive species in Florida, Nathan Burkett-Cadena, the principal investigator of the study, warns the rivalry might have implications on public health.
“It’s possible that brown anole lizards have been unwittingly and unintentionally protecting us from West Nile virus and some other mosquito-transmitted diseases,” said Burkett-Cadena. “Any time a mosquito bites a lizard, it doesn’t bite a bird or a human. This could result in fewer cases of mosquito-borne disease, because birds are natural hosts of some dangerous mosquito-transmitted viruses.”
According to Burkett-Cadena, mosquitoes don’t bite the rock agama because they sleep in crevices where mosquitoes can’t or don’t go.
The team is focused on how these reptiles are influencing the spread of diseases like West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis and Eastern equine encephalitis.
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The spread of mosquito-borne diseases is a growing concern for Florida residents, with a case of West Nile recently being discovered in a St Johns County animal.
Since its introduction, Peters’s rock agama has spread to at least 20 counties in Florida, including Duval.
“Florida is a hot spot of biological invasions, particularly for reptiles, primarily due to its warm climate, major ports of entry, a thriving reptile trade and destructive storms that can facilitate escapes,” said co-principal scientist Melissa Miller.
At least 54 species of nonnative reptiles are established and breeding in Florida.
The study will look at how invasive lizards affect which animals mosquitoes bite and how it influences the spread of diseases in Florida.
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The study is called “Invasive lizard-mediated risk of mosquito-borne pathogen transmission,” and is one of seven projects funded by a $350,000 grant from UF’s Invasion Science Research Institute.