A few years ago, scientists in the Bahamas introduced curly-tailed lizards, a predatory species, to an ecosystem containing two types of anoles, both peacefully co-existing lizards (and both prey for the predatory curly-tail). Scientists would have previously expected that the predator would quickly gobble up the anoles, but their ultimate downfall was unexpected. The prey species responded to the introduction of the predator by changing their behavior - one species fled into the trees, resulting in increased competition for food between the two previously harmonious co-existing species. The scientists hypothesized that it was the
The Town As Ecosystem
The Town As Ecosystem
The Town As Ecosystem
A few years ago, scientists in the Bahamas introduced curly-tailed lizards, a predatory species, to an ecosystem containing two types of anoles, both peacefully co-existing lizards (and both prey for the predatory curly-tail). Scientists would have previously expected that the predator would quickly gobble up the anoles, but their ultimate downfall was unexpected. The prey species responded to the introduction of the predator by changing their behavior - one species fled into the trees, resulting in increased competition for food between the two previously harmonious co-existing species. The scientists hypothesized that it was the