EXOTICS EXHIBIT MORE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY THAN NATIVES: A COMPARISON OF THE ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF EXOTIC AND NATIVE ANOLE LIZARDS

Long-distance colonization was once rare causing species within regions to be closely related. Now, in the Anthropocene, biogeographic structure is being eroded by species introductions. Here, we contrast the ecology and evolution of native versus exotic Caribbean Anolis lizards and show that the once strong biogeographic structure in the clade has been altered by the introduction of 22 Anolis species. Anole introductions are more frequent and span greater distances than natural anole colonizations. As a result, exotic anole populations in the Anthropocene often contain more genetic diversity than native populations, and anole phylogenetic diversity on islands is rapidly increasing.