Recolonization of secondary forests by a locally extinct Caribbean anole through the lens of range expansion theory

Disturbance and recovery dynamics are characteristic features of many ecosystems. Disturbance dynamics are widely studied in ecology and conservation biology. Still, we know less about the ecological processes that drive ecosystem recovery. The ecological processes that mediate ecosystem recovery stand at the intersection of many theoretical frameworks. Range expansion theory is one of these complementary frameworks that can provide unique insights into the population-level processes that mediate ecosystem recovery, particularly fauna recolonization. Although the biodiversity patterns that follow fauna recolonization of recovering forests have been well described in the literature, the ecological processes at the population level that drive these patterns remain conspicuously unknown. In this study, we tested three fundamental predictions of range expansion theory during the recolonization of recovering forests in Puerto Rico by a shade specialist anole, Anolis gundlachi. Range expansio..., We collected the data in three chronosequences (El Verde, Carite1, and Carite2) including forests of different ages (old of > 75 years; mid of 40–60 years and young of < 30 years) in Puerto Rico. We quantified phenotypic traits inside 20 x 20 m plots at each forest age (i.e., young, mid, old). To estimate abundance we conducted distance sampling with 50 m transects. Infection status was assessed by collecting tissue samples and conducting PCR diagnostics. Detailed methods are included in the manuscript. , , # Recolonization of secondary forests by a locally extinct Caribbean anole through the lens of range expansion theory

Give a brief summary of dataset contents, contextualized in experimental procedures and results.

## 1. Paper information

Citation: Acevedo et al. In press. Recolonization of secondary forests by a locally extinct Caribbean anole through the lens of range expansion theory. Ecological Applications

## 2. Originators

Miguel A. Acevedo
Carly Fankhauser
Luis Gonzalez
Marne Quigg
Bella Gonzalez
Riccardo Papa

## 3. Contact Information

Miguel Acevedo
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
University of Florida

email:

## 4. Date of data collection:

December 2018 - June 2022

## 5. Geographic location of data collection

Puerto Rico

## 6. Information about funding sources that supported the collection of the data:

National Science Foundation (No. 1754401)

## 7. Access Information

Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal

## 8. Data files and variables

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