Evidence for urban food limitation in a widespread invasive lizard

Abstract Declining diversity, abundance, and body size of arthropods are characteristic features of urbanization. Recent work indicates that arthropod declines can cascade through urban food webs and limit consumer populations. However, the magnitude and extent of urban food limitation remains unknown. To expand our understanding of the consequences of urban arthropod declines, we examined signatures of food limitation in a widespread, urban-tolerant lizard, the brown anole ( Anolis sagrei ). Our results show that male brown anoles exhibit significant decline in body condition, but not body size, across a gradient of increasing urbanization in south Florida, USA. Further, we observed a positive relationship between arthropod biomass and lizard body condition, as well as declining arthropod biomass with increasing urbanization. Our results contribute to a growing realization that urbanization-driven arthropod declines are likely to adversely impact a variety of predators—even the most urban-tolerant ones.