Borderless Lizards: Unveiling Overlooked Records and the Expanding Invasion of Anolis sagrei in Ecuador
, Edison Maxi 1,3, Karen Cando 1,3, Marlon Vega 1, Johe Sozoranga 1,3 and Luis Rodrigo Saa 4Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors presented an interesting study with a detailed analysis of confirmed data, publicly available information from databases, as well as new locations.
There are comments on the text of the article:
1 A more detailed analysis of the biotopic distribution, taking into account the anthropogenic transformation of inhabited habitats. It is believed that it is in the transformed habitats of species close in ecology that the introduction of invasive species occurs (Stehle et al., 2017; doi: 10.1016/j.actao.2017.08.008).
- It is necessary to assess the impact on the number of pathogens (Caudill et al., 2023; doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-22-00045), which affect the morphological characteristics of other pathogens and parasites, including helminths. For example, helminths can be carried by their introduced hosts and become established in colonized areas (Goldberg, Bursey, 2000; doi: 10.2307/3284959; Langford et al., 2013; doi: 10.1645/12-30.1; Reedy et al., 2016; doi: 10.1111/bij.12685; Thawley et al., 2019; doi: 10.1093/jue/juy031). At the same time, the depleted composition or absence of helminths in the introduced population can be a factor of competitive advantage (Tyler et al., 2022; doi: 10.1002/jez.2644).
- Aggressive behavior (Tokarz, 1985; doi: 10.1016/S0003-3472(85)80006-3) and the role of size in the manifestation of trophic competition, including potential (Figueira et al., 2023; doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.14331).
Author Response
Reviewer 1 (Round 1)
Dear Reviewer,
First, we sincerely thank you for your insightful suggestions, which have undoubtedly improved the scope and quality of our manuscript. All of your comments have been carefully addressed and incorporated into the revised version. Below, we detail the specific changes made:
Comment 1:
“A more detailed analysis of the biotopic distribution, taking into account the anthropogenic transformation of inhabited habitats. It is believed that it is in the transformed habitats of species close in ecology that the introduction of invasive species occurs (Stehle et al., 2017; doi: 10.1016/j.actao.2017.08.008).”
Response:
A new paragraph was added in lines 445-453
Comment 2:
“It is necessary to assess the impact on the number of pathogens (Caudill et al., 2023; doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-22-00045), which affect the morphological characteristics of other pathogens and parasites, including helminths. For example, helminths can be carried by their introduced hosts and become established in colonized areas (Goldberg, Bursey, 2000; doi: 10.2307/3284959; Langford et al., 2013; doi: 10.1645/12-30.1; Reedy et al., 2016; doi: 10.1111/bij.12685; Thawley et al., 2019; doi: 10.1093/jue/juy031). At the same time, the depleted composition or absence of helminths in the introduced population can be a factor of competitive advantage (Tyler et al., 2022; doi: 10.1002/jez.2644).”
Response:
A new paragraph was added in lines 399-411:
Comment 3:
“Aggressive behavior (Tokarz, 1985; doi: 10.1016/S0003-3472(85)80006-3) and the role of size in the manifestation of trophic competition, including potential (Figueira et al., 2023; doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.14331).”
Response:
A new paragraph was added in lines 86-110
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsI have reviewed the manuscript entitled ‘Borderless lizards: Unveiling overlooked records and the expanding invasion of Anolis sagrei in Ecuador’
The proposed manuscript provides information about the great ecological plasticity and invasive potential of the Anolis sagrei. The proposed results provide valuable information about new occupied territories by A. sagrei in Ecuador. In view of the great species diversity and high percentage of endemism, this species may represent a serious threat to the local herpetofauna.
The study is particularly important in the context of global wildlife problems related to invasive species, habitat loss and change, and increased competition between species for diminishing environmental resources. The potential for A. sagrei to occupy new territories is of great interest in the view of conservation effort to local species. This research reinforces the urgent need for monitoring and management strategies, and also provides a good basis for taking measures to to mitigate its ecological impact of this invasive species in Ecuador.
However, the manuscript needs to be improved and I give some suggestions further down in the text.
The introduction seems to me too long and in some places hard to fallow.
Materials and Methods
Please, provide more detailed description of the studied area, especially a better characteristic of the habitat.
Fig. 1 – It would be helpful if you marked the natural range of the species on the map or give a different color to the observations from its national range. In the map c- it would be useful to label the localities
172-179 this paragraph should be moved to ‘2.2. Data Collection’
Results
Overall, there are many paragraphs in Results that the reader can get lost in. Describe concisely the data collected from the various methods It would be helpful to compare your morphometric results statistically with other available data, not just by presenting them in the table.
247-252 this should go in Discussion
253-257 This resemble the information already given in the Introduction, it should be removed or rephrased and moved to Discussion
Discussion
The discussion needs to be structured better and tightened up. There are too many sentences and phrases that are repeated many times in the discussion, often jumping from data for Ecuador to other regions.
377-382 this paragraph repeat some of the above-mentioned statement (lines 287-297), so I recommend to remove this paragraph.
Regarding the observations from Italy, where do the data for them come from? Please cite the source in the text and in Table 2.
Conclusions – it’s also too long; the first paragraph (lines 488-497) should be removed; its mentioned already above. The conclusion should mainly focus on what is most relevant in view of A. sagrei’s invasive potential, developing effective measures to limit the spread of this invasive species and future prospects.
Author Response
Reviewer 2 (Round 1)
Comment:
The introduction is too long and, in places, difficult to follow.
Response:
The introduction has been reorganized to improve clarity and flow. It was structured into thematically coherent subsections to facilitate readability without omitting essential background information.
Comment:
Materials and Methods section needs a more detailed description of the study area, particularly regarding habitat characteristics.
Response:
Additional details regarding the study area's climate, vegetation types, urbanization level, and ecological context have been included to provide a clearer characterization of the habitat.
Comment:
Figure 1 should mark the natural range of the species on the maps.
Response:
Figure 1 has been revised. A different color was used to represent the native distribution of Anolis sagrei,
Comment:
Paragraph in lines 172-179 should be moved to '2.2 Data Collection'.
Response:
The specified paragraph, describing the collection and preservation of voucher specimens, has been relocated to the '2.2 Data Collection' section as requested.
Comment:
Results section is sometimes hard to follow; more concise descriptions and statistical comparisons are recommended.
Response:
The Results section has been reorganized for greater clarity. Additionally, where possible, statistical comparisons have been incorporated to support the morphometric analyses.
Comment:
Paragraph 247–252 this should go in Discussion.
Response:
The paragraph was moved to discussion (line TAL) and rewritten for clarity
Paragraph s253-257 This resemble the information already given in the Introduction, it should be removed or rephrased and moved to Discussion
Response: The paragraph was removed
Comment:
Discussion needs better structure and elimination of repeated statements.
Response:
The Discussion section has been reorganized into logical thematic blocks. Redundant sentences have been removed or merged to improve cohesiveness and narrative flow.
Comment:
377-382 this paragraph repeat some of the above-mentioned statement (lines 287-297), so I recommend to remove this paragraph.
Response: We have retained the paragraph because we believe it contributes an important perspective that complements the broader discussion of Anolis sagrei’s expansion. While earlier sections address the species' ecological impacts, this paragraph specifically highlights the feasibility of early intervention at this initial stage of invasion, an aspect that had not been explicitly discussed. To enhance clarity and avoid any possible redundancy, we have rephrased the paragraph to focus more sharply on the unique management opportunities presented by the localized nature of the El Pangui population.
Comment:
Regarding observations from Italy, the data source should be cited in the text and in Table 2.
Response:
The data regarding observations from Italy are based on validated citizen science records from iNaturalist, which have now been cited appropriately in the text and in Table 2.
Comment:
Conclusions section is too long; the first paragraph should be removed.
Response:
The Conclusions section has been shortened to focus exclusively on the key findings regarding the invasive potential of Anolis sagrei and the implications for future management strategies. Redundant content has been eliminated.
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe reviewer thanks the authors for an interesting and relevant study. Almost all comments have been taken into account.
The format of references to literature needs to be changed.
Author Response
We sincerely thank Reviewer 1 for the constructive feedback. Although the references had been previously adjusted to the journal's style, it appears that the formatting did not display correctly in the Word document version submitted. We have reviewed and corrected all reference entries to ensure full compliance with the journal’s guidelines.
We are grateful for your insightful review, which significantly contributed to improving the quality and clarity of the manuscript.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsI think the presented version of the text is satisfactory and all previous comments have been taken into account. Before it is accepted for publication, it would be a needet to check it again for spelling and language improvement.
Author Response
We acknowledge the reviewer's final comments. Although no specific issues were identified, we performed a final revision of the manuscript, focusing on language and clarity, to ensure that it meets the required standards.
