Seasonal Hatchling Recruitment and Juvenile Growth of the Lizard Anolis lineatopus

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Abstract
During a 1-yr field study of the Jamaican lizard A. lineatopus, monthly hatchling recruitment differed by a factor of 10 and mean monthly juvenile growth rate by a factor of 2 between highest and lowest values. Both hatchling recruitment and mean juvenile growth were highly predictable by rainfall. Growth varied with precipitation during the growth period; hatchling recruitment was delayed by about 2 mo. Arthropod abundance was higher in the wet than in the dry season. Growth rates did not fall low enough to suspect starvation as a mortality factor. Beside season, growth was influenced by sex and site. Larger females tended to lay heavier eggs than smaller females. Hatchling weight rose with both egg weight and incubation time and was higher in the dry than in the wet season. Juvenile weight was slightly reduced in the dry season. The sex ratio of hatchlings remained constant throughout the year and did not differ from unity. Wet season values of egg laying rate, female growth and age at maturity were similar to those of comparably sized females of a mainland species.