Question

real life scenario: the ozarks collared lizard
a case study on isolated populations
in his childhood years in the ozark mountains, alan templeton loved watching collared lizards. these lizards are colorful and able to run fast on their hind legs. templeton went to further his education and earn a phd, but after returning to the ozarks as an adult, he found that the collared lizards had become difficult to find. their populations had declined.
upon further investigation, templeton realized the problem. collared lizards live in small patches of desert called glades. throughout the past 100 years, fire suppression had become a hot topic within the forest service. red cedar trees, which had been kept to small numbers prior to the firefighting efforts had grown to create large patches of forest. these cedar forests divided the lizard populations.
templeton tried to help the collared lizard populations expand by bringing in new lizards to recolonize the glades. eventually, templeton’s research on the declining lizard populations was used to convince local residents that prescribed burns were required on two mountains (stegall & thorny) to quell the red cedar forests, allowing greater dispersal of the collared lizards that remained.
discussion questions:

1. what type of isolation was occurring in the collared lizard population?
2. what might have happened to the collared lizard populations in the ozarks if templeton hadn’t noticed a problem?
3. when did templeton attempt to reintroduce new lizards? were these methods successful? give evidence from the graph to explain your answer.
4. explain why the number of occupied glades rises quickly after 1994.
5. if you had lived in the ozarks during the time of templeton’s lizard reintroduction, would you have voted to allow prescribed burns in the forests? why or why not?

Explanation:

1. The red cedar forests created by fire - suppression divided the lizard populations, which is geographical isolation.
2. Without Templeton's intervention, the lizard populations likely would have continued to decline due to isolation and habitat loss.
3. The text doesn't specify the exact time of re - introduction. If the graph shows an increase in the number of lizards or occupied glades after the re - introduction efforts, it could be evidence of success.
4. After 1994, prescribed burns likely cleared the red cedar forests, allowing more glades to be available for the lizards, thus increasing the number of occupied glades.
5. Answers may vary. Reasons for allowing could include helping the lizard population recover and maintaining a natural ecosystem. Reasons against could include concerns about air quality, property damage, or potential harm to other species.

Answer:

1. Geographical isolation
2. Likely continued decline
3. Time not specified; success if graph shows increase post - reintroduction
4. Prescribed burns cleared red cedar forests
5. Varying answers based on different considerations