Does temperature or background affect brightness in Green Anoles?

REU Fellow: Derek Koon, University of the Virgin Islands

Mentor: Dr. Lance McBrayer

The green anole (Anolis carolinensis) is a native species of North America. All Anolis species can change colors among green, brown, and black. Males exhibit green body color more than females. Social cues and stress are linked to color changes. Melanophores are skin cells that contain melanin pigments.  When the melanophores are stimulated, they migrate upward to change the color of the skin. Brightness is the amount of light or dark in reflecting from an object and is different than color. Given that skin color is known to change in Anolis lizards, we asked if brightness also changed in different ecological settings like temperature or differences in color background.