Which experiment would best determine if the green anole lizards' diet was affected by their change in habitat?

• A. Yoel should feed green anoles a standard diet in the lab and compare growth.
• B. Yoel should measure the body temperature of lizards on different islands.
• C. Yoel should count the number of lizards on each island.
• D. Yoel should compare the diet of green anole lizards from islands where no brown anole lizards live to the diet of green anole lizards from islands where brown anoles live.

Answer: (D)

The main idea is to see how habitat and interactions with other species influence what green anoles eat. To test this, you compare their actual diet in environments that differ in the presence of a competitor. By looking at green anoles on islands without brown anoles versus islands with brown anoles, you can see if their food choices or prey intake change when a rival is present. If the diets differ between these two contexts, that suggests the habitat and interspecific interaction are affecting diet. To measure this, you’d analyze what the lizards are eating—for example, by examining stomach contents or fecal samples—to quantify the types and amounts of prey consumed, while controlling for prey availability and other factors that could influence feeding.

The other options don’t address diet in relation to habitat. Providing a standard lab diet and measuring growth removes environmental context, measuring body temperature isn’t about what they eat, and counting lizards on each island tells you about population numbers, not dietary habits.