Lizard and bushes together

The lizard Podarcis lilfordi is in decline since the Romans introduced several species in the Balearic Islands. Some of his biologists believe that this decrease has caused the disappearance of a bush.

Lizard and shrub are the endemic species of the Balearic Islands. Until its arrival by the Romans, there were no cats or erbinuds in its ecosystem, but the population of the lizard has decreased since its introduction. Currently it is very scarce, only remains on the island of Cabrera. In turn, the Daphne rodriguezii shrub is also in danger of extinction and some Balearic biologists have investigated the relationship between these two species.

The seeds of the plant were collected from the excrements of many animals and planted. Of all the collected, only those that had been ingested by the lizard Podarcis lilfordi germinated. According to biologists, this case is a clear example of dependence between a plant and an animal. Therefore, the change in the lizard population has negatively affected the plant.