Study of rock agama gives insights into urbanization, conservation

• A study carried out by researchers from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, undertook to characterise urbanisation in the region and also to understand where the rock agama reside in and around Bengaluru specifically.

The Lizard

• The Peninsular Rock Agama (Psammophilus dorsalis) which is a type of garden lizard has a strong presence in southern India.
• This lizard is a large animal, strikingly coloured in orange and black.
• They do not generate their own body heat, so they need to seek warmth from external sources like a warm rock or a sunny spot on the wall.
• They are important in ecology from different aspects they can indicate which parts of the city are warming, and their numbers show how the food web is changing.

Need for conservation:

• Habitat loss and other such features of urbanisation have affected the presence of the animal in urban centres.
• The study examined several environmental factors that could affect the presence of the lizard and revealed that they are found mainly in rocky places and warm spots.
• Thus, the inference is that conservation efforts must point towards retaining rocky patches even while reviving landscapes by planting trees.
• The rock agama is a species which is dependent on rocky scrub habitats which are being converted into buildings and plantations.
• The study underlines that smaller fauna and flora could be key indicators of the health of the ecosystem and need to be preserved, too.