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Luna Á, Rausell-Moreno A. Unveiling the urban colonization of the Asian water monitor ( Varanus salvator) across its distribution range using citizen science. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17357. [PMID: 39184396 PMCID: PMC11344998 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Background This study aims to investigate the urban colonization of the Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator) across its entire range of distribution, addressing the paucity of research on this species in urban ecosystems. The research spans the geographic range of the Asian water monitor, focusing on urbanized areas where the species accumulates more observations (Bangkok, Colombo, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore). Methods We conducted a systematic review to comprehensively assess the current knowledge of the species' presence in cities. Additionally, citizen science data from repositories like GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information facility ) were utilized to analyze the distribution patterns of V. salvator in urban environments. To elucidate urban distribution and correct collection biases, observations were weighted by sampling effort, using as a proxy all squamate occurrences available from 2010-2023, including V. salvator. Results Despite the widespread presence of the Asian water monitor in numerous cities within its distribution range, the available studies on the topic appear to be scarce. Existing research primarily consists of descriptive reports on diet and behavior. Our findings indicate that V. salvator predominantly colonizes green patches in urban areas, such as parks and small gardens. Larger cities exhibit higher records, potentially due to both permanent populations and increased citizen science reporting. Conclusions The Asian water monitor, as the largest lizard with established populations in cities, remains scarcely studied on a broader scale. However, the urban design of each city seems relevant to understand the distribution patterns within each context. Our study highlights the need for further research to explore the ecological and human dimensions associated with the species' presence in urban environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Luna
- Department of Biosciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Armand Rausell-Moreno
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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2
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Irwin K, Aspbury AS, Bonner T, Gabor CR. Habitat structural complexity predicts cognitive performance and behaviour in western mosquitofish. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20230394. [PMID: 38982850 PMCID: PMC11252849 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Urban stream syndrome alters stream habitat complexity. We define habitat complexity as the degree of variation in physical habitat structure, with increasing variation equating to higher complexity. Habitat complexity affects species composition and shapes animal ecology, physiology, behaviour and cognition. We used a delayed detour test to measure whether cognitive processes (motor self-regulation) and behaviour (risk-taking) of female Western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, varied with habitat structural complexity (low, moderate and high) that was quantified visually for nine populations. We predicted that motor self-regulation and risk-taking behaviour would increase with increasing habitat complexity, yet we found support for the opposite. Lower complexity habitats offer less refuge potentially leading to higher predation pressure and selecting for greater risk-taking by fish with higher motor self-regulation. Our findings provide insight into how habitat complexity can shape cognitive processes and behaviour and offers a broader understanding of why some species may tolerate conditions of urbanized environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyndal Irwin
- Biology Department, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Andrea S. Aspbury
- Biology Department, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Timothy Bonner
- Biology Department, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Caitlin R. Gabor
- Biology Department, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
- The Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
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3
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Damas-Moreira I, Szabo B, Drosopoulos G, Stober C, Lisičić D, Caspers BA. Smarter in the city? Lizards from urban and semi-natural habitats do not differ in a cognitive task in two syntopic species. Curr Zool 2024; 70:361-370. [PMID: 39035752 PMCID: PMC11255991 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoae010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Urbanization occurs at a global scale, imposing dramatic and abrupt environmental changes that lead to biodiversity loss. Yet, some animal species can handle these changes, and thrive in such artificial environments. One possible explanation is that urban individuals are equipped with better cognitive abilities, but most studies have focused on birds and mammals and yielded varied results. Reptiles have received much less attention, despite some lizard species being common city dwellers. The Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, and the common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis, are two successful lizards in anthropogenic habitats that thrive in urban locations. To test for differences in a cognitive skill between urban and semi-natural environments, we investigated inhibitory control through a detour task in syntopic populations of the two species, across 249 lizards that were tested in partially artificial field settings. Sophisticated inhibitory control is considered essential for higher degrees of cognitive flexibility and other higher-level cognitive abilities. In this task, we confronted lizards with a transparent barrier, separating them from a desired shelter area that they could only reach by controlling their impulse to go straight and instead detour the barrier. We found no differences between lizards in urban and semi-natural environments, nor between species, but females overall performed better than males. Moreover, 48% of the lizards in our study did not perform a correct trial in any of the 5 trials, hinting at the difficulty of the task for these species. This study is among the first to address lizard cognition, through their inhibitory control, as a potential explanation for success in cities and highlights one should be careful with assuming that urban animals generally have enhanced cognitive performance, as it might be taxa, task, or condition dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Birgit Szabo
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, University of Bern, 3032, Switzerland
| | | | - Carolin Stober
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Bielefeld University, 33615, Germany
| | - Duje Lisičić
- Department of Biology, University of Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
| | - Barbara A Caspers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Bielefeld University, 33615, Germany
- Joint Institute of Individualisation in a Changing Environment (JICE), University of Münster and Bielefeld University, 33615, Germany
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4
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Do Suburban Populations of Lizards Behave Differently from Forest Ones? An Analysis of Perch Height, Time Budget, and Display Rate in the Cuban Endemic Anolis homolechis. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15020261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization transforms natural ecosystems into novel habitats, which can result in negative consequences for biodiversity. Therefore, it is important to understand the mechanisms of maintenance of native species in urbanized environments, including behavior—which can act as a fast response to rapid environmental changes. We compared some behavioral traits between two suburban and two forest populations of Anolis homolechis. Direct observations of 779 individuals revealed that perch height was positively influenced by body size, but not by sex. Suburban individuals perched higher than forest ones, and even more so in the afternoon compared to the morning; a behavior that was not observed in forests populations. These differences might be due to a change from foraging activities in the morning to vigilance, display, and/or thermoregulation in the afternoon, promoted by suburban habitat conditions (e.g., higher predator abundance, open habitat structure, and urban heat). Video recordings of 81 focal individuals showed that males were more active than females (i.e., spending less time in stationary behavior and having a higher display rate), with no significant effect of habitat type. As some of our results diverge from previous studies on invasive anoles, we recommend extending comparative studies of urban and non-urban populations to other native Anolis.
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Howell BK, Winchell KM, Hagey TJ. Geometric Morphometrics Reveal Shape Differences in the Toes of Urban Lizards. Integr Org Biol 2022; 4:obac028. [PMID: 35999968 PMCID: PMC9391197 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization, despite its destructive effects on natural habitats, offers species an opportunity to colonize novel niches. Previous research found that urban Anolis lizards in Puerto Rico had increased adhesive toepad area and more ventral toepad scales, traits that are likely adaptive and genetically based. We further investigated these phenotypic changes using geometric morphometrics to measure differences in toe shape, toepad shape, and lamellar morphology. Our results indicate that the increased toepad area of urban Anolis cristatellus lizards in Puerto Rico is not simply an isometric increase in toe size. Toes of urban populations exhibit multiple disproportional changes compared to forest lizards, with a larger proportion of the toe length covered in adhesive toepad. In addition, the toepads of urban lizards increase more in length than width. Lastly, lizards in urban populations exhibit both increased number of lamellae as well as increased spacing between individual lamellae. We also observed regional variation, with urban specimens having significantly more disparity, suggesting similar processes of urban adaptation are likely happening in parallel across the island, yet with region-specific idiosyncrasies, possibly generating more variation in toepad morphology across urban specimens as compared to forest specimens. Considering the use of geometric morphometrics, we found that specimen preparation, specifically how flat and straight toes are during imaging, to be an important factor affecting our data, more so than specimen size or any other meaningful morphological variation. In addition, we found that landmark and semilandmark data can be used to directly estimate toepad area, offering the opportunity to streamline future studies. In conclusion, our results highlight the value of considering toepad morphology in more detail beyond adhesive pad area or number of lamellae. Geometric morphometrics tools may be employed to elucidate subtle differences in shape to better allow researchers to connect changes in morphology to ecology and adhesive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bailey K Howell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech , Blacksburg, VA 24061 , USA
- Department of Science and Mathematics, Mississippi University for Women , Columbus, MS 39701 , USA
| | - Kristin M Winchell
- Department of Biology, Washington University St. Louis , St. Louis, MO 63130 , USA
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544 , USA
| | - Travis J Hagey
- Department of Science and Mathematics, Mississippi University for Women , Columbus, MS 39701 , USA
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6
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Population density of the tropical lizard Anolis cristatellus in urban and forested habitats after a major hurricane. Trop Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42965-022-00251-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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7
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Rossigalli-Costa N, Kohlsdorf T. Native Lizards Living in Brazilian Cities: Effects of Developmental Environments on Thermal Sensitivity and Morpho-Functional Associations of Locomotion. Front Physiol 2022; 13:891545. [PMID: 35910576 PMCID: PMC9335278 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.891545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental conditions often affect developmental processes and consequently influence the range of phenotypic variation expressed at population level. Expansion of urban sites poses new challenges for native species, as urbanization usually affects the intensity of solar exposure and shade availability, determining the thermal regimes organisms are exposed to. In this study, we evaluate the effects of different developmental conditions in a Tropidurus lizard commonly found in Brazilian urban sites. After incubating embryos of Tropidurus catalanensis in two different thermal regimes (Developmental Environments [DE]: cold 24°C and warm 30°C), we measured morphological traits in the neonates and quantified locomotor performance in horizontal and vertical surfaces at three temperatures [Test Temperatures (TT) = 24°C, 30°C and 36°C]. Results indicate effects of developmental temperatures on morphological features, expressing functional implications that might be decisive for the viability of T. catalanensis in urbanized areas. Lizards ran similarly on horizontal and vertical surfaces, and isolated analyses did not identify significant effects of DE or TT on the sprint speeds measured. Absolute Vmax (i.e., the maximum sprint speed reached among all TTs) positively correlated with body size (SVL), and neonates from the warm DE (30°C) were larger than those from the cold DE (24°C). Morpho-functional associations of absolute Vmax also involved pelvic girdle width and forelimb, hindlimb, trunk, and tail lengths. Emerging discussions aim to understand how animals cope with abrupt environmental shifts, a likely common challenge in urbanized sites. Our findings add a new dimension to the topic, providing evidence that temperature, an environmental parameter often affected by urbanization, influences the thermal sensitivity of locomotion and the morphological profile of T. catalanensis neonates. Thermal sensitivity of specific developmental processes may influence the ability of these lizards to remain in habitats that change fast, as those suffering rapid urbanization due to city growth.
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8
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Vidal A, Iturriaga M, Mancina CA, Cézilly F. Differences in sex ratio, tail autotomy, body size and body condition between suburban and forest populations of the cuban endemic lizard Anolis homolechis. Urban Ecosyst 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-022-01259-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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9
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Beckman AK, Richey BMS, Rosenthal GG. Behavioral responses of wild animals to anthropogenic change: insights from domestication. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03205-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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10
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Pruett JE, Hall JM, Tiatragul S, Warner DA. Nesting in Anolis Lizards: An Understudied Topic in a Well-Studied Clade. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.821115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal nesting behavior in oviparous species strongly influences the environmental conditions their embryos experience during development. In turn, these early-life conditions have consequences for offspring phenotypes and many fitness components across an individual’s lifespan. Thus, identifying the evolutionary and ecological causes and effects of nesting behavior is a key goal of behavioral ecology. Studies of reptiles have contributed greatly to our understanding of how nesting behavior shapes offspring phenotypes. While some taxonomic groups have been used extensively to provide insights into this important area of biology, many groups remain poorly studied. For example, the squamate genus Anolis has served as a model to study behavior, ecology, and evolution, but research focused on Anolis nesting behavior and developmental plasticity is comparatively scarce. This dearth of empirical research may be attributed to logistical challenges (e.g., difficulty locating nests), biological factors (e.g., their single-egg clutches may hinder some experimental designs), and a historical focus on males in Anolis research. Although there is a gap in the literature concerning Anolis nesting behavior, interest in nesting ecology and developmental plasticity in this group has grown in recent years. In this paper, we (1) review existing studies of anole nesting ecology and developmental plasticity; (2) highlight areas of anole nesting ecology that are currently understudied and discuss how research in these areas can contribute to broader topics (e.g., maternal effects and global change biology); and (3) provide guidelines for studying anole nesting in the field. Overall, this review provides a foundation for establishing anoles as models to study nesting ecology and developmental plasticity.
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11
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Pinho FF, Lemos LP, Montanarin A, El Bizri HR, Santos J, Rabelo RM, Valsecchi J, Ramalho EE, Paglia AP. Modelling the impact of hunting on the coexistence of congeneric deer species in Central Amazonia. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- F. F. Pinho
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia Conservação e Manejo da Vida Silvestre Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte MG Brazil
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Ecologia de Felinos da Amazônia Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá Tefé Amazonas Brazil
| | - L. P. Lemos
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Ecologia de Vertebrados Terrestres Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá Tefé Amazonas Brazil
- Rede de Pesquisa para Estudos sobre Diversidade Conservação e Uso da Fauna na Amazônia (RedeFauna) Manaus Amazonas Brazil
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg Virginia USA
| | - A. Montanarin
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Ecologia de Felinos da Amazônia Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá Tefé Amazonas Brazil
| | - H. R. El Bizri
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Ecologia de Vertebrados Terrestres Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá Tefé Amazonas Brazil
- Rede de Pesquisa para Estudos sobre Diversidade Conservação e Uso da Fauna na Amazônia (RedeFauna) Manaus Amazonas Brazil
- Department of Natural Sciences Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
- Comunidad de Manejo de Fauna Silvestre en la Amazonía y en Latinoamérica (ComFauna) Iquitos Peru
| | - J. Santos
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Geografia: Organização do Espaço Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte MG Brazil
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Análise Geoespacial Ambiente e Territórios Amazônicos Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá Tefé AM Brazil
| | - R. M. Rabelo
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Ecologia de Vertebrados Terrestres Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá Tefé Amazonas Brazil
| | - J. Valsecchi
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Ecologia de Vertebrados Terrestres Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá Tefé Amazonas Brazil
- Rede de Pesquisa para Estudos sobre Diversidade Conservação e Uso da Fauna na Amazônia (RedeFauna) Manaus Amazonas Brazil
- Comunidad de Manejo de Fauna Silvestre en la Amazonía y en Latinoamérica (ComFauna) Iquitos Peru
| | - E. E. Ramalho
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Ecologia de Felinos da Amazônia Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá Tefé Amazonas Brazil
- Instituto para Conservação dos Carnívoros Neotropicais ‐ Pró‐Carnívoros Atibaia SP Brazil
| | - A. P. Paglia
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia Conservação e Manejo da Vida Silvestre Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte MG Brazil
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Borden JB, Bohlman S, Scheffers BR. Niche lability mitigates the impact of invasion but not urbanization. Oecologia 2021; 198:1-10. [PMID: 34617142 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05039-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Native species can coexist with invasive congeners by partitioning niche space; however, impacts from invasive species often occur alongside other disturbances. Native species' responses to the interactions of multiple disturbances remain poorly understood. Here we study the impacts of urbanization and an invasive congener on a native species. Using abundance (catch-per-unit effort) and vertical distribution of native green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) and invasive brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) across a gradient of natural-to-urban forests, we ask if niche shifting (lability) is occurring, and if it can mitigate impacts from one or both disturbances. We use generalized linear models to relate species abundances across the landscape to urbanization, forest structural complexity, and congener abundances (i.e., A. sagrei); and test for an interaction between urbanization and congener abundance. Our data show that A. sagrei presence results in a 17-fold upward shift in vertical niche of A. carolinensis-an 8.3 m shift in median perch height, and models reveal urbanization also drives an increase in A. carolinensis perch height. A. carolinensis and A. sagrei abundances negatively and positively correlate with urbanization, respectively, and neither species' abundance correlate with congener abundance. Despite a positive correlation between A. sagrei abundance and urbanization, our results do not show evidence of this interaction affecting A. carolinensis. Instead, niche lability appears to enable the native species to mitigate the impact of one driver of decline (invasive competition) while our data suggest it declines with the second (urbanization).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse B Borden
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0430, USA.
| | - Stephanie Bohlman
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0430, USA
| | - Brett R Scheffers
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0430, USA
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0430, USA
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Singh N, Price C, Downs CT. Aspects of the ecology and behaviour of a potential urban exploiter, the southern tree agama, Acanthocercus atricollis. Urban Ecosyst 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-020-01078-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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14
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Callaghan CT, Bowler DE, Pereira HM. Thermal flexibility and a generalist life history promote urban affinity in butterflies. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:3532-3546. [PMID: 34056817 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Urban expansion poses a serious threat to biodiversity. Given that the expected area of urban land cover is predicted to increase by 2-3 million km2 by 2050, urban environments are one of the most widespread human-dominated land-uses affecting biodiversity. Responses to urbanization differ greatly among species. Some species are unable to tolerate urban environments (i.e., urban avoiders), others are able to adapt and use areas with moderate levels of urbanization (i.e., urban adapters), and yet others are able to colonize and even thrive in urban environments (i.e., urban exploiters). Quantifying species-specific responses to urbanization remains an important goal, but our current understanding of urban tolerance is heavily biased toward traditionally well-studied taxa (e.g., mammals and birds). We integrated a continuous measure of urbanization-night-time lights-with over 900,000 species' observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to derive a comprehensive analysis of species-specific (N = 158 species) responses of butterflies to urbanization across Europe. The majority of butterfly species included in our analysis avoided urban areas, regardless of whether species' urban affinities were quantified as a mean score of urban affinity across all occurrences (79%) or as a species' response curve to the whole urbanization gradient (55%). We then used species-specific responses to urbanization to assess which life history strategies promote urban affinity in butterflies. These trait-based analyses found strong evidence that the average number of flight months, likely associated with thermal niche breath, and number of adult food types were positively associated with urban affinity, while hostplant specialism was negatively associated with urban affinity. Overall, our results demonstrate that specialist butterflies, both in terms of thermal and diet preferences, are most at risk from increasing urbanization, and should thus be considered in urban planning and prioritized for conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey T Callaghan
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Diana E Bowler
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Ecosystem Services, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Henrique M Pereira
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- CIBIO (Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources)-InBIO (Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology), Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
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15
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An Experimental Analysis of Perch Diameter and Substrate Preferences of Anolis Lizards from Natural Forest and Urban Habitats. J HERPETOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1670/0022-1511-55.3.215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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16
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Avilés-Rodríguez KJ, Winchell KM, De León LF, Revell LJ. Phenotypic response to a major hurricane in Anolis lizards in urban and forest habitats. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Little is known about the synergistic impacts of urbanization and hurricanes on synanthropes. We compared morphological traits of the lizard Anolis cristatellus on Puerto Rico sampled before the 2017 category 5 Hurricane Maria and 4 and 11 months after the hurricane. We measured limb lengths, toepad size and the number of subdigital scales, termed lamellae, that facilitate adhesion. We hypothesized that the hurricane should have selected for longer limbs and larger toepads with more lamellae, which are traits that other research has suggested to increase clinging performance. Given prior work demonstrating that urban lizards of this species tend to share this phenotype, we also predicted increased phenotypic overlap between post-hurricane urban–forest pairs. Instead, we found that forest and urban populations alike had smaller body sizes, along with a small size-adjusted decrease in most traits, at 4 months after the hurricane event. Many traits returned to prehurricane values by 11 months post-hurricane. Toe morphology differed in the response to the hurricane between urban and forest populations, with significantly decreased trait values in forest but not in urban populations. This difference could be attributable to the different biomechanical demands of adhesion to anthropogenic substrates compared with natural substrates during intense winds. Overall, more research will be required to understand the impacts of hurricanes on urban species and whether differential natural selection can result.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luis F De León
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liam J Revell
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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Kanamori S, Cádiz A, Díaz LM, Ishii Y, Nakayama T, Kawata M. Detection of genes positively selected in Cuban Anolis lizards that naturally inhabit hot and open areas and currently thrive in urban areas. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:1719-1728. [PMID: 33613999 PMCID: PMC7882966 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 12/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Species of Anolis lizards of the West Indies that naturally inhabit hot and open areas also tend to thrive in urban areas. In this study, transcriptome was sequenced for nine species of Cuban Anolis lizards that are closely related to each other, but inhabit different thermal microhabitats. Using PAML and HyPhy software, we attempted to identify genes and amino acid sites under positive selection in the common ancestral branch of A. porcatus and A. allisoni, and the branch of A. sagrei, which inhabit hot and open areas, and thrive in urban areas. Although there were no genes where positive selection was commonly detected on both of the tested branches, positive selection was detected in genes involved in the stress response (e.g., DNA damage and oxidative stress) and cardiac function, which could be related to adaptive evolution of tolerance to heat or ultraviolet radiation, on both branches. These findings suggest that adaptive evolution of the response to stress caused by heat or ultraviolet radiation might have occurred in ancestors of Anolis species inhabiting hot and open areas and might be related to the current thriving in urban areas of them.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antonio Cádiz
- Graduate School of Life SciencesTohoku UniversitySendaiJapan
- Department of BiologyUniversity of MiamiCoral GablesUSA
| | - Luis M. Díaz
- National Museum of Natural History of CubaHavanaCuba
| | - Yuu Ishii
- Graduate School of Life SciencesTohoku UniversitySendaiJapan
| | - Takuro Nakayama
- Graduate School of Life SciencesTohoku UniversitySendaiJapan
| | - Masakado Kawata
- Graduate School of Life SciencesTohoku UniversitySendaiJapan
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18
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Lailvaux SP. It’s Not Easy Being Green: Behavior, Morphology, and Population Structure in Urban and Natural Populations of Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis) Lizards. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.570810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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19
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Falvey CH, Aviles-Rodriguez KJ, Hagey TJ, Winchell KM. The finer points of urban adaptation: intraspecific variation in lizard claw morphology. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Human activity drastically transforms landscapes, generating novel habitats to which species must adaptively respond. Consequently, urbanization is increasingly recognized as a driver of phenotypic change. The structural environment of urban habitats presents a replicated natural experiment to examine trait–environment relationships and phenotypic variation related to locomotion. We use geometric morphometrics to examine claw morphology of five species of Anolis lizards in urban and forest habitats. We find that urban lizards undergo a shift in claw shape in the same direction but varying magnitude across species. Urban claws are overall taller, less curved, less pointed and shorter in length than those of forest lizards. These differences may enable more effective attachment or reduce interference with toepad function on smooth anthropogenic substrates. We also find an increase in shape disparity, a measurement of variation, in urban populations, suggesting relaxed selection or niche expansion rather than directional selection. This study expands our understanding of the relatively understudied trait of claw morphology and adds to a growing number of studies demonstrating phenotypic changes in urban lizards. The consistency in the direction of the shape changes we observed supports the intriguing possibility that urban environments may lead to predictable convergent adaptive change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cleo H Falvey
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Travis J Hagey
- Department of Sciences & Mathematics, Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, MS, USA
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20
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Diamond SE, Martin RA. Evolution is a double-edged sword, not a silver bullet, to confront global change. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2020; 1469:38-51. [PMID: 32500534 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Although there is considerable optimism surrounding adaptive evolutionary responses to global change, relatively little attention has been paid to maladaptation in this context. In this review, we consider how global change might lead populations to become maladapted. We further consider how populations can evolve to new optima, fail to evolve and therefore remain maladapted, or become further maladapted through trait-driven or eco-evo-driven mechanisms after being displaced from their fitness optima. Our goal is to stimulate thinking about evolution as a "double-edged sword" that comprises both adaptive and maladaptive responses, rather than as a "silver bullet" or a purely adaptive mechanism to combat global change. We conclude by discussing how a better appreciation of environmentally driven maladaptation and maladaptive responses might improve our current understanding of population responses to global change and our ability to forecast future responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Diamond
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Ryan A Martin
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
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21
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Terán-Juárez SA, Pineda E, Horta-Vega JV, Cedeño-Vázquez JR, Correa-Sandoval A, Venegas-Barrera CS. Habitat use and microhabitat selection of two lizard species with different niche requirements in a resource availability gradient. STUDIES ON NEOTROPICAL FAUNA AND ENVIRONMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/01650521.2020.1752549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Alejandro Terán-Juárez
- División De Estudios De Posgrado E Investigación, Tecnológico Nacional De México, Campus Ciudad Victoria, Ciudad Victoria, México
| | - Eduardo Pineda
- Red De Biología Y Conservación De Vertebrados, Instituto De Ecología A.C., Veracruz, México
| | - Jorge Víctor Horta-Vega
- División De Estudios De Posgrado E Investigación, Tecnológico Nacional De México, Campus Ciudad Victoria, Ciudad Victoria, México
| | - José Rogelio Cedeño-Vázquez
- Departamento De Sistemática Y Ecología Acuática, El Colegio De La Frontera Sur, Unidad Chetumal, Chetumal, México
| | - Alfonso Correa-Sandoval
- División De Estudios De Posgrado E Investigación, Tecnológico Nacional De México, Campus Ciudad Victoria, Ciudad Victoria, México
| | - Crystian Sadiel Venegas-Barrera
- División De Estudios De Posgrado E Investigación, Tecnológico Nacional De México, Campus Ciudad Victoria, Ciudad Victoria, México
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22
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Winchell KM, Schliep KP, Mahler DL, Revell LJ. Phylogenetic signal and evolutionary correlates of urban tolerance in a widespread neotropical lizard clade. Evolution 2020; 74:1274-1288. [PMID: 32129470 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization is intensifying worldwide, and while some species tolerate and even exploit urban environments, many others are excluded entirely from this new habitat. Understanding the factors that underlie tolerance of urbanization is thus of rapidly growing importance. Here, we examine urban tolerance across a diverse group of lizards: Caribbean members of the neotropical genus Anolis. Our analyses reveal that urban tolerance has strong phylogenetic signal, suggesting that closely related species tend to respond similarly to urban environments. We propose that this characteristic of urban tolerance in anoles may be used to forecast the possible responses of species to increasing urbanization. In addition, we identified several key ecological and morphological traits that tend to be associated with tolerance in Anolis. Specifically, species experiencing hot and dry conditions in their natural environment and those that maintain higher body temperatures tend to have greater tolerance of urban habitats. We also found that tolerance of urbanization is positively associated with toepad lamella number and negatively associated with ventral scale density and relative hindlimb length. The identification of factors that predispose a species to be more or less urban tolerant can provide a starting point for conservation and sustainable development in our increasingly urbanized world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M Winchell
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, 63130
| | - Klaus P Schliep
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125.,Institute of Computational Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - D Luke Mahler
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Liam J Revell
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125.,Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Cátolica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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23
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Tiatragul S, Hall JM, Warner DA. Nestled in the city heat: urban nesting behavior enhances embryo development of an invasive lizard. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juaa001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Urbanization transforms many aspects of natural landscapes and poses many new challenges for individual survival and population persistence. Thus, urbanization provides an opportunity to examine how organisms deal with novel environmental change. Many studies provide evidence of phenotypic adaptation to urban environments, but few focus on responses during early life stages. Filling this information gap is important, because early life stages are particularly sensitive to abiotic factors, and no population is sustainable without successful embryo development. We tested the hypotheses that (i) embryos tolerate warmer temperature conditions of urbanized areas and (ii) maternal nesting behavior protects embryos from potentially lethal thermal conditions in urbanized habitats. We studied introduced populations of a subtropical lizard, Anolis cristatellus, in suburban and forested areas in Miami, Florida. In each habitat, we measured microenvironment variables for locations that females used for nesting vs. locations they did not use. We then incubated eggs from both populations under thermal conditions that mimicked used and unused sites. Nests in the suburban site were warmer than in the forest; however, in the suburban site, locations that females used were relatively cool compared with locations that were not used. We found no evidence that embryos are adapted to their respective suburban or forested thermal environments, but rather maternal nest-site choice enhanced embryo development in the suburban habitat. Maternal nesting behavior is likely an important factor for population persistence under major environmental changes, and a key contributor to the establishment and spread of invasive organisms across urbanized landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarin Tiatragul
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Joshua M Hall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Daniel A Warner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
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24
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de Andrade AC. Metropolitan lizards? Urbanization gradient and the density of lagartixas ( Tropidurus hispidus) in a tropical city. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:1740-1750. [PMID: 32128113 PMCID: PMC7042683 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization, with its cohort of environmental stressors, has a dramatic effect on wildlife, causing loss of biodiversity and decline in population abundance customarily associated with increasing levels of impervious surface and fragmentation of native habitats. Some studies suggest that faunal species from open habitats, and with higher abundance in natural environments, seem more likely to tolerate and live in urban environments. Here I evaluate how the level of urbanization affects lagartixas (Tropidurus hispidus) one of the most common lizards found in open vegetation ecosystems in NE Brazil. I surveyed a total of 47 transects across sites that differed in proportion of impervious surface (high, mild, peri-urban, and rural). I also collected specific biotic (herbaceous cover, tree, and arthropod abundance) and abiotic (amount of shelters and impervious surfaces) factors that could affect lagartixas abundance. Ants were the most common arthropod both in the rural and urban environment. Lagartixas thrive in urban environments, and trees and shelter were key predictors of their abundance. Lagartixas show a clear association with use of artificial structures. The low densities of lagartixas in rural areas and higher density in urbanized areas suggest that they colonized urban areas due to the hard surfaces and they probably are not exploiting a novel habitat, but somewhat responding to conditions resembling those in which they evolved. Finally, lagartixas are extremely common in tropical cities, they have a suite of features that are associated with selective pressures in cities and they might play a key functional role in urban ecosystems making this lizard an excellent system for the study of ecology and adaptation to the urban environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio C. de Andrade
- Departamento de Engenharia e Meio AmbienteUniversidade Federal da ParaibaRio TintoBrazil
- Centre of Urban EnviromentsUniversity of Toronto MississaugaMississaugaONCanada
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25
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McCarthy T, delBarco-Trillo J. Tardigrade abundance in relation to urbanisation and highly anthropogenic substrates. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juaa008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Animals colonising urban environments are exposed to a series of novel stressors and ecological challenges, which can result in adaptations to alternative urban niches. Tardigrades are cosmopolitan invertebrates present in all types of ecosystems, including urban environments; and they can survive under extreme conditions, including periods of desiccation, thus allowing them to colonise novel harsh habitats. Tardigrades are thus a promising model to investigate the challenges and opportunities encountered by urban colonisers. Our aims were 1, to determine if tardigrade abundance in natural substrates (moss, lichen and leaf litter) differs between rural and urban sites and 2, to assess if tardigrades have successfully colonised urban substrates that are highly anthropogenic (road sediment, and material accumulated under cars and in wall crevices). Among natural substrates, we found fewer tardigrades in Cork city than in rural sites. However, in urban sites we found no differences between the number of tardigrades present in natural and anthropogenic substrates. In fact, the highest tardigrade abundances in urban samples were found in abiotic material accumulated in wall crevices. We conclude that even though urbanisation may restrict tardigrade abundance, this group of organisms can successfully colonise alternative urban substrates. More research is needed on the ability of tardigrades and other taxa to inhabit highly unusual and disturbed urban substrates effectively, and the adaptations that may take place when animals colonise such substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas McCarthy
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland
| | - Javier delBarco-Trillo
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland
- Environmental Research Institute, Lee Road, Cork T23 XE10, Ireland
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26
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Close encounters of the urban kind: predators influence prey body size variation in an urban landscape. Evol Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-019-10008-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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27
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Prado-Irwin SR, Revell LJ, Winchell KM. Variation in tail morphology across urban and forest populations of the crested anole (Anolis cristatellus). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAnolis lizards are well known for their specialist ecomorphs characterized by the convergent evolution of suites of traits linked to the use of particular microhabitats. Many of these same traits evolve rapidly in response to novel selection pressures and have been very well studied. In contrast, the tail crest, a feature present in a subset of lineages, has been almost entirely overlooked. Variation in tail crest morphology within and among species remains largely unstudied, as does the function of the trait. Here, we use the natural experiment provided by urbanization to ask whether tail crest size differs between urban and forest populations of the crested anole (Anolis cristatellus) across the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. We find that tail crest size differs primarily between regions; however, within regions, crests are invariably larger in urban than in forest environments. This difference in size is correlated with the hotter, drier conditions and sparser distribution of perches that typify urban sites, leading to the intriguing possibility that the tail crest might be under differential natural selection for signalling and/or because of the thermoregulatory challenge of urban habitats. Further study is required to shed light on the functional significance and evolution of this under-studied trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia R Prado-Irwin
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Liam J Revell
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Kristin M Winchell
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
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28
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Winchell KM, Maayan I, Fredette JR, Revell LJ. Linking locomotor performance to morphological shifts in urban lizards. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2018.0229. [PMID: 29875296 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Urban habitats are drastically modified from their natural state, creating unique challenges and selection pressures for organisms that reside in them. We compared locomotor performance of Anolis lizards from urban and forest habitats on tracks differing in angle and substrate, and found that using artificial substrates came at a cost: lizards ran substantially slower and frequently lost traction on man-made surfaces compared to bark. We found that various morphological traits were positively correlated with sprint speed and that these same traits were significantly larger in urban compared to forest lizards. We found that urban lizards ran faster on both man-made and natural surfaces, suggesting similar mechanisms improve locomotor performance on both classes of substrate. Thus, lizards in urban areas may be under selection to run faster on all flat surfaces, while forest lizards face competing demands of running, jumping and clinging to narrow perches. Novel locomotor challenges posed by urban habitats likely have fitness consequences for lizards that cannot effectively use man-made surfaces, providing a mechanistic basis for observed phenotypic shifts in urban populations of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M Winchell
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Inbar Maayan
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jason R Fredette
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Liam J Revell
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125, USA.,Programa de Biología, Universidad del Rosario, Cra. 26 No. 63B-48, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
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29
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French SS, Webb AC, Hudson SB, Virgin EE. Town and Country Reptiles: A Review of Reptilian Responses to Urbanization. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 58:948-966. [PMID: 29873730 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of the world population is now inhabiting urban areas, and with staggering population growth, urbanization is also increasing. While the work studying the effects of changing landscapes and specific urban pressures on wildlife is beginning to amass, the majority of this work focuses on avian or mammalian species. However, the effects of urbanization likely vary substantially across taxonomic groups due to differences in habitat requirements and life history. The current article aims first to broaden the review of urban effects across reptilian species; second, to summarize the responses of reptilian fauna to specific urban features; and third, to assess the directionality of individual and population level responses to urbanization in reptile species. Based on our findings, urban research in reptilian taxa is lacking in the following areas: (1) investigating interactive or additive urban factors, (2) measuring multiple morphological, behavioral, and physiological endpoints within an animal, (3) linking individual to population-level responses, and (4) testing genetic/genomic differences across an urban environment as evidence for selective pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susannah S French
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Alison C Webb
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Spencer B Hudson
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Emily E Virgin
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
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30
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Battles AC, Irschick DJ, Kolbe JJ. Do structural habitat modifications associated with urbanization influence locomotor performance and limb kinematics in Anolis lizards? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
AbstractUrbanization significantly alters habitats for arboreal species, increasing the frequency of very smooth substrates by substituting artificial objects, such as metal poles and painted walls, for some trees. Because they experience these novel substrates more often, urban animals may use strategies to overcome challenges from substrate smoothness that animals from natural habitats do not. We assessed locomotor performance and two-dimensional hindlimb kinematics of two species of Anolis lizards (Anolis cristatellus and Anolis sagrei) from both urban and natural habitats in Miami, Florida. We ran lizards on six racetracks, crossing three substrates of increasing smoothness (rough bark, concrete blocks, and smooth, unpainted wood) with two inclinations (37° and vertical). We found that on vertical tracks with smooth substrates, lizards ran slower, took shorter strides and exhibited more contracted limb postures at the end of their stance than when running on the inclined track. Urban lizards, which are likely to be exposed more often to smooth substrates, did not adjust their movement to increase performance relative to lizards from natural habitats. This result, and the similarity of kinematic strategies between the two species, suggests the locomotor responses of lizards to substrate properties are highly conserved, which may be a mitigating factor that dampens or obviates the effects of natural selection on locomotor behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Battles
- University of Rhode Island, Biological Sciences, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Duncan J Irschick
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Jason J Kolbe
- University of Rhode Island, Biological Sciences, Kingston, RI, USA
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31
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Rivkin LR, Santangelo JS, Alberti M, Aronson MFJ, de Keyzer CW, Diamond SE, Fortin M, Frazee LJ, Gorton AJ, Hendry AP, Liu Y, Losos JB, MacIvor JS, Martin RA, McDonnell MJ, Miles LS, Munshi‐South J, Ness RW, Newman AEM, Stothart MR, Theodorou P, Thompson KA, Verrelli BC, Whitehead A, Winchell KM, Johnson MTJ. A roadmap for urban evolutionary ecology. Evol Appl 2019; 12:384-398. [PMID: 30828362 PMCID: PMC6383741 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Urban ecosystems are rapidly expanding throughout the world, but how urban growth affects the evolutionary ecology of species living in urban areas remains largely unknown. Urban ecology has advanced our understanding of how the development of cities and towns change environmental conditions and alter ecological processes and patterns. However, despite decades of research in urban ecology, the extent to which urbanization influences evolutionary and eco-evolutionary change has received little attention. The nascent field of urban evolutionary ecology seeks to understand how urbanization affects the evolution of populations, and how those evolutionary changes in turn influence the ecological dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems. Following a brief history of this emerging field, this Perspective article provides a research agenda and roadmap for future research aimed at advancing our understanding of the interplay between ecology and evolution of urban-dwelling organisms. We identify six key questions that, if addressed, would significantly increase our understanding of how urbanization influences evolutionary processes. These questions consider how urbanization affects nonadaptive evolution, natural selection, and convergent evolution, in addition to the role of urban environmental heterogeneity on species evolution, and the roles of phenotypic plasticity versus adaptation on species' abundance in cities. Our final question examines the impact of urbanization on evolutionary diversification. For each of these six questions, we suggest avenues for future research that will help advance the field of urban evolutionary ecology. Lastly, we highlight the importance of integrating urban evolutionary ecology into urban planning, conservation practice, pest management, and public engagement.
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32
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News Feature: Cities serve as testbeds for evolutionary change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:2787-2790. [PMID: 30783018 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1820852116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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33
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Thawley CJ, Moniz HA, Merritt AJ, Battles AC, Michaelides SN, Kolbe JJ. Urbanization affects body size and parasitism but not thermal preferences inAnolislizards. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juy031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Thawley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, USA
| | - Haley A Moniz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, USA
| | - Amanda J Merritt
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, USA
| | - Andrew C Battles
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, USA
| | - Sozos N Michaelides
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, USA
| | - Jason J Kolbe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, USA
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34
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Winchell KM, Briggs D, Revell LJ. The perils of city life: patterns of injury and fluctuating asymmetry in urban lizards. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M Winchell
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Derek Briggs
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liam J Revell
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Cátolica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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35
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Abstract
Human-driven rapid environmental changes such as urbanization challenge the persistence of animal populations worldwide. A major aim of research in urban ecology is to unravel which traits allow animals to successfully deal with these new selective pressures. Since behavior largely determines how animals interact with the environment, it is expected to be an important factor determining their success in urban environments. However, behavior is a complex trait and fully understanding how it contributes to urban success is not straightforward: different behaviors may help animals deal with urbanization at different levels of biological organization. For instance, at the species level, urban exploiters often share behaviors that allow them to successfully forage and reproduce in urban areas. However, these behaviors are not necessarily the same that differentiate urban populations from populations of the same species in less disturbed environments. In addition, individual-level studies are essential to identify which mechanisms favor survival and reproduction in urbanized settings. Yet, longitudinal, mid-to-long-term studies of animal behavior at the individual level have largely been limited by logistic challenges. Here, I suggest that research programs in urban behavioral ecology should consider studying behavior at species-, population-, and individual-levels to achieve an integrative understanding of how animal behavior governs urban success. I use recent research carried out in Anolis lizards as an example to illustrate recent progress in behavioral urban ecology. Finally, I suggest some avenues of research at the individual level that could bring insight toward an integrative perspective of the role of behavior in urbanization. Integrative research programs in urban behavioral ecology will provide valuable insight to design management measures to maximize biodiversity and preserve ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriol Lapiedra
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB), Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.,Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), Edifici C Campus de Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
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36
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Santangelo JS, Rivkin LR, Johnson MTJ. The evolution of city life. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1529. [PMID: 30111603 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization represents a dominant and growing form of disturbance to Earth's natural ecosystems, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem services on a global scale. While decades of research have illuminated the effects of urban environmental change on the structure and function of ecological communities in cities, only recently have researchers begun exploring the effects of urbanization on the evolution of urban populations. The 15 articles in this special feature represent the leading edge of urban evolutionary biology and address existing gaps in our knowledge. These gaps include: (i) the absence of theoretical models examining how multiple evolutionary mechanisms interact to affect evolution in urban environments; (ii) a lack of data on how urbanization affects natural selection and local adaptation; (iii) poor understanding of whether urban areas consistently affect non-adaptive and adaptive evolution in similar ways across multiple cities; (iv) insufficient data on the genetic and especially genomic signatures of urban evolutionary change; and (v) limited understanding of the evolutionary processes underlying the origin of new human commensals. Using theory, observations from natural populations, common gardens, genomic data and cutting-edge population genomic and landscape genetic tools, the papers in this special feature address these gaps and highlight the power of urban evolutionary biology as a globally replicated 'experiment' that provides a powerful approach for understanding how human altered environments affect evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- James S Santangelo
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6 .,Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
| | - L Ruth Rivkin
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6 .,Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
| | - Marc T J Johnson
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6 .,Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
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37
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Winchell KM, Carlen EJ, Puente-Rolón AR, Revell LJ. Divergent habitat use of two urban lizard species. Ecol Evol 2017; 8:25-35. [PMID: 29321848 PMCID: PMC5756862 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Faunal responses to anthropogenic habitat modification represent an important aspect of global change. In Puerto Rico, two species of arboreal lizard, Anolis cristatellus and A. stratulus, are commonly encountered in urban areas, yet seem to use the urban habitat in different ways. In this study, we quantified differences in habitat use between these two species in an urban setting. For each species, we measured habitat use and preference, and the niche space of each taxon, with respect to manmade features of the urban environment. To measure niche space of these species in an urban environment, we collected data from a total of six urban sites across four different municipalities on the island of Puerto Rico. We quantified relative abundance of both species, their habitat use, and the available habitat in the environment to measure both microhabitat preference in an urban setting, as well as niche partitioning between the two different lizards. Overall, we found that the two species utilize different portions of the urban habitat. Anolis stratulus tends to use more “natural” portions of the urban environment (i.e., trees and other cultivated vegetation), whereas A. cristatellus more frequently uses anthropogenic structures. We also found that aspects of habitat discrimination in urban areas mirror a pattern measured in prior studies for forested sites in which A. stratulus was found to perch higher than A. cristatellus and preferred lower temperatures and greater canopy cover. In our study, we found that the multivariate niche space occupied by A. stratulus did not differ from the available niche space in natural portions of the urban environment and in turn represented a subset of the niche space occupied by A. cristatellus. The unique niche space occupied by A. cristatellus corresponds to manmade aspects of the urban environment generally not utilized by A. stratulus. Our results demonstrate that some species are merely tolerant of urbanization while others utilize urban habitats in novel ways. This finding has implications for long‐term persistence in urban habitats and suggests that loss of natural habitat elements may lead to nonrandom species extirpations as urbanization intensifies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Liam J Revell
- Department of Biology University of Massachusetts Boston Boston MA USA.,Programa de Biología Universidad del Rosario Bogotá Colombia
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