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Wang CF, Du Y, Guo K, Ji X. Species-Specific Seasonal Shifts in Reproductive Allocation in the Southern Grass Lizard, Takydromus sexlineatus (Lacertidae). Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1167. [PMID: 38672315 PMCID: PMC11047575 DOI: 10.3390/ani14081167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
We designed a common garden design to collect data on female reproductive traits from three populations of the southern grass lizard Takydromus sexlineatus, testing the hypothesis that a species-specific pattern of seasonal shifts in reproductive allocation should be shared by geographically separated populations. Of the seven examined traits, six differed among populations, with four of the six also differing among successive clutches. Females grew longer during the breeding season and produced more eggs in the first clutch than in the subsequent clutches; egg size was unchanged throughout the breeding season. After removing the influence of female size or postpartum body mass we found the following. First, postpartum body mass, clutch mass, and relative clutch mass were greater in the Wuzhishan population than in the Shaoguan and Zhaoqing populations. Second, egg size was greatest in the Wuzhishan population and smallest in the Zhaoqing population. Third, clutch size was greatest in the Wuzhishan population and smallest in the Shaoguan population. Females did not trade-off egg size against number within each population × clutch combination. Our study validates the hypothesis tested, supports the conventional view that reproductive output is highly linked to maternal body size in lizards, and follows the classic prediction that females with different amounts of resources to invest in reproduction should give priority to adjusting the total number rather than size of their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cai-Feng Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (C.-F.W.); (K.G.)
- Institute for Eco-Environmental Research of Sanyang Wetland, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325014, China
| | - Yu Du
- Hainan Key Laboratory of Herpetological Research, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya 572022, China;
| | - Kun Guo
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (C.-F.W.); (K.G.)
| | - Xiang Ji
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China; (C.-F.W.); (K.G.)
- Institute for Eco-Environmental Research of Sanyang Wetland, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325014, China
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Tian L, Xu R, Chen D, Ananjeva NB, Brown RM, Min MS, Cai B, Mijidsuren B, Zhang B, Guo X. Range-Wide Phylogeography and Ecological Niche Modeling Provide Insights into the Evolutionary History of the Mongolian Racerunner ( Eremias argus) in Northeast Asia. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1124. [PMID: 38612363 PMCID: PMC11011046 DOI: 10.3390/ani14071124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The Mongolian racerunner, Eremias argus, is a small lizard endemic to Northeast Asia that can serve as an excellent model for investigating how geography and past climate change have jointly influenced the evolution of biodiversity in this region. To elucidate the processes underlying its diversification and demography, we reconstructed the range-wide phylogeographic pattern and evolutionary trajectory, using phylogenetic, population genetic, landscape genetic, Bayesian phylogeographic reconstruction and ecological niche modeling approaches. Phylogenetic analyses of the mtDNA cyt b gene revealed eight lineages that were unbounded by geographic region. The genetic structure of E. argus was mainly determined by geographic distance. Divergence dating indicated that E. argus and E. brenchleyi diverged during the Mid-Pliocene Warm Period. E. argus was estimated to have coalesced at~0.4351 Ma (Marine Isotope Stage 19). Bayesian phylogeographic diffusion analysis revealed out-of-Inner Mongolia and rapid colonization events from the end of the Last Interglacial to the Last Glacial Maximum, which is consistent with the expanded suitable range of the Last Glacial Maximum. Pre-Last Glacial Maximum growth of population is presented for most lineages of E. argus. The Glacial Maximum contraction model and the previous multiple glacial refugia hypotheses are rejected. This may be due to an increase in the amount of climatically favorable habitats in Northeast Asia. Furthermore, E. argus barbouri most likely represents an invalid taxon. The present study is the first to report a range-wide phylogeography of reptiles over such a large region in Northeast Asia. Our results make a significant contribution towards understanding the biogeography of the entire Northeast Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Tian
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610223, China; (L.T.); (R.X.); (B.C.)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Rui Xu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610223, China; (L.T.); (R.X.); (B.C.)
| | - Dali Chen
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China;
| | - Natalia B. Ananjeva
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia;
| | - Rafe M. Brown
- Biodiversity Institute, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA;
| | - Mi-Sook Min
- Conservation Genome Resource Bank for Korean Wildlife, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea;
| | - Bo Cai
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610223, China; (L.T.); (R.X.); (B.C.)
| | - Byambasuren Mijidsuren
- Plant Protection Research Institute, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar 210153, Mongolia;
| | - Bin Zhang
- College of Life Sciences and Technology, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot 010022, China;
| | - Xianguang Guo
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610223, China; (L.T.); (R.X.); (B.C.)
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Lu HL, Gao JF, Guo K, Ji X. Sexual size monomorphism may evolve in lizards with a body size maximizing reproductive performance for both sexes. Curr Zool 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
We used Takydromus septentrionalis, a sexually size-monomorphic lacertid lizard, as a model system to test the hypothesis that sexual size monomorphism may evolve in lizards where reproductive performance is maximized at a similar body size for both sexes. We allowed lizards housed in laboratory enclosures to lay as many clutches (for females) as they could or to mate as many times (for males) as they could in a breeding season. Size-assortative mating was weak but evident in T. septentrionalis, as revealed by the fact that male and female snout-vent lengths (SVLs) in mating pairs were significantly and positively correlated. Mating frequency (indicative of male reproductive performance) varied from 1 to 8 per breeding season, generally increasing as SVL increased in adult males smaller than 67.4 mm snout-vent length (SVL). Clutch frequency varied from 1 to 7 per breeding season, with female reproductive performance (determined by clutch frequency, annual fecundity and annual reproductive output) maximized in females with a SVL of 68.0 mm. Accordingly to our hypothesis, the reproductive performance was maximized in the intermediate-sized rather than the largest individuals in both sexes, and the body size maximizing reproductive performance was similar for both sexes. Future work could usefully investigate other lineages of lizards with sexually monomorphic species in a phylogenetic context to corroborate the hypothesis of this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Liang Lu
- Hangzhou Key Laboratory for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Jian-Fang Gao
- Hangzhou Key Laboratory for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Kun Guo
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
| | - Xiang Ji
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
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