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Murali G, Meiri S, Roll U. Chemical signaling glands are unlinked to species diversification in lizards. Evolution 2023; 77:1829-1841. [PMID: 37279331 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad101] [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: 09/04/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Sexual selection has long been thought to increase species diversification. Sexually selected traits, such as sexual signals that contribute to reproductive isolation, were thought to promote diversification. However, studies exploring links between sexually selected traits and species diversification have thus far primarily focused on visual or acoustic signals. Many animals often employ chemical signals (i.e., pheromones) for sexual communications, but large-scale analyses on the role of chemical communications in driving species diversification have been missing. Here, for the first time, we investigate whether traits associated with chemical communications-the presence of follicular epidermal glands-promote diversification across 6,672 lizard species. In most analyses, we found no strong association between the presence of follicular epidermal glands and species diversification rates, either across all lizard species or at lower phylogenetic scales. Previous studies suggest that follicular gland secretions act as species recognition signals that prevent hybridization during speciation in lizards. However, we show that geographic range overlap was no different in sibling species pairs with and without follicular epidermal glands. Together, these results imply that either follicular epidermal glands do not primarily function in sexual communications or sexually selected traits in general (here chemical communication) have a limited effect on species diversification. In our additional analysis accounting for sex-specific differences in glands, we again found no detectable effect of follicular epidermal glands on species diversification rates. Thus, our study challenges the general role of sexually selected traits in broad-scale species diversification patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gopal Murali
- Jacob Blaustein Center for Scientific Cooperation, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Swiss Institute for Dryland Environments and Energy Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Shai Meiri
- School of Zoology and The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Beersheva, Sede-Boqer Campus, 8499000, Israel
| | - Uri Roll
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Swiss Institute for Dryland Environments and Energy Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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2
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Tarjuelo R, Aragón P. Assessing vulnerability of reptile hotspots through temporal trends of global change factors in the Iberian Peninsula. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 871:161917. [PMID: 36736406 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Habitat degradation and climate change are major threats to the long-term persistence of reptile populations. However, their roles on primary productivity instability remain unclear at certain scales. Besides, the design of protected areas has often overlooked reptiles or assumed that their ecological requirements are represented under the umbrella of more charismatic species. Here, we assess the vulnerability of areas of high diversity of reptiles in the Iberian Peninsula to global change using data from satellite imagery. We focused on primary productivity, climate and land-use change because they are indicators of environmental variability that might impair ecosystem functioning and alter wildlife communities. We used linear regressions to detect monotonic temporal trends in primary productivity (through the enhanced vegetation index, EVI) and climate (mean temperature and accumulated precipitation) at two spatial resolutions (10-km2 UTM squares and CORINE land-cover polygon level) over the period 2000-2020. We also determined how the strength of land-use and climate change affected the intensity of change in primary productivity at both spatial scales with multivariate linear regressions. We identified 339 hotspots (10-km2 UTM squares) and monotonic increments of temperature, EVI or both occurred in 43 %, 16 % and 22 % of them, respectively. Positive trends of the EVI were related to increasing temperatures and changes in shrubland and forest cover. Within the hotspots with monotonic increments in EVI and temperature, EVI increments occurred in 65 % of the CORINE polygons that did not change their land-cover type, with stronger increases in tree crops. Finally, the Natura 2000 network provides only moderate protection to reptile hotspots, being most of the vegetation types relatively underrepresented. The proportion of forest and shrubland protected by the Natura 2000 network was higher in hotspots where EVI changed. Our procedures are relevant to prioritize hotspots requiring ground monitoring that allows economic and time savings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Tarjuelo
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Gestión Forestal Sostenible (iuFOR), Universidad de Valladolid, Spain; Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Spain.
| | - Pedro Aragón
- Dpt. Biogeografía y Cambio Global, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Spain; Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Spain
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3
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Ruiz-Monachesi MR, Abdala CS, Cruz FB. Allometry and morphological integration shape the chemical detection system in Liolaemus lizards (Squamata, Iguania). ZOOL ANZ 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2022.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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4
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Predictive Factors of Chemical and Visual Sensory Organ Size: The Roles of Sex, Environment, and Evolution. Evol Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-021-09554-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Baeckens S, Whiting MJ. Investment in chemical signalling glands facilitates the evolution of sociality in lizards. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202438. [PMID: 33593182 PMCID: PMC7935108 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of sociality and traits that correlate with, or predict, sociality, have been the focus of considerable recent study. In order to reduce the social conflict that ultimately comes with group living, and foster social tolerance, individuals need reliable information about group members and potential rivals. Chemical signals are one such source of information and are widely used in many animal taxa, including lizards. Here, we take a phylogenetic comparative approach to test the hypothesis that social grouping correlates with investment in chemical signalling. We used the presence of epidermal glands as a proxy of chemical investment and considered social grouping as the occurrence of social groups containing both adults and juveniles. Based on a dataset of 911 lizard species, our models strongly supported correlated evolution between social grouping and chemical signalling glands. The rate of transition towards social grouping from a background of ‘epidermal glands present’ was an order of a magnitude higher than from a background of ‘no epidermal glands’. Our results highlight the potential importance of chemical signalling during the evolution of sociality and the need for more focused studies on the role of chemical communication in facilitating information transfer about individual and group identity, and ameliorating social conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Baeckens
- Functional Morphology Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.,Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Martin J Whiting
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
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6
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Ruiz–Monachesi MR, Cruz FB, Valdecantos S, Labra A. Unravelling associations among chemosensory system components in
Liolaemus
lizards. J Zool (1987) 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M. R. Ruiz–Monachesi
- CONICET‐ Instituto de Bio y Geo Ciencias del NOA (IBIGEO) Facultad de Ciencias Naturales Universidad Nacional de Salta Rosario de Lerma Argentina
| | - F. B. Cruz
- INIBIOMA (CONICET – UNCOMA) Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche Universidad Nacional del Comahue (CRUB)‐Bariloche Río Negro Argentina
| | - S. Valdecantos
- CONICET‐ Instituto de Bio y Geo Ciencias del NOA (IBIGEO) Facultad de Ciencias Naturales Universidad Nacional de Salta Rosario de Lerma Argentina
| | - A. Labra
- Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis Department of Biosciences University of Oslo Oslo Norway
- ONG Vida Nativa Santiago Chile
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Campos SM, Pruett JA, Soini HA, Zúñiga-Vega JJ, Goldberg JK, Vital-García C, Hews DK, Novotny MV, Martins EP. Volatile fatty acid and aldehyde abundances evolve with behavior and habitat temperature in Sceloporus lizards. Behav Ecol 2020; 31:978-991. [PMID: 32764859 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal signals evolve by striking a balance between the need to convey information through particular habitats and the limitations of what types of signals can most easily be produced and perceived. Here, we present new results from field measures of undisturbed behavior and biochemical analyses of scent marks from 12 species of Sceloporus lizards to explore whether evolutionary changes in chemical composition are better predicted by measures of species behavior, particularly those associated with visual displays, chemoreception, and locomotion, or by measures of habitat climate (precipitation and temperature). We found that more active lizard species used fewer compounds in their volatile scent marks, perhaps conveying less specific information about individual and species identity. Scent marks from more active lizard species also had higher proportions of saturated fatty acids, and the evolution of these compounds has been tracking the phylogeny closely as we would expect for a metabolic byproduct. In contrast, the proportions of unsaturated fatty acids were better explained by evolutionary shifts in habitat temperature (and not precipitation), with species in warmer climates using almost no volatile unsaturated fatty acids. The proportion of aldehydes was explained by both behavior and environment, decreasing with behavioral activity and increasing with habitat temperature. Our results highlight the evolutionary flexibility of complex chemical signals, with different chemical compounds responding to different elements of the selective landscape over evolutionary time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Campos
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.,Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jake A Pruett
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Durant, OK, USA
| | - Helena A Soini
- Department of Chemistry and the Institute for Pheromone Research, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - J Jaime Zúñiga-Vega
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacan, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jay K Goldberg
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Cuauhcihuatl Vital-García
- Departamento de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Anillo envolvente y Estocolmo s/n, Zona PRONAF, Juárez, Chihuahua, CP, Mexico
| | - Diana K Hews
- Department of Biology, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, USA
| | - Milos V Novotny
- Department of Chemistry and the Institute for Pheromone Research, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Emília P Martins
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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Mangiacotti M, Fumagalli M, Cagnone M, Viglio S, Bardoni AM, Scali S, Sacchi R. Morph-specific protein patterns in the femoral gland secretions of a colour polymorphic lizard. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8412. [PMID: 31182789 PMCID: PMC6557888 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44889-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Colour polymorphism occurs when two or more genetically-based colour morphs permanently coexist within an interbreeding population. Colouration is usually associated to other life-history traits (ecological, physiological, behavioural, reproductive …) of the bearer, thus being the phenotypic marker of such set of genetic features. This visual badge may be used to inform conspecifics and to drive those decision making processes which may contribute maintaining colour polymorphism under sexual selection context. The importance of such information suggests that other communication modalities should be recruited to ensure its transfer in case visual cues were insufficient. Here, for the first time, we investigated the potential role of proteins from femoral gland secretions in signalling colour morph in a polymorphic lizard. As proteins are thought to convey identity-related information, they represent the ideal cues to build up the chemical modality used to badge colour morphs. We found strong evidence for the occurrence of morph-specific protein profiles in the three main colour-morphs of the common wall lizard, which showed both qualitative and quantitative differences in protein expression. As lizards are able to detect proteins by tongue-flicking and vomeronasal organ, this result support the hypothesis that colour polymorphic lizards may use a multimodal signal to inform about colour-morph.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Mangiacotti
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 24, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Marco Fumagalli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "L.Spallanzani", Unit of Biochemistry, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Maddalena Cagnone
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Unit of Biochemistry, University of Pavia, Via T. Taramelli 3, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Simona Viglio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Unit of Biochemistry, University of Pavia, Via T. Taramelli 3, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Bardoni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Unit of Biochemistry, University of Pavia, Via T. Taramelli 3, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefano Scali
- Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano, Corso Venezia 55, 20121, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Sacchi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 24, 27100, Pavia, Italy
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Ruiz-Monachesi M, Paz A, Quipildor M. Hemipenes eversion behavior: a new form of communication in two Liolaemus lizards (Iguania: Liolaemidae). CAN J ZOOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2018-0195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Males of several animals have intromittent organs and may use these in a communicative context during sexual or intrasexual interactions. In some lizards, hemipenes eversion behavior have been observed, and the aim of this study is to find out whether this behavior is functionally significant under a communicative approach. Here, we investigated the eversion of hemipenes in the Light Blue Lizard (Liolaemus coeruleus Cei and Ortiz-Zapata, 1983) and in the Valley Lizard (Liolaemus quilmes Etheridge, 1993) by filming the response of male focal lizards in different experimental settings: (i) an agonistic context, i.e., with a conspecific male, (ii) a sexual context, i.e., with a conspecific female, and (iii) a control treatment, i.e., without a treatment lizard. In both species, focal lizards showed this behavior only in an agonistic context, with interspecific differences as follows. Liolaemus coeruleus has longer times until eversion and dragging of hemipenes; however, it has shorter time of eversion and exposition of the hemipenes. Liolaemus quilmes has the opposite pattern compared with L. coeruleus. These indicate that eversion of the hemipenes can act as a visual display and as a signal of aggressive behavior towards conspecific rival males. The present study offers a new behavioral perspective on the use of masculine genitalia in lizards.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.R. Ruiz-Monachesi
- IBIGEO – Instituto de Bio y Geo Ciencias – CONICET, Avenida 9 de Julio 14, Rosario de Lerma, 4405 Salta, Argentina
- IBIGEO – Instituto de Bio y Geo Ciencias – CONICET, Avenida 9 de Julio 14, Rosario de Lerma, 4405 Salta, Argentina
| | - A. Paz
- IBIGEO – Instituto de Bio y Geo Ciencias – CONICET, Avenida 9 de Julio 14, Rosario de Lerma, 4405 Salta, Argentina
- IBIGEO – Instituto de Bio y Geo Ciencias – CONICET, Avenida 9 de Julio 14, Rosario de Lerma, 4405 Salta, Argentina
| | - M. Quipildor
- IBIGEO – Instituto de Bio y Geo Ciencias – CONICET, Avenida 9 de Julio 14, Rosario de Lerma, 4405 Salta, Argentina
- IBIGEO – Instituto de Bio y Geo Ciencias – CONICET, Avenida 9 de Julio 14, Rosario de Lerma, 4405 Salta, Argentina
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