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Dalbosco Dell'Aglio D, Rivas-Sánchez DF, Wright DS, Merrill RM, Montgomery SH. The Sensory Ecology of Speciation. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2024; 16:a041428. [PMID: 38052495 PMCID: PMC10759811 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we explore the potential influence of sensory ecology on speciation, including but not limited to the concept of sensory drive, which concerns the coevolution of signals and sensory systems with the local environment. The sensory environment can influence individual fitness in a variety of ways, thereby affecting the evolution of both pre- and postmating reproductive isolation. Previous work focused on sensory drive has undoubtedly advanced the field, but we argue that it may have also narrowed our understanding of the broader influence of the sensory ecology on speciation. Moreover, the clearest examples of sensory drive are largely limited to aquatic organisms, which may skew the influence of contributing factors. We review the evidence for sensory drive across environmental conditions, and in this context discuss the importance of more generalized effects of sensory ecology on adaptive behavioral divergence. Finally, we consider the potential of rapid environmental change to influence reproductive barriers related to sensory ecologies. Our synthesis shows the importance of sensory conditions for local adaptation and divergence in a range of behavioral contexts and extends our understanding of the interplay between sensory ecology and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Dalbosco Dell'Aglio
- School of Biological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa 0843-03092, Panama
| | - David F Rivas-Sánchez
- School of Biological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Shane Wright
- Faculty of Biology, Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Richard M Merrill
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa 0843-03092, Panama
- Faculty of Biology, Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Stephen H Montgomery
- School of Biological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa 0843-03092, Panama
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2
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Warret Rodrigues C, Roth JD. Coexistence of two sympatric predators in a transitional ecosystem under constraining environmental conditions: a perspective from space and habitat use. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:60. [PMID: 37784160 PMCID: PMC10544556 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00421-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Range expansion of species, a major consequence of climate changes, may alter communities substantially due to competition between expanding and native species. METHODS We first quantified size differences between an expanding habitat generalist, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and a circumpolar habitat specialist, the Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus), at the edge of the Arctic, where climate-related changes occur rapidly, to predict the likelihood of the larger competitor escalating interference to intraguild killing. We then used satellite telemetry to evaluate competition in a heterogeneous landscape by examining space use early during the foxes' reproductive period, when resource scarcity, increased-food requirements and spatial constraints likely exacerbate the potential for interference. We used time-LoCoH to quantify space and habitat use, and Minta's index to quantify spatio-temporal interactions between neighbors. RESULTS Our morphometric comparison involving 236 foxes found that the potential for escalated interference between these species was high due to intermediate size difference. However, our results from 17 collared foxes suggested that expanding and native competitors may coexist when expanding species occur at low densities. Low home-range overlap between neighbors suggested territoriality and substantial exploitation competition for space. No obvious differential use of areas shared by heterospecific neighbors suggested low interference. If anything, intraspecific competition between red foxes may be stronger than interspecific competition. Red and Arctic foxes used habitat differentially, with near-exclusive use of forest patches by red foxes and marine habitats by Arctic foxes. CONCLUSION Heterogeneous landscapes may relax interspecific competition between expanding and native species, allowing exclusive use of some resources. Furthermore, the scarcity of habitats favored by expanding species may emphasize intraspecific competition between newcomers over interspecific competition, thus creating the potential for self-limitation of expanding populations. Dominant expanding competitors may benefit from interference, but usually lack adaptations to abiotic conditions at their expansion front, favoring rear-edge subordinate species in exploitation competition. However, due to ongoing climate change, systems are usually not at equilibrium. A spread of habitats and resources favorable to expanding species may promote higher densities of antagonistically dominant newcomers, which may lead to extirpation of native species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Warret Rodrigues
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada.
| | - James D Roth
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
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3
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Pita-Aquino JN, Bock DG, Baeckens S, Losos JB, Kolbe JJ. Stronger evidence for genetic ancestry than environmental conditions in shaping the evolution of a complex signalling trait during biological invasion. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5558-5574. [PMID: 37698063 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17123] [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: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Introductions of invasive species to new environments often result in rapid rates of trait evolution. While in some cases these evolutionary transitions are adaptive and driven by natural selection, they can also result from patterns of genetic and phenotypic variation associated with the invasion history. Here, we examined the brown anole (Anolis sagrei), a widespread invasive lizard for which genetic data have helped trace the sources of non-native populations. We focused on the dewlap, a complex signalling trait known to be subject to multiple selective pressures. We measured dewlap reflectance, pattern and size in 30 non-native populations across the southeastern United States. As well, we quantified environmental variables known to influence dewlap signal effectiveness, such as canopy openness. Further, we used genome-wide data to estimate genetic ancestry, perform association mapping and test for signatures of selection. We found that among-population variation in dewlap characteristics was best explained by genetic ancestry. This result was supported by genome-wide association mapping, which identified several ancestry-specific loci associated with dewlap traits. Despite the strong imprint of this aspect of the invasion history on dewlap variation, we also detected significant relationships between dewlap traits and local environmental conditions. However, we found limited evidence that dewlap-associated genetic variants have been subject to selection. Our study emphasizes the importance of genetic ancestry and admixture in shaping phenotypes during biological invasion, while leaving the role of selection unresolved, likely due to the polygenic genetic architecture of dewlaps and selection acting on many genes of small effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica N Pita-Aquino
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Dan G Bock
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Simon Baeckens
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jonathan B Losos
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jason J Kolbe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
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4
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Arumoogum N, Marshal JP, Parrini F. Anthropogenically driven spatial niche partitioning in a large herbivore assemblage. Oecologia 2023; 201:797-812. [PMID: 36856880 PMCID: PMC10038942 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05342-9] [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: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how human activity can influence species distributions and spatial niche partitioning between sympatric species is a key area of contemporary ecology. Extirpations of large mammalian populations, the result of a 15-year civil war, within the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, have been followed by an extended period of restoration. The species-specific recovery of these populations has provided an ideal system to identify how niche partitioning between coexisting species is altered as a consequence of extreme disturbance events. Here, we aimed to understand how distribution patterns of grazing herbivores, as well as spatial niche overlap between them, changed between the pre- and post-war scenarios. We focused on the following four grazer species: buffalo (Syncerus caffer); sable (Hippotragus niger); waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus); and zebra (Equus quagga). Using long-term aerial survey data, we quantified range size for each species, as well as spatial niche overlap between each species pair, for pre- and post-war periods. Range size of buffalo and zebra decreased drastically from the pre-war period; with both species inhabiting subsets of their historical distribution in the park. Sable and waterbuck have both colonised historically avoided habitat, with waterbuck doubling their pre-war range size. Spatial overlap between all four grazers pre-war was significantly high, indicating niche similarity; however, this decreased in the post-war period, with some species pairs displaying spatial niche dissimilarity. Our findings highlight how population responses to anthropogenic disturbance can result in significant alterations to species' distributions, with consequences for patterns of niche similarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikhail Arumoogum
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences, Biology Building, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.
| | - Jason P Marshal
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences, Biology Building, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
| | - Francesca Parrini
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences, Biology Building, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
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5
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Endler JA, Raggay DM, Maerowitz-McMahan S, Reznick DN, Fuller RC. Visual Background Choice and Light Environment Affect Male Guppy Visual Contrast. Vision (Basel) 2022; 6:vision6030056. [PMID: 36136749 PMCID: PMC9500966 DOI: 10.3390/vision6030056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) have multiple colored spots and perform courtship displays near the edges of streams in Trinidad in shallow water flowing through rainforest. Depending upon the orientation of the pair, the female sees the male displays against gravel or other stream bed substrates or against the spacelight—the roughly uniform light coming from the water column away from the bank. We observed courting pairs in two adjacent natural streams and noted the directions of each male display. We found that the female sees the male more often against spacelight than against gravel when females either faced the spacelight from the opposite bank or from downstream, or both. Visual modelling using natural substrate reflectances and field light measurements showed higher chromatic contrast of males against spacelight than against substrates independent of the two ambient light environments used during displays, but achromatic contrast depended upon the ambient light habitat. This suggests that courtship involves both chromatic and achromatic contrast. We conclude that the orientation of courting pairs and the ambient light spectrum should be accounted for in studies of mate choice, because the visual background and light affect visibility, and these differ with orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A. Endler
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
- Correspondence:
| | - Dara-Marie Raggay
- Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, St Augustine 999183, Trinidad and Tobago
| | | | - David N. Reznick
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Rebecca C. Fuller
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
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6
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Scherrer R, Donihue CM, Reynolds RG, Losos JB, Geneva AJ. Dewlap colour variation in Anolis sagrei is maintained among habitats within islands of the West Indies. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:680-692. [PMID: 35535762 PMCID: PMC9321103 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Animal signals evolve in an ecological context. Locally adapting animal sexual signals can be especially important for initiating or reinforcing reproductive isolation during the early stages of speciation. Previous studies have demonstrated that dewlap colour in Anolis lizards can be highly variable between populations in relation to both biotic and abiotic adaptive drivers at relatively large geographical scales. Here, we investigated differentiation of dewlap coloration among habitat types at a small spatial scale, within multiple islands of the West Indies, to test the hypothesis that similar local adaptive processes occur over smaller spatial scales. We explored variation in dewlap coloration in the most widespread species of anole, Anolis sagrei, across three characteristic habitats spanning the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, namely beach scrub, primary coppice forest and mangrove forest. Using reflectance spectrometry paired with supervised machine learning, we found significant differences in spectral properties of the dewlap between habitats within small islands, sometimes over very short distances. Passive divergence in dewlap phenotype associated with isolation-by-distance did not seem to explain our results. On the other hand, these habitat-specific dewlap differences varied in magnitude and direction across islands, and thus, our primary test for adaptation-parallel responses across islands-was not supported. We suggest that neutral processes or selection could be involved in several ways, including sexual selection. Our results shed new light on the scale at which signal colour polymorphism can be maintained in the presence of gene flow, and the relative role of local adaptation and other processes in driving these patterns of dewlap colour variation across islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaël Scherrer
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Colin M Donihue
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Robert Graham Reynolds
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Asheville, Asheville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jonathan B Losos
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anthony J Geneva
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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7
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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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8
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Fleishman LJ, Perez-Martinez CA, Leal M. Can sensory drive explain the evolution of visual signal diversity in terrestrial species? A test with Anolis lizards. Am Nat 2022; 200:236-249. [DOI: 10.1086/720267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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9
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Properties of an attention-grabbing motion signal: a comparison of tail and body movements in a lizard. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2022; 208:373-385. [PMID: 35113201 PMCID: PMC9123084 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-022-01544-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Animals signals must be detected by receiver sensory systems, and overcome a variety of local ecological factors that could otherwise affect their transmission and reception. Habitat structure, competition, avoidance of unintended receivers and varying environmental conditions have all been shown to influence how animals signal. Environmental noise is also crucial, and animals modify their behavior in response to it. Animals generating movement-based visual signals have to contend with wind-blown plants that generate motion noise and can affect the detection of salient movements. The lizard Amphibolurus muricatus uses tail flicking at the start of displays to attract attention, and we hypothesized that tail movements are ideally suited to this function. We compared visual amplitudes generated by tail movements with push-ups, which are a key component of the rest of the display. We show that tail movement amplitudes are highly variable over the course of the display but consistently greater than amplitudes generated by push-ups and not constrained by viewing position. We suggest that these features, combined with the tail being a light structure that does not compromise other activities, provide an ideal introductory component for attracting attention in the ecological setting in which they are generated.
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10
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Maia-Carneiro T, Rocha CFD. Diverging structures, perch heights, temperatures, and levels of sunlight of spatial niche dimensions ease the syntopic life of Tropidurus hispidus and Tropidurus semitaeniatus (Squamata: Tropiduridae). J NAT HIST 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.2024905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thiago Maia-Carneiro
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Vertebrados/Vertebrate Ecology Laboratory, Departamento de Ecologia/Department of Ecology, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro/Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Vertebrados/Vertebrate Ecology Laboratory, Departamento de Ecologia/Department of Ecology, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro/Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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11
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Phylogeny and secondary sexual trait evolution in Schizocosa wolf spiders (Araneae, Lycosidae) shows evidence for multiple gains and losses of ornamentation and species delimitation uncertainty. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 169:107397. [PMID: 35031456 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Members of the Nearctic spider genus Schizocosa Chamberlin, 1904 have garnered much attention in behavioral studies and over many decades, a number of species have developed as model systems for investigating patterns of sexual selection and multimodal communication. Many of these studies have employed a comparative approach using putative, but not rigorously tested, sister species pairs that have distinctive morphological traits and attendant behaviors. Despite past emphasis on the efficacy of these presumably comparative-based studies of closely related species, generating a robust phylogenetic hypothesis for Schizocosa has been an ongoing challenge. Here, we apply a phylogenomic approach using anchored hybrid enrichment to generate a data set comprising over 400 loci representing a comprehensive taxonomic sample of 23 Nearctic Schizocosa. Our sampling also includes numerous outgroup lycosid genera that allow for a robust evaluation of genus monophyly. Based on analyses using concatenation and coalescent-based methods, we recover a well-supported phylogeny that infers the following: 1) The New World Schizocosa do not form a monophyletic group; 2) Previous hypotheses of North American species require reconsideration along with the composition of species groups; 3) Multiple longstanding model species are not genealogically exclusive and thus are not "good" species; 4) This updated phylogenetic framework establishes a new working paradigm for studying the evolution of characters associated with reproductive communication and mating. Ancestral character state reconstructions show a complex pattern of homoplasy that has likely obfuscated previous attempts to reconstruct relationships and delimit species. Important characters presumably related to sexual selection, such as foreleg pigmentation and dense bristle formation, have undergone repeated gain and loss events, many of which have led to increased morphological divergence between sister-species. Evaluation of these traits in a comparative framework illuminates how sexual selection and natural selection influence character evolution and provides a model for future studies of multimodal communication evolution and function.
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12
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Ramos JA, Peters RA. Territorial Displays of the Ctenophorus decresii Complex: A Story of Local Adaptations. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.731705] [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
Closely related species make for interesting model systems to study the evolution of signaling behavior because they share evolutionary history but have also diverged to the point of reproductive isolation. This means that while they may have some behavioral traits in common, courtesy of a common ancestor, they are also likely to show local adaptations. The Ctenophorus decresii complex is such a system, and comprises six closely related agamid lizard species from Australia: C. decresii, C. fionni, C. mirrityana, C. modestus, C. tjanjalka, and C. vadnappa. In this study, we analyze the motion displays of five members of the C. decresii complex in the context of their respective habitats by comparing signal structure, habitat characteristics and signal contrast between all species. Motor pattern use and the temporal sequence of motor patterns did not differ greatly, but the motion speed distributions generated during the displays were different for all species. There was also variation in the extent to which signals contrasted with plant motion, with C. vadnappa performing better than the other species at all habitats. Overall, this study provides evidence that members of the C. decresii complex exhibit local adaptations in signaling behavior to their respective habitat, but they also maintain some morphological and behavioral traits in common, which is likely a consequence from the ancestral state.
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Anderson NK, Gururaja KV, Mangiamele LA, Netoskie EC, Smith S, Fuxjager MJ, Preininger D. Insight into the Evolution of Anuran Foot Flag Displays: A Comparative Study of Color and Kinematics. ICHTHYOLOGY & HERPETOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1643/h2020160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nigel K. Anderson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912; (NKA) ; and (MJF) . Send reprint requests to NKA
| | - K. V. Gururaja
- Research and Development Center and Science Media Center, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Gubbi Labs, Bengaluru 560012, India;
| | - Lisa A. Mangiamele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063; (LAM) ; and (SS)
| | - Erin C. Netoskie
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania 16652;
| | - Sarah Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts 01063; (LAM) ; and (SS)
| | - Matthew J. Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912; (NKA) ; and (MJF) . Send reprint requests to NKA
| | - Doris Preininger
- Vienna Zoo, 1130 Vienna, Austria; Department of Evolutionary Biology, University Vienna, Austria;
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14
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Burress ED, Muñoz MM. Ecological Opportunity from Innovation, not Islands, Drove the Anole Lizard Adaptive Radiation. Syst Biol 2021; 71:93-104. [PMID: 33956152 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syab031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Islands are thought to facilitate adaptive radiation by providing release from competition and predation. Anole lizards are considered a classic example of this phenomenon: different ecological specialists ('ecomorphs') evolved in the Caribbean Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico), resulting in convergent assemblages that are not observed in mainland Latin America. Yet, the role of islands in facilitating adaptive radiation is more often implied than directly tested, leaving uncertain the role of biogeography in stimulating diversification. Here, we assess the proposed "island effect" on anole diversification using Bayesian phylogenetic comparative methods that explicitly incorporate rate heterogeneity across the tree and demonstrate two cases of would-be false positives. We discovered that rates of speciation and morphological evolution of island and mainland anoles are equivalent, implying that islands provide no special context for exceptionally rapid diversification. Likewise, rates of evolution were equivalent between island anoles that arose via in situ versus dispersal-based mechanisms, and we found no evidence for island-specific rates of speciation or morphological evolution. Nonetheless, the origin of Anolis is characterized by a speciation pulse that slowed over time - a classic signature of waning ecological opportunity. Our findings cast doubt on the notion that islands catalyzed the anole adaptive radiation and instead point to a key innovation, adhesive toe pads, which facilitated the exploitation of many arboreal niches sparsely utilized by other iguanian lizards. The selective pressures responsible for arboreal niche diversification differ between islands and the mainland, but the tempo of diversification driven by these discordant processes is indistinguishable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward D Burress
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Martha M Muñoz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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15
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Veilleux CC, Kawamura S, Montague MJ, Hiwatashi T, Matsushita Y, Fernandez‐Duque E, Link A, Di Fiore A, Snodderly DM. Color vision and niche partitioning in a diverse neotropical primate community in lowland Amazonian Ecuador. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:5742-5758. [PMID: 34026044 PMCID: PMC8131790 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
A recent focus in community ecology has been on how within-species variability shapes interspecific niche partitioning. Primate color vision offers a rich system in which to explore this issue. Most neotropical primates exhibit intraspecific variation in color vision due to allelic variation at the middle-to-long-wavelength opsin gene on the X chromosome. Studies of opsin polymorphisms have typically sampled primates from different sites, limiting the ability to relate this genetic diversity to niche partitioning. We surveyed genetic variation in color vision of five primate species, belonging to all three families of the primate infraorder Platyrrhini, found in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve in Ecuador. The frugivorous spider monkeys and woolly monkeys (Ateles belzebuth and Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii, family Atelidae) each had two opsin alleles, and more than 75% of individuals carried the longest-wavelength (553-556 nm) allele. Among the other species, Saimiri sciureus macrodon (family Cebidae) and Pithecia aequatorialis (family Pitheciidae) had three alleles, while Plecturocebus discolor (family Pitheciidae) had four alleles-the largest number yet identified in a wild population of titi monkeys. For all three non-atelid species, the middle-wavelength (545 nm) allele was the most common. Overall, we identified genetic evidence of fourteen different visual phenotypes-seven types of dichromats and seven trichromats-among the five sympatric taxa. The differences we found suggest that interspecific competition among primates may influence intraspecific frequencies of opsin alleles. The diversity we describe invites detailed study of foraging behavior of different vision phenotypes to learn how they may contribute to niche partitioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie C. Veilleux
- Department of Anthropology and Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution LaboratoryUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTXUSA
- Department of AnatomyMidwestern UniversityGlendaleAZUSA
| | - Shoji Kawamura
- Department of Integrated BiosciencesUniversity of TokyoKashiwaJapan
| | | | | | - Yuka Matsushita
- Department of Integrated BiosciencesUniversity of TokyoKashiwaJapan
| | - Eduardo Fernandez‐Duque
- Department of Anthropology and School of the EnvironmentYale UniversityNew HavenCTUSA
- College of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversidad San Francisco de QuitoCumbayáEcuador
| | - Andres Link
- College of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversidad San Francisco de QuitoCumbayáEcuador
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversidad de Los AndesBogotaColombia
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology and Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution LaboratoryUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTXUSA
- College of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversidad San Francisco de QuitoCumbayáEcuador
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16
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Kabir MS, Venkatesan R, Thaker M. Multiple Sensory Modalities in Diurnal Geckos Is Associated with the Signaling Environment and Evolutionary Constraints. Integr Org Biol 2021; 2:obaa027. [PMID: 33791567 PMCID: PMC7891680 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obaa027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
To be effective, animal signals need to be detectable in the environment, but their development and expression require resources. For multimodal communication, investment in elaborating traits in one modality could reduce the elaboration of traits in other modalities. In Cnemaspis geckos, chemical signals for conspecific communication pre-dated the evolution of visual signals, allowing us to examine the potential trade-off in signal elaboration and the current habitat associations with signal use. We studied five species of Cnemaspis and quantified visual (patch size, color characteristics) and chemical (secretory composition) traits in males, as well as key environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, light) in each of their habitats. Within species, we found some trade-off in the elaboration of signals, as the strength of several components in the visual and chemical modalities were negatively associated. Strength of some signal components in each modality was also independently associated with specific environmental parameters that affect their detection (visual traits) and persistence (chemical traits). Specifically, species with larger, brighter, and more saturated color patches were found in habitats where the brightness and chroma of light were lower. Furthermore, environments with higher substrate temperature and higher relative humidity harbored species that produced secretions with a higher percentage of saturated and aromatic compounds. Thus, the elaboration of multimodal signals in this group of Cnemaspis geckos seems to increase the efficiency of communication in the signaling-environment, but the strength of signals in different modalities is constrained by trade-offs in signal expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- M S Kabir
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560 012, India
| | - R Venkatesan
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru 560 065, India.,Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal 741 246, India
| | - M Thaker
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560 012, India
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Abstract
One hundred fifty years ago Darwin published The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, in which he presented his theory of sexual selection with its emphasis on sexual beauty. However, it was not until 50 y ago that there was a renewed interest in Darwin’s theory in general, and specifically the potency of mate choice. Darwin suggested that in many cases female preferences for elaborately ornamented males derived from a female’s taste for the beautiful, the notion that females were attracted to sexual beauty for its own sake. Initially, female mate choice attracted the interest of behavioral ecologists focusing on the fitness advantages accrued through mate choice. Subsequent studies focused on sensory ecology and signal design, often showing how sensory end organs influenced the types of traits females found attractive. Eventually, investigations of neural circuits, neurogenetics, and neurochemistry uncovered a more complete scaffolding underlying sexual attraction. More recently, research inspired by human studies in psychophysics, behavioral economics, and neuroaesthetics have provided some notion of its higher-order mechanisms. In this paper, I review progress in our understanding of Darwin’s conjecture of “a taste for the beautiful” by considering research from these diverse fields that have conspired to provide unparalleled insight into the chooser’s mate choices.
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18
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Crowe-Riddell JM, Dix S, Pieterman L, Nankivell JH, Ford M, Ludington AJ, Simões BF, Dunstan N, Partridge JC, Sanders KL, Allen L. From matte banded to glossy black: structures underlying colour change in the caudal lures of southern death adders (Acanthophis antarcticus, Reptilia: Elapidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Many ambush-foraging snakes move their tails to entice prey within striking range (‘caudal luring’). During ontogeny, the conspicuous hues of caudal lures change to match the cryptic patterning of the body/head. This coincides with decreased luring behaviour and reflects the trade-off between prey acquisition and camouflage as the snake grows. Australo-Papuan death adders (Acanthophis, Elapidae) are unique in that both juveniles and adults use caudal luring, but ontogenetic colour change has not been investigated. We examined the spectral reflectance, microstructure and pigmentation of caudal skin in wild-sourced and captive bred Acanthophis antarcticus ranging in body size (snout-vent length 116–674 mm; mass 3–832 g; N = 33) to test whether colour properties change as snakes grow. We found that lure colour is distinct from the cryptic body skin across the life history, and changes from a matte banding pattern (grey/black) in neonates/juveniles, to uniform and glossy black with a yellow ventral stripe in larger snakes. These colour changes are caused by increases in dermal pigmentation and a transition to a smooth, interlocking epidermal microstructure. To understand the selection pressures that might be driving ontogenetic colour change in this species, further studies should test how different prey types respond to distinct lure morphologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna M Crowe-Riddell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI, USA
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI, USA
| | - Stacey Dix
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
| | - Ludo Pieterman
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
| | - James H Nankivell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
| | - Matthew Ford
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
| | - Alastair J Ludington
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
| | - Bruno F Simões
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | | | - Julian C Partridge
- School of Biological Sciences and Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley WA, Australia
| | - Kate L Sanders
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
| | - Luke Allen
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
- Venom Supplies, Tanunda, South Australia, Australia
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19
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Borshagovski AM, Saari P, Lehtonen TK, Kaitala A. When night never falls: female sexual signalling in a nocturnal insect along a latitudinal gradient. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02927-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe environment can play an important role in animal communication by affecting signal transmission and detection. Variation in the signalling environment is expected to be especially pronounced in widely distributed species, potentially affecting how their signals are detected. Such environmental variability is presumably relevant for sedentary females of a nocturnal capital breeder, the European common glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca), which produce green light during the night to attract flying males to mate. Being widely distributed in Europe, glow-worm populations are exposed to both rapidly descending, darker summer nights in the south, and slowly dimming, brighter summer nights further north, with the latter potentially posing challenges to the visibility of the female glow. To test how female signalling is affected by latitude, we sampled glowing females during summer nights along a latitudinal gradient in Finland, Northern Europe, and used a novel apparatus to measure the intensity and peak wavelength (hue/colour) of their glow. Surprisingly, females at higher latitudes, similar to those at lower latitudes, were commonly glowing during the brightest (and hence the shortest) nights of the year. Females also glowed brighter in more northern areas, partly due to their larger body size, whereas the colour of their glow was not associated with latitude. Since females glow even during midsummer, independent of latitude, the increase in glow intensity at higher latitudes presumably serves to maintain signal visibility in brighter signalling conditions. Overall, these findings highlight the influence of environmental conditions on the evolution of sexual signals, especially in the context of species distribution range.Significance statementWhen environmental conditions impact signal transmission and perception, local conditions can have a crucial role in shaping animal communication and signal evolution. To analyse how dark-dependant common glow-worm females cope with variable nocturnal light environments, we used a novel apparatus, presumably not applied to living animals before, to measure female glow intensity at various latitudes along a latitudinal gradient. Interestingly, females did not avoid signalling during the brightest summer nights, but instead, their glow intensity and body size both increased with latitude. These findings suggest that females can ensure visibility to mate-searching males over a range of local conditions. Our study therefore shows how females can adapt to environmental constraints on signal visibility, and how the expression of sexual signals is shaped not only by social interactions but also by the signalling environment.
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20
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Storks L, Powell BJ, Leal M. Peeking Inside the Lizard Brain: Neuron Numbers in Anolis and Its Implications for Cognitive Performance and Vertebrate Brain Evolution. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 63:icaa129. [PMID: 33175153 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of vertebrate brain evolution have mainly focused on measures of brain size, particularly relative mass and its allometric scaling across lineages, commonly with the goal of identifying the substrates that underly differences in cognition. However, recent studies on birds and mammals have demonstrated that brain size is an imperfect proxy for neuronal parameters that underly function, such as the number of neurons that make up a given brain region. Here we present estimates of neuron numbers and density in two species of lizard, Anolis cristatellus and A. evermanni, representing the first such data from squamate species, and explore its implications for differences in cognitive performance and vertebrate brain evolution. The isotropic fractionator protocol outlined in this article is optimized for the unique challenges that arise when using this technique with lineages having nucleated erythrocytes and relatively small brains. The number and density of neurons and other cells we find in Anolis for the telencephalon, cerebellum, and the rest of the brain (ROB) follow similar patterns as published data from other vertebrate species. Anolis cristatellus and A. evermanni exhibited differences in their performance in a motor task frequently used to evaluate behavioral flexibility, which was not mirrored by differences in the number, density, or proportion of neurons in either the cerebellum, telencephalon, or ROB. However, the brain of A. evermanni had a significantly higher number of nonneurons and a higher nonneuron to neuron ratio across the whole brain, which could contribute to the observed differences in problem solving between A. cristatellus and A. evermanni. Although limited to two species, our findings suggest that neuron number and density in lizard brains scale similarly to endothermic vertebrates in contrast to the differences observed in brain to body mass relationships. Data from a wider range of species are necessary before we can fully understand vertebrate brain evolution at the neuronal level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levi Storks
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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21
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Fleishman LJ, Wadman CS, Maximov KJ. The interacting effects of total light intensity and chromatic contrast on visual signal visibility in an Anolis lizard. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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22
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Myers TC, de Mello PLH, Glor RE. A morphometric assessment of species boundaries in a widespread anole lizard (Squamata: Dactyloidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
AbstractCryptic species – genetically distinct species that are morphologically difficult to distinguish – present challenges to systematists. Operationally, cryptic species are very difficult to identify and sole use of genetic data or morphological data can fail to recognize evolutionarily isolated lineages. We use morphometric data to test species boundaries hypothesized with genetic data in the North Caribbean bark anole (Anolis distichus), a suspected species complex. We use univariate and multivariate analyses to test if candidate species based on genetic data can be accurately diagnosed. We also test alternative species delimitation scenarios with a model fitting approach that evaluates normal mixture models capable of identifying morphological clusters. Our analyses reject the hypothesis that the candidate species are diagnosable. Neither uni- nor multivariate morphometric data distinguish candidate species. The best-supported model included two morphological clusters; however, these clusters were uneven and did not align with a plausible species divergence scenario. After removing two related traits driving this result, only one cluster was supported. Despite substantial differentiation revealed by genetic data, we recover no new evidence to delimit species and refrain from taxonomic revision. This study highlights the importance of considering other types of data along with molecular data when delimiting species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanner C Myers
- Department of Biological Sciences & Museum of Natural History, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Pietro L H de Mello
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
- Herpetology Division, Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Richard E Glor
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
- Herpetology Division, Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
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23
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24
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Dufour CMS, Clark DL, Herrel A, Losos JB. Recent biological invasion shapes species recognition and aggressive behaviour in a native species: A behavioural experiment using robots in the field. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1604-1614. [PMID: 32221966 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Invasive species are a world-wide threat to biodiversity. Yet, our understanding of biological invasions remains incomplete, partly due to the difficulty of tracking and studying behavioural interactions in recently created species interactions. We tested whether the interactions between the recently introduced invasive lizard Anolis cristatellus and the native Anolis oculatus in Dominica have led to changes in species recognition and aggressive behaviour of the native species. The use of realistic robots allowed us to test the behavioural response of 131 A. oculatus males towards relevant and controlled conspecific versus heterospecific stimuli, directly in the field and in two contexts (allopatry vs. sympatry). Our results show that species recognition evolved prior to sympatry in A. oculatus. Moreover, interspecific competition resulted in an increase in the time spent displaying and a divergence in the aggressive behaviour of the native species towards conspecifics versus heterospecifics. Inherent species recognition and higher aggressive behaviour may limit species coexistence as they are expected to favour A. oculatus during territorial interactions with A. cristatellus. While more studies are needed to understand the causes of these behavioural shifts and their consequences on long-term species coexistence, the present study highlights the role of behaviour as a first response to interspecific interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire M S Dufour
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Anthony Herrel
- Département 'Adaptations du vivant', UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N., Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Jonathan B Losos
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
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25
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Da Silva MAO, Gade JT, Damsgaard C, Wang T, Heegaard S, Bertelsen MF. Morphology and evolution of the snake cornea. J Morphol 2019; 281:240-249. [PMID: 31876020 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
To investigate whether the thickness of the cornea in snakes correlates with overall anatomy, habitat or daily activity pattern, we measured corneal thickness using optical coherence tomography scanning in 44 species from 14 families (214 specimens) in the collection at the Natural History Museum (Denmark). Specifically, we analyzed whether the thickness of the cornea varies among species in absolute terms and relative to morphometrics, such as body length, spectacle diameter, and spectacle thickness. Furthermore, we examined whether corneal thickness reflects adaptation to different habitats and/or daily activity patterns. The snakes were defined as arboreal (n = 8), terrestrial (n = 22), fossorial (n = 7), and aquatic (n = 7); 14 species were classified as diurnal and 30 as nocturnal. We reveal that the interspecific variation in corneal thickness is largely explained by differences in body size, but find a tendency towards thicker corneas in diurnal (313 ± 227 μm) compared to nocturnal species (205 ± 169 μm). Furthermore, arboreal snakes had the thickest corneas and fossorial snakes the thinnest. Our study shows that body length, habitat, and daily activity pattern could explain the interspecific variation in corneal morphology among snakes. This study provides a quantitative analysis of the evolution of the corneal morphology in snakes, and it presents baseline values of corneal thickness of multiple snake species. We speculate that the cornea likely plays a role in snake vision, despite the fact that results from previous studies suggest that the cornea in snakes is not relevant for vision (Sivak, Vision Research, 1977, 17, 293-298).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacob Thorup Gade
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian Damsgaard
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Tobias Wang
- Zoophysiology Section, Department of Biosciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Steffen Heegaard
- Eye Pathology Section, Department of Pathology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Ophthalmology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Glostrup, Denmark
| | - Mads Frost Bertelsen
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
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26
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Dong CM, McLean CA, Moussalli A, Stuart‐Fox D. Conserved visual sensitivities across divergent lizard lineages that differ in an ultraviolet sexual signal. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:11824-11832. [PMID: 31695890 PMCID: PMC6822044 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The sensory drive hypothesis predicts the correlated evolution of signaling traits and sensory perception in differing environments. For visual signals, adaptive divergence in both color signals and visual sensitivities between populations may contribute to reproductive isolation and promote speciation, but this has rarely been tested or shown in terrestrial species. We tested whether opsin protein expression differs between divergent lineages of the tawny dragon (Ctenophorus decresii) that differ in the presence/absence of an ultraviolet sexual signal. We measured the expression of four retinal cone opsin genes (SWS1, SWS2, RH2, and LWS) using droplet digital PCR. We show that gene expression between lineages does not differ significantly, including the UV wavelength sensitive SWS1. We discuss these results in the context of mounting evidence that visual sensitivities are highly conserved in terrestrial systems. Multiple competing requirements may constrain divergence of visual sensitivities in response to sexual signals. Instead, signal contrast could be increased via alternative mechanisms, such as background selection. Our results contribute to a growing understanding of the roles of visual ecology, phylogeny, and behavior on visual system evolution in reptiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M. Dong
- School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- Sciences DepartmentMuseums VictoriaCarltonVictoriaAustralia
| | - Claire A. McLean
- School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- Sciences DepartmentMuseums VictoriaCarltonVictoriaAustralia
| | | | - Devi Stuart‐Fox
- School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
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27
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Kellner AWA, Weinschütz LC, Holgado B, Bantim RAM, Sayão JM. A new toothless pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea) from Southern Brazil with insights into the paleoecology of a Cretaceous desert. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2019; 91:e20190768. [PMID: 31432888 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765201920190768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The first pterosaur bone bed from Brazil was reported in 2014 at the outskirts of the town Cruzeiro do Oeste, Paraná State, in the Southern region of the country. Here named 'cemitério dos pterossauros' site, these outcrops were referred to the Goio-Erê Formation (Turonian-Campanian) of the Caiuá Group (Bauru Basin) and revealed the presence of hundreds of isolated or partially articulated elements of the tapejarine pterosaur Caiuajara and fewer amounts of a theropod dinosaur. Here we present a new tapejaromorph flying reptile from this site, Keresdrakon vilsoni gen. et sp. nov., which shows a unique blunt ridge on the dorsal surface of the posterior end of the dentary. Morphological and osteohistological features indicate that all recovered individuals represent late juveniles or sub-adults. This site shows the first direct evidence of sympatry in Pterosauria. The two distinct flying reptiles coexisted with a theropod dinosaur, providing a rare glimpse of a paleobiological community from a Cretaceous desert.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander W A Kellner
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n, São Cristóvão, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Luiz C Weinschütz
- CENPALEO - Centro Paleontológico da Universidade do Contestado, Universidade do Contestado, Jardim do Moinho, 89306-076 Mafra, SC, Brazil
| | - Borja Holgado
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n, São Cristóvão, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.,Institut Català de Paleontologia 'Miquel Crusafont' (ICP), C/ de les Columnes, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Renan A M Bantim
- Laboratório de Paleontologia, Universidade Regional do Cariri (URCA), Rua Coronel Antônio Luiz, 1161, 63195-000 Crato, CE, Brazil
| | - Juliana M Sayão
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n, São Cristóvão, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.,Laboratório de Paleobiologia e Microestruturas, Centro Acadêmico de Vitória, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Rua do Alto Reservatório, s/n, Bela Vista, 55608-680 Vitória do Santo Antão, PE, Brazil
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28
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Rosenthal MF, Hebets EA, Kessler B, McGinley R, Elias DO. The effects of microhabitat specialization on mating communication in a wolf spider. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Animal signals experience selection for detectability, which is determined in large part by the signal transmission properties of the habitat. Understanding the ecological context in which communication takes place is therefore critical to understanding selection on the form of communication signals. In order to determine the influence of environmental heterogeneity on signal transmission, we focus on a wolf spider species native to central Florida, Schizocosa floridana, in which males court females using a substrate-borne vibratory song. We test the hypothesis that S. floridana is a substrate specialist by 1) assessing substrate use by females and males in the field, 2) quantifying substrate-specific vibratory signal transmission in the laboratory, and 3) determining substrate-specific mating success in the laboratory. We predict a priori that 1) S. floridana restricts its signaling to oak litter, 2) oak litter best transmits their vibratory signal, and 3) S. floridana mates most readily on oak litter. We find that S. floridana is almost exclusively found on oak litter, which was found to attenuate vibratory courtship signals the least. Spiders mated with equal frequency on oak and pine, but did not mate at all on sand. Additionally, we describe how S. floridana song contains a novel component, chirps, which attenuate more strongly than its other display components on pine and sand, but not on oak, suggesting that the ways in which the environment relaxes restrictions on signal form may be as important as the ways in which it imposes them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm F Rosenthal
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Eileen A Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Benji Kessler
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Rowan McGinley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Damian O Elias
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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29
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Luehrmann M, Carleton KL, Cortesi F, Cheney KL, Marshall NJ. Cardinalfishes (Apogonidae) show visual system adaptations typical of nocturnally and diurnally active fish. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:3025-3041. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2018] [Revised: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Luehrmann
- Sensory Neurobiology Group, Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | | | - Fabio Cortesi
- Sensory Neurobiology Group, Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Karen L. Cheney
- Sensory Neurobiology Group, Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - N. Justin Marshall
- Sensory Neurobiology Group, Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
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30
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Pires THS, Borghezan EA, Cunha SLR, Leitão RP, Pinto KS, Zuanon J. Sensory drive in colourful waters: morphological variation suggests combined natural and sexual selection in an Amazonian fish. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tiago H S Pires
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e Evolutiva - LECE, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA., Petrópolis, Manaus AM, Brazil
| | - Elio A Borghezan
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e Evolutiva - LECE, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA., Petrópolis, Manaus AM, Brazil
- Wildlife Research Center of Kyoto University., Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Sergio L R Cunha
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e Evolutiva - LECE, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA., Petrópolis, Manaus AM, Brazil
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Ecossistemas Aquáticos - LEEA, Universidade Federal do Ceará/UFC, Fortaleza CE, Brazil
| | - Rafael P Leitão
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes, Departamento de Biologia Geral - ICB, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais/UFMG, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil
| | - Kalebe S Pinto
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e Evolutiva - LECE, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA., Petrópolis, Manaus AM, Brazil
| | - Jansen Zuanon
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e Evolutiva - LECE, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA., Petrópolis, Manaus AM, Brazil
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Romero‐Diaz C, Rivera JA, Ossip‐Drahos AG, Zúñiga‐Vega JJ, Vital‐García C, Hews DK, Martins EP. Losing the trait without losing the signal: Evolutionary shifts in communicative colour signalling. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:320-330. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Julio A. Rivera
- School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona
| | | | - José Jaime Zúñiga‐Vega
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Mexico City Mexico
| | - Cuauhcihuatl Vital‐García
- Departamento de Ciencias Veterinarias Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez Mexico
| | - Diana K. Hews
- Department of Biology Indiana State University Terre Haute Indiana
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32
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Frederickson JA, Engel MH, Cifelli RL. Niche Partitioning in Theropod Dinosaurs: Diet and Habitat Preference in Predators from the Uppermost Cedar Mountain Formation (Utah, U.S.A.). Sci Rep 2018; 8:17872. [PMID: 30552378 PMCID: PMC6294763 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35689-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
We explore hypothetical ecologies to explain diversity among predatory dinosaurs in North America's medial Cretaceous, based on occurrence, tooth morphology, and stable isotope analysis. The Mussentuchit local fauna, Utah, USA, is among the best-known terrestrial vertebrate assemblages from the Cretaceous. Study samples include teeth from six microvertebrate sites, ranging in depositional setting from distal floodplain to channel lags. We recognize four theropod morphotypes: a comparatively large theropod (morph 1), a medium-sized dromaeosaurid (morph 2), a small dromaeosaurid (morph 3), and a tooth-morph similar to the genus Richardoestesia (morph 4). These four morphotypes vary significantly in mean size, from 15.1 mm in the largest theropod to 3.7 mm in Richardoestesia. Further, tooth representation from two of the best-sampled microsites (representing a channel/splay and floodplain deposit) show differing patterns of abundances with morphs 1 and 3 having roughly the same abundance in both sites, while morph 2 was more abundant in the floodplain setting and morph 4 was more abundant in the channel/splay. Stable isotope analysis (δ13C; δ18O) of tooth carbonate from the theropod morphotypes, goniopholidid crocodilians, and matrix (to test for diagenesis) from these sites were also analyzed. The theropods show modest differences in δ13C values between each other, with carbonate from the teeth of morphs 1, 3, and 4 being enriched in 13C for the channel/splay relative to the floodplain environments, possibly indicative of dietary plasticity in these species. We hypothesize that these data indicate that the Mussentuchit theropods had different niches within the predator guild, suggesting plausible means by which ecospace was divided among the predatory dinosaurs of the Mussentuchit local fauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Frederickson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 100 Campus Drive, Weatherford, OK, 73096, USA. .,Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 73072, USA. .,Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Avenue, Norman, Oklahoma, 73072, USA.
| | - M H Engel
- School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 73072, USA
| | - R L Cifelli
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 73072, USA.,Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Avenue, Norman, Oklahoma, 73072, USA
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33
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Gunderson AR, Fleishman LJ, Leal M. Visual "playback" of colorful signals in the field supports sensory drive for signal detectability. Curr Zool 2018; 64:493-498. [PMID: 30108630 PMCID: PMC6084605 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Colorful visual signals are important systems for investigating the effects of signaling environments and receiver physiology on signal evolution as predicted by the sensory drive hypothesis. Support for the sensory drive hypothesis on color signal evolution is mostly based on documenting correlations between the properties of signals and habitat conditions under which the signals are given (i.e., a correlational approach) and less commonly on the use of mathematical models that integrate representations of visual environments, signal properties, and sensory systems (i.e., a functional approach). Here, we used an experimental approach in the field to evaluate signal efficacy of colorful lizard throat fans called dewlaps that show geographic variation in the lizard Anolis cristatellus. We used a remote controlled apparatus to display "fake dewlaps" to wild lizards to test for adaptive divergence in dewlap brightness (i.e., perceived intensity) among populations in situ. We found evidence of local adaptation in dewlap brightness consistent with the sensory drive hypothesis. Specifically, dewlaps that had the brightness characteristics of local lizards were more likely to be detected than those with the brightness characteristics of non-local lizards. Our findings indicate that simplified mathematical representations of visual environments may allow robust estimates of relative detectability or conspicuousness in natural habitats. We have shown the feasibility of evaluating color signal efficacy experimentally under natural conditions and demonstrate the potential advantages of presenting isolated components of signals to an intended receiver to measure their contribution to signal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex R Gunderson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Manuel Leal
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, 105 Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO, USA
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Mitchem LD, Stanis S, Sutton NM, Turner Z, Fuller RC. The pervasive effects of lighting environments on sensory drive in bluefin killifish: an investigation into male/male competition, female choice, and predation. Curr Zool 2018; 64:499-512. [PMID: 30108631 PMCID: PMC6084612 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory drive predicts that the conditions under which signaling takes place have large effects on signals, sensory systems, and behavior. The coupling of an ecological genetics approach with sensory drive has been fruitful. An ecological genetics approach compares populations that experience different environments and asks whether population differences are adaptive and are the result of genetic and/or environmental variation. The multi-faceted effects of signaling environments are well-exemplified by the bluefin killifish. In this system, males with blue anal fins are abundant in tannin-stained swamps that lack UV/blue light but are absent in clear springs where UV/blue light is abundant. Past work indicates that lighting environments shape genetic and environmental variation in color patterns, visual systems, and behavior. Less is known about the selective forces creating the across population correlations between UV/blue light and the abundance of blue males. Here, we present three new experiments that investigate the roles of lighting environments on male competition, female mate choice, and predation. We found strong effects of lighting environments on male competition where blue males were more likely to emerge as dominant in tea-stained water than in clear water. Our preliminary study on predation indicated that blue males may be less susceptible to predation in tea-stained water than in clear water. However, there was little evidence for female preferences favoring blue males. The resulting pattern is one where the effects of lighting environments on genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity match the direction of selection and favor the expression of blue males in swamps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa D Mitchem
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Shannon Stanis
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Nicholas M Sutton
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Zachary Turner
- Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Rebecca C Fuller
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
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35
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Cummings ME, Endler JA. 25 Years of sensory drive: the evidence and its watery bias. Curr Zool 2018; 64:471-484. [PMID: 30108628 PMCID: PMC6084598 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been 25 years since the formalization of the Sensory Drive hypothesis was published in the American Naturalist (1992). Since then, there has been an explosion of research identifying its utility in contributing to our understanding of inter- and intra-specific variation in sensory systems and signaling properties. The main tenet of Sensory Drive is that environmental characteristics will influence the evolutionary trajectory of both sensory (detecting capabilities) and signaling (detectable features and behaviors) traits in predictable directions. We review the accumulating evidence in 154 studies addressing these questions and categorized their approach in terms of testing for environmental influence on sensory tuning, signal characteristics, or both. For the subset of studies that examined sensory tuning, there was greater support for Sensory Drive processes shaping visual than auditory tuning, and it was more prevalent in aquatic than terrestrial habitats. Terrestrial habitats and visual traits were the prevalent habitat and sensory modality in the 104 studies showing support for environmental influence on signaling properties. An additional 19 studies that found no supporting evidence for environmental influence on signaling traits were all based in terrestrial ecosystems and almost exclusively involved auditory signals. Only 29 studies examined the complete coevolutionary process between sensory and signaling traits and were dominated by fish visual communication. We discuss biophysical factors that may contribute to the visual and aquatic bias for Sensory Drive evidence, as well as biotic factors that may contribute to the lack of Sensory Drive processes in terrestrial acoustic signaling systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly E Cummings
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - John A Endler
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia
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36
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Parallel Behavioral Divergence with Macrohabitat inAnolis(Squamata: Dactyloidae) Lizards from the Dominican Republic. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.3099/mcz39.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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37
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Gunderson AR, Mahler DL, Leal M. Thermal niche evolution across replicated Anolis lizard adaptive radiations. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20172241. [PMID: 29669895 PMCID: PMC5936720 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Elucidating how ecological and evolutionary mechanisms interact to produce and maintain biodiversity is a fundamental problem in evolutionary ecology. Here, we focus on how physiological evolution affects performance and species coexistence along the thermal niche axis in replicated radiations of Anolis lizards best known for resource partitioning based on morphological divergence. We find repeated divergence in thermal physiology within these radiations, and that this divergence significantly affects performance within natural thermal environments. Morphologically similar species that co-occur invariably differ in their thermal physiology, providing evidence that physiological divergence facilitates species coexistence within anole communities. Despite repeated divergence, phylogenetic comparative analyses indicate that physiological traits have evolved more slowly than key morphological traits related to the structural niche. Phylogenetic analyses also reveal that physiological divergence is correlated with divergence in broad-scale habitat climatic features commonly used to estimate thermal niche evolution, but that the latter incompletely predicts variation in the former. We provide comprehensive evidence for repeated adaptive evolution of physiological divergence within Anolis adaptive radiations, including the complementary roles of physiological and morphological divergence in promoting community-level diversity. We recommend greater integration of performance-based traits into analyses of climatic niche evolution, as they facilitate a more complete understanding of the phenotypic and ecological consequences of climatic divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex R Gunderson
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3140, USA
| | - D Luke Mahler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
| | - Manuel Leal
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, 105 Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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38
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Variation in opsin transcript expression explains intraretinal differences in spectral sensitivity of the northern anchovy. Vis Neurosci 2018; 35:E005. [DOI: 10.1017/s0952523818000019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
AbstractVertebrate retinal photoreceptors house visual pigments that absorb light to begin the process of vision. The light absorbed by a visual pigment depends on its two molecular components: protein (opsin) and chromophore (a vitamin A derivative). Although an increasing number of studies show intraretinal variability in visual pigment content, it is only for two mammals (human and mouse) and two birds (chicken and pigeon) that such variability has been demonstrated to underlie differences in spectral sensitivity of the animal. Here, we show that the spectral sensitivity of the northern anchovy varies with retinal quadrant and that this variability can be explained by differences in the expression of opsin transcripts. Retinal (vitamin A1) was the only chromophore detected in the retina, ruling out this molecular component as a source of variation in spectral sensitivity. Chromatic adaptation experiments further showed that the dorsal retina had the capacity to mediate color vision. Together with published results for the ventral retina, this study is the first to demonstrate that intraretinal opsin variability in a fish drives corresponding variation in the animal’s spectral sensitivity.
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39
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Seymoure BM. Enlightening Butterfly Conservation Efforts: The Importance of Natural Lighting for Butterfly Behavioral Ecology and Conservation. INSECTS 2018; 9:E22. [PMID: 29439549 PMCID: PMC5872287 DOI: 10.3390/insects9010022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Light is arguably the most important abiotic factor for living organisms. Organisms evolved under specific lighting conditions and their behavior, physiology, and ecology are inexorably linked to light. Understanding light effects on biology could not be more important as present anthropogenic effects are greatly changing the light environments in which animals exist. The two biggest anthropogenic contributors changing light environments are: (1) anthropogenic lighting at night (i.e., light pollution); and (2) deforestation and the built environment. I highlight light importance for butterfly behavior, physiology, and ecology and stress the importance of including light as a conservation factor for conserving butterfly biodiversity. This review focuses on four parts: (1) Introducing the nature and extent of light. (2) Visual and non-visual light reception in butterflies. (3) Implications of unnatural lighting for butterflies across several different behavioral and ecological contexts. (4). Future directions for quantifying the threat of unnatural lighting on butterflies and simple approaches to mitigate unnatural light impacts on butterflies. I urge future research to include light as a factor and end with the hopeful thought that controlling many unnatural light conditions is simply done by flipping a switch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett M Seymoure
- Department of Biology and Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
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40
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Tinghitella RM, Lackey ACR, Martin M, Dijkstra PD, Drury JP, Heathcote R, Keagy J, Scordato ESC, Tyers AM. On the role of male competition in speciation: a review and research agenda. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Alycia C R Lackey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA
| | - Michael Martin
- Department of Biology, Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford, GA, USA
| | - Peter D Dijkstra
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA
| | - Jonathan P Drury
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Robert Heathcote
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Jason Keagy
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Elizabeth S C Scordato
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Alexandra M Tyers
- Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Bangor, Gwynedd,, Wales, UK
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41
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Henry ER, Rivera JA, Linkem CN, Scales JA, Butler MA. Damselflies that prefer dark habitats illustrate the importance of light as an ecological resource. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blx122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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42
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Pafilis P, Maragou P, Sagonas K, Valakos E. Partitioning thermal habitat on a vertical rock, a herculean task. J Therm Biol 2017; 70:54-60. [PMID: 29108558 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Species occurring in sympatry have to effectively segregate their niche in order to co-exist. In the case of ectotherms in particular, the very important parameter of thermal biology has to be taken into account. Here we investigated the thermoregulatory effectiveness (E) of two endemic Greek lizards (Hellenolacerta graeca and Podarcis peloponnesiacus) that live syntopically on a rocky cliff in the Peloponnese. We presumed that the two species would select different microhabitats, to avoid interspecific competition, and follow a similar thermoregulation pattern as they experience the same conditions. We also expected that E values for both species would differ depending on the season. Overall, we found that the two species had similar E values for each season but differentiated partial thermoregulatory attributes. Though they both occurred in the same types of microhabitat, H. graeca selected higher sites (average 99cm above ground) than P. peloponnesiacus (average 44cm). Also, the latter achieved higher preferred temperatures during summer and winter. Finally, the effectiveness of thermoregulation for both species varied interseasonally and received its highest values during summer, in response to the lowest thermal quality that was observed then. Similar studies stress the importance of thermal shifts for ectotherm co-existence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panayiotis Pafilis
- Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, Dept. of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Ilissia 15784, Greece.
| | | | - Kostas Sagonas
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, E1 4NS London, UK
| | - Efstratios Valakos
- Section of Animal and Human Physiology, Dept. of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Ilissia 15784, Greece
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43
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44
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Driessens T, Baeckens S, Balzarolo M, Vanhooydonck B, Huyghe K, Van Damme R. Climate-related environmental variation in a visual signalling device: the male and female dewlap inAnolis sagreilizards. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:1846-1861. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T. Driessens
- Department of Biology; University of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
| | - S. Baeckens
- Department of Biology; University of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
| | - M. Balzarolo
- Department of Biology; University of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
| | - B. Vanhooydonck
- Department of Biology; University of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
| | - K. Huyghe
- Department of Biology; University of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
| | - R. Van Damme
- Department of Biology; University of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
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45
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Selz OM, Thommen R, Pierotti MER, Anaya-Rojas JM, Seehausen O. Differences in male coloration are predicted by divergent sexual selection between populations of a cichlid fish. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.0172. [PMID: 27147097 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Female mating preferences can influence both intraspecific sexual selection and interspecific reproductive isolation, and have therefore been proposed to play a central role in speciation. Here, we investigate experimentally in the African cichlid fish Pundamilia nyererei if differences in male coloration between three para-allopatric populations (i.e. island populations with gene flow) of P. nyererei are predicted by differences in sexual selection by female mate choice between populations. Second, we investigate if female mating preferences are based on the same components of male coloration and go in the same direction when females choose among males of their own population, their own and other conspecific populations and a closely related para-allopatric sister-species, P. igneopinnis Mate-choice experiments revealed that females of the three populations mated species-assortatively, that populations varied in their extent of population-assortative mating and that females chose among males of their own population based on different male colours. Females of different populations exerted directional intrapopulation sexual selection on different male colours, and these differences corresponded in two of the populations to the observed differences in male coloration between the populations. Our results suggest that differences in male coloration between populations of P. nyererei can be explained by divergent sexual selection and that population-assortative mating may directly result from intrapopulation sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- O M Selz
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Seestrasse 79, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - R Thommen
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - M E R Pierotti
- Naos Laboratories, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Calzada de Amador, Bd 356, 0843-03092, Panama
| | - J M Anaya-Rojas
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Seestrasse 79, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - O Seehausen
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Seestrasse 79, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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46
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Effects of age- and sex-specific density on behaviour and survival in a territorial lizard (Anolis sagrei). Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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47
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Motion-based signaling in sympatric species of Australian agamid lizards. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 203:661-671. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1185-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Revised: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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48
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Curlis JD, Davis RW, Zetkulic E, Cox CL. Condition dependence of shared traits differs between sympatric Anolis lizards. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2017; 327:110-118. [PMID: 29356407 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Revised: 04/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
In many species, sexually selected combat and display traits can confer dramatic fitness benefits to males by aiding in mate acquisition, so individuals maximally invest energy into their growth and maintenance. Such traits are deemed condition-dependent, as the energy that is available for investment depends on the health and condition of the individual. Condition dependence is present in a wide range of traits across many taxa, but the extent to which condition dependence varies among shared traits in closely related species is poorly understood. We tested for condition dependence in two Anolis lizards, the ground anole (Anolis humilis) and the slender anole (Anolis limifrons). Specifically, we measured dewlap area, jaw length, jaw width, and sprint speed, and then regressed one of two indices of body condition on each of these traits for both species. We found that dewlap area and jaw width exhibited condition dependence in ground anoles, but not in slender anoles. Sprint speed and jaw length were not condition-dependent in either species. The presence of condition dependence in ground anoles, but not slender anoles, implies evolutionary liability in the condition dependence of shared traits. Additionally, the fact that condition dependence was only detected in ground anoles, which have a greater relative dewlap size, suggests a potential role for signal evolution or strength of sexual selection in the evolution of condition dependence. Finally, our research suggests that variation in condition dependence of sexually selected traits could have implications for the evolution of dewlap diversity among Anolis species.
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Affiliation(s)
- John David Curlis
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
| | | | | | - Christian L Cox
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
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49
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Monagan IV, Morris JR, Davis Rabosky AR, Perfecto I, Vandermeer J. Anolis lizards as biocontrol agents in mainland and island agroecosystems. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:2193-2203. [PMID: 28405283 PMCID: PMC5383488 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Revised: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 01/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Our knowledge of ecological interactions that bolster ecosystem function and productivity has broad applications to the management of agricultural systems. Studies suggest that the presence of generalist predators in agricultural landscapes leads to a decrease in the abundance of herbivorous pests, but our understanding of how these interactions vary across taxa and along gradients of management intensity and eco‐geographic space remains incomplete. In this study, we assessed the functional response and biocontrol potential of a highly ubiquitous insectivore (lizards in the genus Anolis) on the world's most important coffee pest, the coffee berry borer (Hypothalemus hampei). We conducted field surveys and laboratory experiments to examine the impact of land‐use intensification on species richness and abundance of anoles and the capacity of anoles to reduce berry borer infestations in mainland and island coffee systems. Our results show that anoles significantly reduce coffee infestation rates in laboratory settings (Mexico, p = .03, F = 5.13 df = 1, 35; Puerto Rico, p = .014, F = 8.82, df = 1, 10) and are capable of consuming coffee berry borers in high abundance. Additionally, diversified agroecosystems bolster anole abundance, while high‐intensity practices, including the reduction of vegetation complexity and the application of agrochemicals were associated with reduced anole abundance. The results of this study provide supporting evidence of the positive impact of generalist predators on the control of crop pests in agricultural landscapes, and the role of diversified agroecosystems in sustaining both functionally diverse communities and crop production in tropical agroecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan V Monagan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA; Museum of Zoology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
| | - Jonathan R Morris
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
| | - Alison R Davis Rabosky
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA; Museum of Zoology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
| | - Ivette Perfecto
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
| | - John Vandermeer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
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