Trait differences among discrete morphs of a color polymorphic lizard, Podarcis erhardii

Territorial status is explained by covariation between boldness, exploration, and thermal preference in a colour polymorphic lizard

Colour polymorphic species often exhibit variation in morphology, physiology, and behaviour among morphs. In particular, dominance status may be signalled by the interaction between behaviour and colour morph. Behavioural traits associated with dominance include boldness, exploration, and aggression, which influence access to preferred habitat, territorial defence, and mate acquisition. In ectotherms, the social structure associated with morphs may result in the exploitation of structural niches differing in thermal quality. Hence, social interactions among morphs may generate concordant variation in thermal preference and environmental temperature. However, few studies have assessed thermal preference variation in colour polymorphic species and its covariation with behaviour. Doing so can provide insight into niche specialization and the maintenance of colour polymorphism in populations. Here, we investigated the patterns of covariation in boldness behaviour, exploratory behaviour, and thermal preference in the tree lizard, Urosaurus ornatus. We assessed trait variation between territorial and non-territorial male morphs and between orange and yellow female morphs. Boldness and exploratory behaviour were repeatable in male U. ornatus and bolder individuals were significantly more likely to incur tail loss, a potential consequence of bold behaviour. Territorial male morphs were significantly bolder and more exploratory and preferred higher body temperatures with a narrower T set than non-territorial morphs. Female morphs did not vary in behavioural or thermal traits. This study highlights behavioural mechanisms that underly ecological niche segregation and variable habitat use between morphs in a colour polymorphic species.

Physiological phenotypes differ among color morphs in introduced common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis)

Many species exhibit color polymorphisms which have distinct physiological and behavioral characteristics. However, the consistency of morph trait covariation patterns across species, time, and ecological contexts remains unclear. This trait covariation is especially relevant in the context of invasion biology and urban adaptation. Specifically, physiological traits pertaining to energy maintenance are crucial to fitness, given their immediate ties to individual reproduction, growth, and population establishment. We investigated the physiological traits of Podarcis muralis, a versatile color polymorphic species that thrives in urban environments (including invasive populations in Ohio, USA). We measured five physiological traits (plasma corticosterone and triglycerides, hematocrit, body condition, and field body temperature), which compose an integrated multivariate phenotype. We then tested variation among co-occurring color morphs in the context of establishment in an urban environment. We found that the traits describing physiological status and strategy shifted across the active season in a morph-dependent manner-the white and yellow morphs exhibited clearly different multivariate physiological phenotypes, characterized primarily by differences in plasma corticosterone. This suggests that morphs have different strategies in physiological regulation, the flexibility of which is crucial to urban adaptation. The white-yellow morph exhibited an intermediate phenotype, suggesting an intermediary energy maintenance strategy. Orange morphs also exhibited distinct phenotypes, but the low prevalence of this morph in our study populations precludes clear interpretation. Our work provides insight into how differences among stable polymorphisms exist across axes of the phenotype and how this variation may aid in establishment within novel environments.

Environmental colour pattern variation in Mediterranean Podarcis

BACKGROUND

Lizards of the genus Podarcis are widespread in the Mediterranean region, including islands and island archipelagos. These small-bodied lizards have a predominantly protective green-brown colouration. However, some populations display unusual patterns, in which the colouration is predominantly blue or uniformly black. This study explores the factors that influence this chromatic variation, whether environmental (climate and island conditions) or evolutionary (phylogenetic trait conservatism). The colouration of 1400 individuals (27 species) was analysed in the CIELAB colour space.

RESULTS

Pagel's λ indicated that colouration is weakly conserved within phylogenetic lineages. Although the island surface plays a key role in the chromatic variability of these lacertids, geographic isolation and climate hold less influence. The colouration of some small island populations tends to be uniform and dark, possibly due to intense intraspecific competition and lower predatory pressure.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the importance of island populations in understanding the processes that favour the emergence of extreme phenotypes in small ectothermic vertebrates.

Genetic basis and expression of ventral colour in polymorphic common lizards

Colour is an important visual cue that can correlate with sex, behaviour, life history or ecological strategies, and has evolved divergently and convergently across animal lineages. Its genetic basis in non-model organisms is rarely known, but such information is vital for determining the drivers and mechanisms of colour evolution. Leveraging genetic admixture in a rare contact zone between oviparous and viviparous common lizards (Zootoca vivipara), we show that females (N = 558) of the two otherwise morphologically indistinguishable reproductive modes differ in their ventral colouration (from pale to vibrant yellow) and intensity of melanic patterning. We find no association between female colouration and reproductive investment, and no evidence for selection on colour. Using a combination of genetic mapping and transcriptomic evidence, we identified two candidate genes associated with ventral colour differentiation, DGAT2 and PMEL. These are genes known to be involved in carotenoid metabolism and melanin synthesis respectively. Ventral melanic spots were associated with two genomic regions, including a SNP close to protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) genes. Using genome re-sequencing data, our results show that fixed coding mutations in the candidate genes cannot account for differences in colouration. Taken together, our findings show that the evolution of ventral colouration and its associations across common lizard lineages is variable. A potential genetic mechanism explaining the flexibility of ventral colouration may be that colouration in common lizards, but also across squamates, is predominantly driven by regulatory genetic variation.

Multivariate Models of Animal Sex: Breaking Binaries Leads to a Better Understanding of Ecology and Evolution

"Sex" is often used to describe a suite of phenotypic and genotypic traits of an organism related to reproduction. However, these traits-gamete type, chromosomal inheritance, physiology, morphology, behavior, etc.-are not necessarily coupled, and the rhetorical collapse of variation into a single term elides much of the complexity inherent in sexual phenotypes. We argue that consideration of "sex" as a constructed category operating at multiple biological levels opens up new avenues for inquiry in our study of biological variation. We apply this framework to three case studies that illustrate the diversity of sex variation, from decoupling sexual phenotypes to the evolutionary and ecological consequences of intrasexual polymorphisms. We argue that instead of assuming binary sex in these systems, some may be better categorized as multivariate and nonbinary. Finally, we conduct a meta-analysis of terms used to describe diversity in sexual phenotypes in the scientific literature to highlight how a multivariate model of sex can clarify, rather than cloud, studies of sexual diversity within and across species. We argue that such an expanded framework of "sex" better equips us to understand evolutionary processes, and that as biologists, it is incumbent upon us to push back against misunderstandings of the biology of sexual phenotypes that enact harm on marginalized communities.

Some like it hotter: Differential thermal preferences among lizard color morphs

Temperature rules the lives of ectotherms. To perform basic biological functions, ectotherms must make behavioral adjustments to keep their body temperatures near a preferred temperature (Tpref). Many color polymorphic lizards are active thermoregulators and exhibit morph differences in traits related to thermoregulation, such as color, body size, and microhabitat use. The Aegean wall lizard, Podarcis erhardii, is a heliothermic lizard with orange, white, and yellow color morphs that differ in size, behavior, and microhabitat use. Here, we tested whether P. erhardii color morphs from the same population from Naxos island, Greece, differ in Tpref. We hypothesized that orange morphs would prefer lower temperatures than white and yellow morphs because orange morphs are often found on cooler substrates and in microhabitats with more vegetation cover. We obtained Tpref for 95 individuals using laboratory thermal gradient experiments of wild-caught lizards and found that orange morphs do, indeed, prefer cooler temperatures. Average orange morph Tpref was 2.85 °C lower than average white and yellow morph Tpref. Our results add support to the idea that P. erhardii color morphs have multivariate alternative phenotypes and present the possibility that thermally heterogeneous environments play a role in the maintenance of color polymorphism in this species.

Comparative phylogeography reveals widespread cryptic diversity driven by ecology in Panamanian birds

Widespread species often harbor unrecognized genetic diversity, and investigating the factors associated with such cryptic variation can help us better understand the forces driving diversification. Here, we identify potential cryptic species based on a comprehensive dataset of COI mitochondrial DNA barcodes from 2,333 individual Panamanian birds across 429 species, representing 391 (59%) of the 659 resident landbird species of the country, as well as opportunistically sampled waterbirds. We complement this dataset with additional publicly available mitochondrial loci, such as ND2 and cytochrome b, obtained from whole mitochondrial genomes from 20 taxa. Using barcode identification numbers (BINs), we find putative cryptic species in 19% of landbird species, highlighting hidden diversity in the relatively well-described avifauna of Panama. Whereas some of these mitochondrial divergence events corresponded with recognized geographic features that likely isolated populations, such as the Cordillera Central highlands, the majority (74%) of lowland splits were between eastern and western populations. The timing of these splits are not temporally coincident across taxa, suggesting that historical events, such as the formation of the Isthmus of Panama and Pleistocene climatic cycles, were not the primary drivers of cryptic diversification. Rather, we observed that forest species, understory species, insectivores, and strongly territorial species-all traits associated with lower dispersal ability-were all more likely to have multiple BINs in Panama, suggesting strong ecological associations with cryptic divergence. Additionally, hand-wing index, a proxy for dispersal capability, was significantly lower in species with multiple BINs, indicating that dispersal ability plays an important role in generating diversity in Neotropical birds. Together, these results underscore the need for evolutionary studies of tropical bird communities to consider ecological factors along with geographic explanations, and that even in areas with well-known avifauna, avian diversity may be substantially underestimated.

LAY SUMMARY

- What factors are common among bird species with cryptic diversity in Panama? What role do geography, ecology, phylogeographic history, and other factors play in generating bird diversity?- 19% of widely-sampled bird species form two or more distinct DNA barcode clades, suggesting widespread unrecognized diversity.- Traits associated with reduced dispersal ability, such as use of forest understory, high territoriality, low hand-wing index, and insectivory, were more common in taxa with cryptic diversity. Filogeografía comparada revela amplia diversidad críptica causada por la ecología en las aves de Panamá.

RESUMEN

Especies extendidas frecuentemente tiene diversidad genética no reconocida, y investigando los factores asociados con esta variación críptica puede ayudarnos a entender las fuerzas que impulsan la diversificación. Aquí, identificamos especies crípticas potenciales basadas en un conjunto de datos de códigos de barras de ADN mitocondrial de 2,333 individuos de aves de Panama en 429 especies, representando 391 (59%) de las 659 especies de aves terrestres residentes del país, además de algunas aves acuáticas muestreada de manera oportunista. Adicionalmente, complementamos estos datos con secuencias mitocondriales disponibles públicamente de otros loci, tal como ND2 o citocroma b, obtenidos de los genomas mitocondriales completos de 20 taxones. Utilizando los números de identificación de código de barras (en ingles: BINs), un sistema taxonómico numérico que proporcina una estimación imparcial de la diversidad potencial a nivel de especie, encontramos especies crípticas putativas en 19% de las especies de aves terrestres, lo que destaca la diversidad oculta en la avifauna bien descrita de Panamá. Aunque algunos de estos eventos de divergencia conciden con características geográficas que probablemente aislaron las poblaciones, la mayoría (74%) de la divergencia en las tierras bajas se encuentra entre las poblaciones orientales y occidentales. El tiempo de esta divergencia no coincidió entre los taxones, sugiriendo que eventos históricos tales como la formación del Istmo de Panamá y los ciclos climáticos del pleistoceno, no fueron los principales impulsores de la especiación. En cambio, observamos asociaciones fuertes entre las características ecológicas y la divergencia mitocondriale: las especies del bosque, sotobosque, con una dieta insectívora, y con territorialidad fuerte mostraton múltiple BINs probables. Adicionalmente, el índice mano-ala, que está asociado a la capacidad de dispersión, fue significativamente menor en las especies con BINs multiples, sugiriendo que la capacidad de dispersión tiene un rol importamente en la generación de la diversidad de las aves neotropicales. Estos resultos demonstran la necesidad de que estudios evolutivos de las comunidades de aves tropicales consideren los factores ecológicos en conjunto con las explicaciones geográficos. Palabras clave: biodiversidad tropical, biogeografía, códigos de barras, dispersión, especies crípticas.

What Influences the Prevalence and Intensity of Haemoparasites and Ectoparasites in an Insular Lizard?

Island biogeography theories predict that characteristics such as island size, age, and isolation interplay in host-parasite dynamics. In this study, we analyzed haemogregarines of the Aegean wall lizard, Podarcis erhardii, to investigate how island characteristics relate to parasite prevalence and intensity. A previous assessment of 19 Greek island populations suggested that isolation time and host population density were key predictors of haemogregarines. Here, by combining microscopy and genetic techniques, we extend this previous study to four additional islands: Syros, Folegandros, Santorini and Nea Kameni. We also recorded the prevalence of ticks and mites, definitive hosts for these parasites. The genetically identified haemogregarines are part of a clade with parasites from other lizard species, including some considered as Karyolysus, but others assigned to Hepatozoon. The prevalence of these parasites differed significantly between islands, while their intensity did not. The presence of ticks was associated with endoparasite prevalence, and males were more frequently infected by haemogregarines than females. Combining our data with that of the previous study, we found no significant impact of the island age and area on parasite prevalence. We also confirmed the presence of the unrelated parasite genus Schellackia through microscopy and DNA sequencing, which is the first record of this genus in this host species. Our results further highlight the complexity of host-parasite systems.

Morph-specific differences in escape behavior in a color polymorphic lizard

Abstract

Variation in color morph behavior is an important factor in the maintenance of color polymorphism. Alternative anti-predator behaviors are often associated with morphological traits such as coloration, possibly because predator-mediated viability selection favors certain combinations of anti-predator behavior and color. The Aegean wall lizard, Podarcis erhardii, is color polymorphic and populations can have up to three monochromatic morphs: orange, yellow, and white. We investigated whether escape behaviors differ among coexisting color morphs, and if morph behaviors are repeatable across different populations with the same predator species. Specifically, we assessed color morph flight initiation distance (FID), distance to the nearest refuge (DNR), and distance to chosen refuge (DR) in two populations of Aegean wall lizards from Naxos island. We also analyzed the type of refugia color morphs selected and their re-emergence behavior following a standardized approach. We found that orange morphs have different escape behaviors from white and yellow morphs, and these differences are consistent in both populations we sampled. Orange morphs have shorter FIDs, DNRs, and DRs; select different refuge types; and re-emerge less often after being approached compared to white and yellow morphs. Observed differences in color morph escape behaviors support the idea that morphs have evolved alternative behavioral strategies that may play a role in population-level morph maintenance and loss.

Significance statement

Color polymorphic species often differ in behaviors related to reproduction, but differences in other behaviors are relatively underexplored. In this study, we use an experimental approach in two natural populations of color populations of color polymorphic lizards to determine that color morphs have diverged in their escape behaviors. By conducting our experiments in two different populations with similar predator regimes, we show for the first time that behavioral differences among intra-specific color morphs are repeatable across populations, suggesting that alternative behavioral strategies have evolved in this species. Using this experimental approach, we demonstrate that the brightest orange morph stays closer to refuge than other morphs, uses a different refuge type (vegetation) more often than other morphs (wall crevices), and take much longer to emerge from refuge after a simulated predation event than other morphs. Thus, selective pressures from visual predators may differ between morphs and play a role in the evolution and maintenance of color polymorphisms in these types of systems. Our study species, Podarcis erhardii, belongs to a highly color polymorphic genus (19/23 spp. are color polymorphic) that contains the same three color morphs, thus we believe our results may be relevant to more than just P. erhardii.

Multivariate characterisation of morpho-biometric traits of indigenous helmeted Guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) in Nigeria

This study was conducted to characterise phenotypically helmeted Guinea fowls in three agro-ecologies in Nigeria using multivariate approach. Eighteen biometric characters, four morphological indices and eleven qualitative physical traits were investigated in a total of 569 adult birds (158 males and 411 females). Descriptive statistics, non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis H test followed by the Mann–Whitney U and Dunn-Bonferroni tests for post hoc, Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), Univariate Analysis, Canonical Discriminant Analysis, Categorical Principal Component Analysis and Decision Trees were employed to discern the effects of agro-ecological zone and sex on the morphostructural parameters. Agro-ecology had significant effect (P<0.05; P<0.01) on all the colour traits. In general, the most frequently observed colour phenotype of Guinea fowl had pearl plumage colour (54.0%), pale red skin colour (94.2%), black shank colour (68.7%), brown eye colour (49.7%), white earlobe colour (54.8%) and brown helmet colour (72.6%). The frequencies of helmet shape and wattle size were significantly influenced (P<0.01) by agro-ecology and sex. Overall, birds from the Southern Guinea Savanna zone had significantly higher values (P<0.05) for most biometric traits compared to their Sudano-Sahelian and Tropical Rainforest counterparts. They were also more compact (120.00 vs. 110.00 vs. 107.69) but had lesser condition index (7.66 vs. 9.45 vs. 9.30) and lower long-leggedness (19.71 vs. 19.23 vs. 9.51) than their counterparts from the two other zones. Sexual dimorphism (P<0.05) was in favour of male birds especially those in Southern Guinea Savanna and Sudano-Sahelian zones. However, the MCA and discriminant analysis revealed considerable intermingling of the qualitative physical traits, biometric traits and body indices especially between the Sudano-Sahelian and Tropical Rainforest birds. In spite of the high level of genetic admixture, the Guinea fowl populations could to a relative extent be distinguished using wing length, body length and eye colour. Generally, the birds from the three zones appeared to be more homogeneous than heterogeneous in nature. However, further complementary work on genomics will guide future selection and breeding programs geared towards improving the productivity, survival and environmental adaptation of indigenous helmeted Guinea fowls in the tropics.

Viability, behavior, and color expression in the offspring of matings between common wall lizard Podarcis muralis color morphs

Color polymorphisms are widely studied to identify the mechanisms responsible for the origin and maintenance of phenotypic variability in nature. Two of the mechanisms of balancing selection currently thought to explain the long-term persistence of polymorphisms are the evolution of alternative phenotypic optima through correlational selection on suites of traits including color and heterosis. Both of these mechanisms can generate differences in offspring viability and fitness arising from different morph combinations. Here, we examined the effect of parental morph combination on fertilization success, embryonic viability, newborn quality, antipredator, and foraging behavior, as well as inter-annual survival by conducting controlled matings in a polymorphic lacertid Podarcis muralis, where color morphs are frequently assumed to reflect alternative phenotypic optima (e.g., alternative reproductive strategies). Juveniles were kept in outdoor tubs for a year in order to study inter-annual growth, survival, and morph inheritance. In agreement with a previous genome-wide association analysis, morph frequencies in the year-old juveniles matched the frequencies expected if orange and yellow expressions depended on recessive homozygosity at 2 separate loci. Our findings also agree with previous literature reporting higher reproductive output of heavy females and the higher overall viability of heavy newborn lizards, but we found no evidence for the existence of alternative breeding investment strategies in female morphs, or morph-combination effects on offspring viability and behavior. We conclude that inter-morph breeding remains entirely viable and genetic incompatibilities are of little significance for the maintenance of discrete color morphs in P. muralis from the Pyrenees.

Color Polymorphism is a Driver of Diversification in the Lizard Family Lacertidae

Color polymorphism-two or more heritable color phenotypes maintained within a single breeding population-is an extreme type of intraspecific diversity widespread across the tree of life. Color polymorphism is hypothesized to be an engine for speciation, where morph loss or divergence between distinct color morphs within a species results in the rapid evolution of new lineages, and thus, color polymorphic lineages are expected to display elevated diversification rates. Multiple species in the lizard family Lacertidae are color polymorphic, making them an ideal group to investigate the evolutionary history of this trait and its influence on macroevolution. Here, we produce a comprehensive species-level phylogeny of the lizard family Lacertidae to reconstruct the evolutionary history of color polymorphism and test if color polymorphism has been a driver of diversification. Accounting for phylogenetic uncertainty with multiple phylogenies and simulation studies, we estimate an ancient origin of color polymorphism (111 Ma) within the Lacertini tribe (subfamily Lacertinae). Color polymorphism most likely evolved few times in the Lacertidae and has been lost at a much faster rate than gained. Evolutionary transitions to color polymorphism are associated with shifts in increased net diversification rate in this family of lizards. Taken together, our empirical results support long-standing theoretical expectations that color polymorphism is a driver of diversification.[Color polymorphism; Lacertidae; state-dependent speciation extinction models; trait-dependent diversification.].