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Moreno-Arias RA, Méndez-Galeano MA, Beltrán I, Vargas-Ramírez M. Revealing anole diversity in the highlands of the Northern Andes: New and resurrected species of the Anolis heterodermus species group. VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.3897/vz.73.e94265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
The Anolis heterodermus group comprises eight big-headed and short-legged lizard species from the highlands of the northernmost South American Andes. Recent studies revealed unknown lineages within this group that had previously been categorized as a species complex. By widely sampling and applying an integrative taxonomic framework, we (1) assessed the species diversity of the group using a molecular dataset (two mitochondrial and one nuclear markers) along with an inclusive morphological study (scalation, scale configuration and ornamentation, morphometrics, and dewlap and body colour patterns); and (2) we inferred the evolutionary relationships within this species group. Our analyses confirmed the formerly reported differentiation between populations of those high-altitude lizards, and we identified several unknown evolutionary lineages. Our results provided evidence for the existence of nine distinct, independently evolving evolutionary lineages in the heterodermus group. As a result, we described two morphologically and genetically highly distinct lineages as species new to science (A. quimbayasp. nov. and A. tequendamasp. nov.). We redescribed A. heterodermus and erected as a valid species Anolis richteri, a previously described synonym of A. heterodermus. A taxonomic key for the identification of species of the Phenacosaurus clade was presented. The identification of two additional poorly-known lineages suggested that the diversity of this group of lizards is still unknown; therefore, it is necessary to establish measurements for the group´s conservation, as well as to perform fieldwork and revision of herpetological collections to identify possible hidden diversity within the group.
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Keiller ML, Lopez LK, Paijmans KC, Wong MYL. Behavioural plasticity in a native species may be related to foraging resilience in the presence of an aggressive invader. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20200877. [PMID: 33726559 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Competition between invasive and native species can result in the exploitation of resources by the invader, reducing foraging rates of natives. However, it is increasingly recognized that multiple factors can enhance the resilience of native species competing for limiting resources with invaders. Although extensively studied in terrestrial species, little research has focused on behavioural plasticity in aquatic ecosystems and how this influences native species resilience. Here, we examined the role of behavioural plasticity in interactions between a native Australian fish, Pseudomugil signifer, and a widespread invasive fish, Gambusia holbrooki. To determine whether P. signifer displays behavioural plasticity that may mitigate competition with G. holbrooki, we first quantified social behaviours (aggression, submission and affiliation) and shoal cohesion for each species in single- and mixed-species groups. Second, we compared the feeding rates of both species in these groups to ascertain if any modulation of social behaviours and cohesion related to foraging success. We found that aggressive and submissive behaviours of G. holbrooki and P. signifer showed plasticity in the presence of heterospecifics, but social affiliation, shoaling and, most importantly, foraging, remained inflexible. This variation in the degree of plasticity highlights the complexity of the behavioural response of a native species and suggests that both behavioural modulation and consistency may be related to sustaining foraging efficiency in the presence of an invader.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda L Keiller
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Laura K Lopez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Kai C Paijmans
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Marian Y L Wong
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
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Cox CL, Alexander S, Casement B, Chung AK, Curlis JD, Degon Z, Dubois M, Falvey C, Graham ZA, Folfas E, Gallegos Koyner MA, Neel LK, Nicholson DJ, Perez DJP, Ortiz-Ross X, Rosso AA, Taylor Q, Thurman TJ, Williams CE, McMillan WO, Logan ML. Ectoparasite extinction in simplified lizard assemblages during experimental island invasion. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20200474. [PMID: 32750271 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduced species can become invasive, damaging ecosystems and disrupting economies through explosive population growth. One mechanism underlying population expansion in invasive populations is 'enemy release', whereby the invader experiences relaxation of agonistic interactions with other species, including parasites. However, direct observational evidence of release from parasitism during invasion is rare. We mimicked the early stages of invasion by experimentally translocating populations of mite-parasitized slender anole lizards (Anolis apletophallus) to islands that varied in the number of native anoles. Two islands were anole-free prior to the introduction, whereas a third island had a resident population of Gaige's anole (Anolis gaigei). We then characterized changes in trombiculid mite parasitism over multiple generations post-introduction. We found that mites rapidly went extinct on one-species islands, but that lizards introduced to the two-species island retained mites. After three generations, the two-species island had the highest total density and biomass of lizards, but the lowest density of the introduced species, implying that the 'invasion' had been less successful. This field-transplant study suggests that native species can be 'enemy reservoirs' that facilitate co-colonization of ectoparasites with the invasive host. Broadly, these results indicate that the presence of intact and diverse native communities may help to curb invasiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian L Cox
- Institute for the Environment, Florida International University Miami, FL 33199, USA.,Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA
| | - Sean Alexander
- Department of Biology, Rutgers University-Camden, Camden, NJ 08102, USA
| | - Brianna Casement
- Department of Biology, Heidelberg University, Tiffin, OH 44883, USA
| | - Albert K Chung
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - John David Curlis
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA.,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Zachariah Degon
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA
| | - Madeline Dubois
- College of Science, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Cleo Falvey
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Zackary A Graham
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Edita Folfas
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 3B2
| | | | - Lauren K Neel
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | | | | | - Xochitl Ortiz-Ross
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.,Biology, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Adam A Rosso
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA
| | - Quinn Taylor
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA
| | - Timothy J Thurman
- Department of Wildlife Biology, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution, Balboa Ancón, 0843-03092 Panama, Republic of Panama.,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 0G4
| | | | - W Owen McMillan
- Institute for the Environment, Florida International University Miami, FL 33199, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution, Balboa Ancón, 0843-03092 Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Michael L Logan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution, Balboa Ancón, 0843-03092 Panama, Republic of Panama.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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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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Baeckens S, Wainwright DK, Weaver JC, Irschick DJ, Losos JB. Ontogenetic scaling patterns of lizard skin surface structure as revealed by gel-based stereo-profilometry. J Anat 2019; 235:346-356. [PMID: 31099429 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The skin surface structure of squamate reptiles varies greatly among species, likely because it plays a key role in a range of tasks, such as camouflage, locomotion, self-cleaning, mitigation of water loss and protection from physical damage. Although we have foundational knowledge about squamate skin morphology, we still know remarkably little about how intraspecific variation in skin surface structure translates to functional variation. This gap in our understanding can be in part traced back to: (i) our lack of knowledge on how body size determines skin surface structure; and (ii) the lack of means to perform high-throughput and detailed analysis of the three-dimensional (3D) anatomy of reptilian skin surfaces in a non-destructive manner. To fill this gap, we explored the possibilities of a new imaging technique, termed gel-based stereo-profilometry, to visualize and quantify the 3D topography of reptilian skin surface structure. Using this novel approach, we investigated intra-specific and intra-individual variation in the skin surface morphology of a focal lizard species, Anolis cristatellus. We assessed how various characteristics of surface topography (roughness, skew and kurtosis) and scale morphology (area, height, width and shape) scale with body size across different body regions. Based on an ontogenetic series of A. cristatellus males, we show that skin roughness increases with body size. Skin patches on the ventral body region of lizards were rougher than on the dorsum, but this was a consequence of ventral scales being larger than dorsal scales. Dorsal surface skew and kurtosis varied with body size, but surfaces on the ventral skin showed no such relationship. Scale size scaled isometrically with body size, and while ventral scales differed in shape from dorsal scales, scale shape did not change with ontogeny. Overall, this study demonstrates that gel-based stereo-profilometry is a promising method to rapidly assess the 3D surface structure of reptilian skin at the microscopic level. Additionally, our findings of the explanatory power of body size on skin surface diversity provide a foundation for future studies to disentangle the relationships among morphological, functional and ecological diversity in squamate reptile skin surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Baeckens
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Dylan K Wainwright
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - James C Weaver
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Duncan J Irschick
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan B Losos
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
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