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Jose Martin - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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environmental drivers of growth rates in guadarrama Wall Lizards a reciprocal transplant experiment
Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2017Co-Authors: Jesus Ortega, Pilar Lopez, Jose MartinAbstract:Financial support was provided by the projects MICIIN-CGL2011-24150/BOS and MINECO CGL2014-53523-P
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dorsal pattern polymorphism in female iberian Wall Lizards differences in morphology dorsal coloration immune response and reproductive investment
Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2015Co-Authors: Jesus Ortega, Pilar Lopez, Daniele Pellitterirosa, Jose MartinAbstract:Sex-specific colour polymorphisms have been extensively documented in many different taxa. When polymorphism in colour pattern is restricted to females, the condition is known as female-limited pattern polymorphism (FPP), which has been less commonly addressed in vertebrates. FPP is present in several lizard species, although most research on Lizards has focused on carotenoid- and pteridine-based coloration and not on melanin-based polymorphisms. In the present study, we focus on Iberian Wall Lizards, Podarcis hispanicus, where two female melanin-based dorsal patterns can be clearly distinguished: striped and reticulated-blotched. We indirectly tested the hypothesis that selection acts differentially among P. hispanicus female morphs to create alternative morph-specific phenotypic optima at different levels by investigating whether morphs differ in fitness proxies. We specifically examined whether the two female dorsal pattern morphs differed in adult morphology, dorsal coloration, immune response, reproductive investment, and growth. We did not find a relationship between melanin-based coloration and hatchling growth and immune response, despite a correlation between these traits possibly being expected as a result of pleiotropy in the melanocortin system. However, our results show that female dorsal morphs in P. hispanicus differ in terms of adult morphology, dorsal coloration, and reproductive investment. Reticulated-blotched P. hispanicus females had deeper heads and longer femora, less melanin, and more brownish coloration, and also had larger and heavier hatchlings than striped females. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 00, 000–000. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: common garden ‐ female-limited ‐ growth ‐ Lacertidae ‐ melanin-based coloration.
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experience may allow increasing accuracy of the innate chemosensory recognition of snake predators by iberian Wall Lizards
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2015Co-Authors: Jose Martin, Jesus Ortega, Pilar LopezAbstract:Many animals can recognize chemical cues of predators and show defensive responses, but antipredatory behavior can be costly and should be modulated depending on the level of risk posed by each predatory species. Recognition ability may be innate, but it is not clear whether there might also be local adaptation to predation pressure levels or some learning component. We examined the chemosensory ability of naive and adult Iberian Wall Lizards, Podarcis hispanicus, to detect chemical cues of two closely related Coronella snake species in two localities within the same continuous population. Lizards in each locality are sympatric with only one of the two snake species. Our results showed an innate chemosensory discrimination of predatory snake cues, as both adult Lizards and captive reared naive hatchlings, which had not had any previous experience with the snake cues, had short latencies to the first tongue-flick, increased tongue-flick responses, and active escape behavior from the scent of either of the two snake species. Moreover, adult Lizards, but not naive hatchlings, showed differential responses to the two different snake species, with higher responses to the snake species that is sympatric in each locality. This strongly suggests that there is a learning component acquired through previous lifetime experiences that may increase accuracy of the discrimination of the sympatric snake. Therefore, through learning of local conditions, Lizards may modulate their innate antipredatory responses to the risk level posed by each snake species.
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interpopulational variations in sexual chemical signals of iberian Wall Lizards may allow maximizing signal efficiency under different climatic conditions
PLOS ONE, 2015Co-Authors: Jose Martin, Jesus Ortega, Pilar LopezAbstract:Sexual signals used in intraspecific communication are expected to evolve to maximize efficacy under a given climatic condition. Thus, chemical secretions of Lizards might evolve in the evolutionary time to ensure that signals are perfectly tuned to local humidity and temperature conditions affecting their volatility and therefore their persistence and transmission through the environment. We tested experimentally whether interpopulational altitudinal differences in chemical composition of femoral gland secretions of male Iberian Wall Lizards (Podarcis hispanicus) have evolved to maximize efficacy of chemical signals in different environmental conditions. Chemical analyses first showed that the characteristics of chemical signals of male Lizards differed between two populations inhabiting environments with different climatic conditions in spite of the fact that these two populations are closely related genetically. We also examined experimentally whether the temporal attenuation of the chemical stimuli depended on simulated climatic conditions. Thus, we used tongue-flick essays to test whether female Lizards were able to detect male scent marks maintained under different conditions of temperature and humidity by chemosensory cues alone. Chemosensory tests showed that chemical signals of males had a lower efficacy (i.e. detectability and persistence) when temperature and dryness increase, but that these effects were more detrimental for signals of the highest elevation population, which occupies naturally colder and more humid environments. We suggest that the abiotic environment may cause a selective pressure on the form and expression of sexual chemical signals. Therefore, interpopulational differences in chemical profiles of femoral secretions of male P. hispanicus Lizards may reflect adaptation to maximize the efficacy of the chemical signal in different climates.
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conspicuous blue tails dorsal pattern morphs and escape behaviour in hatchling iberian Wall Lizards podarcis hispanicus
Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2014Co-Authors: Jesus Ortega, Pilar Lopez, Jose MartinAbstract:Predation has profound effects on the phenotypes of animal prey and, in Lizards, the relationship between coloration and antipredatory behaviour has been studied in depth. However, studies that address the relationships between dorsal patterns and tail coloration with escape behaviour in polymorphic Lizards are absent in the literature. We describe dorsal morphs and measured tail coloration and escape behaviour in hatchling Iberian Wall Lizards, Podarcis hispanicus, a species with a previously undescribed female-restricted dorsal polymorphism (reticulated-blotched males, and either striped or reticulated-blotched females) and juvenile tails with conspicuous blue coloration, which is probably used to divert predator attacks towards the autotomizable tail. Overall we provide evidence for the existence of sexual dimorphism in tail ultraviolet reflectance between reticulated females and males, with striped females being intermediate. We identified sex/dorsal morph, body size and tail brightness as predictors of different aspects of escape behaviour and suggest the existence of two alternative escape strategies between striped and reticulated-blotched females that may be dependent on dorsal morph differences, independently of sex. Reticulated-blotched females, and also males (all reticulated-blotched), ran faster and spent less time paused than striped females, which might reflect an escape behaviour strategy based on endurance in striped females. In addition, lowland males displayed tail waving as a ‘last resort’ antipredator strategy that may be related to fatigue. We concluded that hatchling antipredatory behaviour is influenced by both dorsal pattern and tail conspicuousness. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, , –. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: antipredatory behaviour – intermittent locomotion – Lacertidae – polymorphism – sexual dimorphism – tail waving – ultraviolet reflectance.
Pilar Lopez - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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environmental drivers of growth rates in guadarrama Wall Lizards a reciprocal transplant experiment
Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2017Co-Authors: Jesus Ortega, Pilar Lopez, Jose MartinAbstract:Financial support was provided by the projects MICIIN-CGL2011-24150/BOS and MINECO CGL2014-53523-P
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dorsal pattern polymorphism in female iberian Wall Lizards differences in morphology dorsal coloration immune response and reproductive investment
Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2015Co-Authors: Jesus Ortega, Pilar Lopez, Daniele Pellitterirosa, Jose MartinAbstract:Sex-specific colour polymorphisms have been extensively documented in many different taxa. When polymorphism in colour pattern is restricted to females, the condition is known as female-limited pattern polymorphism (FPP), which has been less commonly addressed in vertebrates. FPP is present in several lizard species, although most research on Lizards has focused on carotenoid- and pteridine-based coloration and not on melanin-based polymorphisms. In the present study, we focus on Iberian Wall Lizards, Podarcis hispanicus, where two female melanin-based dorsal patterns can be clearly distinguished: striped and reticulated-blotched. We indirectly tested the hypothesis that selection acts differentially among P. hispanicus female morphs to create alternative morph-specific phenotypic optima at different levels by investigating whether morphs differ in fitness proxies. We specifically examined whether the two female dorsal pattern morphs differed in adult morphology, dorsal coloration, immune response, reproductive investment, and growth. We did not find a relationship between melanin-based coloration and hatchling growth and immune response, despite a correlation between these traits possibly being expected as a result of pleiotropy in the melanocortin system. However, our results show that female dorsal morphs in P. hispanicus differ in terms of adult morphology, dorsal coloration, and reproductive investment. Reticulated-blotched P. hispanicus females had deeper heads and longer femora, less melanin, and more brownish coloration, and also had larger and heavier hatchlings than striped females. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 00, 000–000. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: common garden ‐ female-limited ‐ growth ‐ Lacertidae ‐ melanin-based coloration.
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experience may allow increasing accuracy of the innate chemosensory recognition of snake predators by iberian Wall Lizards
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2015Co-Authors: Jose Martin, Jesus Ortega, Pilar LopezAbstract:Many animals can recognize chemical cues of predators and show defensive responses, but antipredatory behavior can be costly and should be modulated depending on the level of risk posed by each predatory species. Recognition ability may be innate, but it is not clear whether there might also be local adaptation to predation pressure levels or some learning component. We examined the chemosensory ability of naive and adult Iberian Wall Lizards, Podarcis hispanicus, to detect chemical cues of two closely related Coronella snake species in two localities within the same continuous population. Lizards in each locality are sympatric with only one of the two snake species. Our results showed an innate chemosensory discrimination of predatory snake cues, as both adult Lizards and captive reared naive hatchlings, which had not had any previous experience with the snake cues, had short latencies to the first tongue-flick, increased tongue-flick responses, and active escape behavior from the scent of either of the two snake species. Moreover, adult Lizards, but not naive hatchlings, showed differential responses to the two different snake species, with higher responses to the snake species that is sympatric in each locality. This strongly suggests that there is a learning component acquired through previous lifetime experiences that may increase accuracy of the discrimination of the sympatric snake. Therefore, through learning of local conditions, Lizards may modulate their innate antipredatory responses to the risk level posed by each snake species.
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interpopulational variations in sexual chemical signals of iberian Wall Lizards may allow maximizing signal efficiency under different climatic conditions
PLOS ONE, 2015Co-Authors: Jose Martin, Jesus Ortega, Pilar LopezAbstract:Sexual signals used in intraspecific communication are expected to evolve to maximize efficacy under a given climatic condition. Thus, chemical secretions of Lizards might evolve in the evolutionary time to ensure that signals are perfectly tuned to local humidity and temperature conditions affecting their volatility and therefore their persistence and transmission through the environment. We tested experimentally whether interpopulational altitudinal differences in chemical composition of femoral gland secretions of male Iberian Wall Lizards (Podarcis hispanicus) have evolved to maximize efficacy of chemical signals in different environmental conditions. Chemical analyses first showed that the characteristics of chemical signals of male Lizards differed between two populations inhabiting environments with different climatic conditions in spite of the fact that these two populations are closely related genetically. We also examined experimentally whether the temporal attenuation of the chemical stimuli depended on simulated climatic conditions. Thus, we used tongue-flick essays to test whether female Lizards were able to detect male scent marks maintained under different conditions of temperature and humidity by chemosensory cues alone. Chemosensory tests showed that chemical signals of males had a lower efficacy (i.e. detectability and persistence) when temperature and dryness increase, but that these effects were more detrimental for signals of the highest elevation population, which occupies naturally colder and more humid environments. We suggest that the abiotic environment may cause a selective pressure on the form and expression of sexual chemical signals. Therefore, interpopulational differences in chemical profiles of femoral secretions of male P. hispanicus Lizards may reflect adaptation to maximize the efficacy of the chemical signal in different climates.
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conspicuous blue tails dorsal pattern morphs and escape behaviour in hatchling iberian Wall Lizards podarcis hispanicus
Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2014Co-Authors: Jesus Ortega, Pilar Lopez, Jose MartinAbstract:Predation has profound effects on the phenotypes of animal prey and, in Lizards, the relationship between coloration and antipredatory behaviour has been studied in depth. However, studies that address the relationships between dorsal patterns and tail coloration with escape behaviour in polymorphic Lizards are absent in the literature. We describe dorsal morphs and measured tail coloration and escape behaviour in hatchling Iberian Wall Lizards, Podarcis hispanicus, a species with a previously undescribed female-restricted dorsal polymorphism (reticulated-blotched males, and either striped or reticulated-blotched females) and juvenile tails with conspicuous blue coloration, which is probably used to divert predator attacks towards the autotomizable tail. Overall we provide evidence for the existence of sexual dimorphism in tail ultraviolet reflectance between reticulated females and males, with striped females being intermediate. We identified sex/dorsal morph, body size and tail brightness as predictors of different aspects of escape behaviour and suggest the existence of two alternative escape strategies between striped and reticulated-blotched females that may be dependent on dorsal morph differences, independently of sex. Reticulated-blotched females, and also males (all reticulated-blotched), ran faster and spent less time paused than striped females, which might reflect an escape behaviour strategy based on endurance in striped females. In addition, lowland males displayed tail waving as a ‘last resort’ antipredator strategy that may be related to fatigue. We concluded that hatchling antipredatory behaviour is influenced by both dorsal pattern and tail conspicuousness. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, , –. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: antipredatory behaviour – intermittent locomotion – Lacertidae – polymorphism – sexual dimorphism – tail waving – ultraviolet reflectance.
Miguel A. Carretero - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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fluctuating asymmetry as biomarker of pesticides exposure in the italian Wall Lizards podarcis siculus
Zoology, 2021Co-Authors: Giulia Simbula, Miguel A. Carretero, Leonardo Vignoli, Antigoni KaliontzopoulouAbstract:Abstract The extensive use of pesticides in agricultural environments produces drastic effects on wildlife, hence the need for less invasive indicators of environmental stress to monitoring the impact of agriculture treatments on biological systems. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), as measure of developmental instability, has recently been proposed as reliable biomarker of populations stress due to environmental disturbance. We investigate femoral pores (FP) and dorsal head shape (HS) traits in populations of the Italian Wall lizard inhabiting agricultural environments to examine whether different pesticide exposures (conventional, organic and control) can cause distinctive degree of FA. High-resolution photographs of FP and HS were taken in the field with a digital camera. The number of FP were counted twice on both sides and HS was analysed using geometric morphometrics with 25 landmarks and 12 semilandmarks. Individuals under conventional management showed higher levels of FA compared to control ones, and females exhibited higher FA levels than males for the FP. However, no significant difference was found for the HS trait. Our study provided evidence that FA may have a real potential as biomarker of population stress in Wall Lizards, highlighting the importance in the choice of the experimental design and the traits adopted for estimating DI.
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thermal dependence of signalling do polymorphic Wall Lizards compensate for morph specific differences in conspicuousness
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2016Co-Authors: Guillem Perez I De Lanuza, Miguel A. Carretero, Enrique FontAbstract:Selection for signal efficacy (detectability) is an important factor driving the evolution of chromatic signals. Communication theory predicts that colour signals should evolve to show those properties that maximize their conspicuousness to receivers in their own visual environment. In the ventrally polymorphic lizard Podarcis muralis, visual modelling has shown morph-specific differences in chromatic conspicuousness (orange > yellow > white). Although this suggests that morphs may incur different detectability costs, the differences in conspicuousness could be compensated behaviourally if individuals of the more conspicuous morphs adopted postures that made their colour patches less visible. We quantified the degree of exposure of the lizard ventral and ventrolateral coloration in the field to investigate the relationship between body posture and colour morph. We used a classification based on four lizard postures, from ventral surface completely hidden to full exposure of the ventral and ventrolateral colour patches (when Lizards extend their forelegs and raise the head). As these postures may have consequences for thermoregulation, we also recorded substrate and lizard body temperatures using a thermographic camera. Results did not reveal differences among morphs in the frequency with which they adopt postures that expose their colour patches. In contrast, we found a strong relationship between body temperature and lizard posture. Overall, our results support the view that, regardless of colour morph, perching Wall Lizards adopt the elevated postures that maximize exposure of their ventral colour patches only when their body temperature is high enough to allow for an efficient predator avoidance response. Selection for effective communication favours flashy, highly conspicuous coloration, but conspicuousness also makes colour signals more detectable to unintended receivers (e.g. predators). Some animals offset the costs associated with conspicuous coloration by evolving compensatory traits. In the lizard P. muralis, ventral colour morphs differ in conspicuousness and we hypothesized that the most conspicuous morphs might compensate for their increased conspicuousness by adopting postures that minimize exposure of their conspicuous colour patches. Results show that the morph-specific differences in conspicuousness are not compensated behaviourally. In contrast, we found a strong relationship between body temperature and lizard posture, suggesting that Lizards, regardless of colour morph, adopt postures exposing their conspicuous colour patches only when their body temperature allows for an efficient predator avoidance response.
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The relevance of morphology for habitat use and locomotion in two species of Wall Lizards
Acta Oecologica, 2016Co-Authors: Verónica Gomes, Miguel A. Carretero, Antigoni KaliontzopoulouAbstract:Abstract Understanding if morphological differences between organisms that occupy different environments are associated to differences in functional performance can suggest a functional link between environmental and morphological variation. In this study we examined three components of the ecomorphological paradigm – morphology, locomotor performance and habitat use – using two syntopic Wall Lizards endemic to the Iberian Peninsula as a case study to establish whether morphological variation is associated with habitat use and determine the potential relevance of locomotor performance for such an association. Differences in habitat use between both Lizards matched patterns of morphological variation. Indeed, individuals of Podarcis guadarramae lusitanicus , which are more flattened, used more rocky environments, whereas Podarcis bocagei , which have higher heads, used more vegetation than rocks. These patterns translated into a significant association between morphology and habitat use. Nevertheless, the two species were only differentiated in some of the functional traits quantified, and locomotor performance did not exhibit an association with morphological traits. Our results suggest that the link between morphology and habitat use is mediated by refuge use, rather than locomotor performance, in this system, and advise caution when extrapolating morphology-performance-environment associations across organisms.
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ecomorphological variation in male and female Wall Lizards and the macroevolution of sexual dimorphism in relation to habitat use
Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 2015Co-Authors: Miguel A. Carretero, Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou, Dean C. AdamsAbstract:Understanding how phenotypic diversity evolves is a major interest of evolutionary biology. Habitat use is an important factor in the evolution of phenotypic diversity of many animal species. Interestingly, male and female phenotypes have been frequently shown to respond differently to environmental variation. At the macroevolutionary level, this difference between the sexes is frequently analysed using phylogenetic comparative tools to assess variation in sexual dimorphism (SD) across taxa in relation to habitat. A shortcoming of such analyses is that they evaluate the degree of dimorphism itself and therefore they do not provide access to the evolutionary trajectories of each sex. As such, the relative contribution of male and female phenotypes on macroevolutionary patterns of sexual dimorphism cannot be directly assessed. Here, we investigate how habitat use shapes phenotypic diversity in Wall Lizards using phylogenetic comparative tools to simultaneously assess the tempo and mode of evolution in males, females and the degree of sexual dimorphism. We find that both sexes have globally diversified under similar, but not identical, processes, where habitat use seems to drive macroevolutionary variation in head shape, but not in body size or relative limb length. However, we also observe small differences in the evolutionary dynamics of male and female phenotypes that have a marked impact on macroevolutionary patterns of SD, with important implications for our interpretation of what drives phenotypic diversification within and between the sexes.
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sexual dimorphism in locomotor performance and its relation to morphology in Wall Lizards podarcis bocagei
Journal of Zoology, 2013Co-Authors: Victor Bandeira, Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou, Miguel A. CarreteroAbstract:Sexual dimorphism (SD) is the result of evolutionary pressures acting differentially on members of each sex. Investigating the association between SD observed in different sets of phenotypic traits, which are evolutionarily linked, can shed light on the mechanisms causing SD variation within and across species. Although the association between morphology and locomotor performance is a major paradigm in ecomorphology, substantially less effort has been dedicated to investigate the covariation between both sets of traits in the context of sexual divergence. Here, we investigated morphology and locomotor performance in Wall Lizards Podarcis bocagei to determine if locomotor SD exists in this species, as one may expect based on the morphological SD observed, and test whether both types of SD are directly associated. Our results indicate that significant morphological and locomotor SD exists in this species, reporting a significant locomotor SD for the first time in this genus of Lizards. Our study also provides evidence that a direct association between morphology and performance exists at the individual level, binding together SD in both sets of traits. The observed patterns of SD suggest that male locomotor capacity and the corresponding morphological features are well suited for sprinting in level surfaces, but less so for other types of locomotion, potentially as a result of sexual selection acting on male locomotor performance through influences on territory defence and reproductive fitness.
Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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fluctuating asymmetry as biomarker of pesticides exposure in the italian Wall Lizards podarcis siculus
Zoology, 2021Co-Authors: Giulia Simbula, Miguel A. Carretero, Leonardo Vignoli, Antigoni KaliontzopoulouAbstract:Abstract The extensive use of pesticides in agricultural environments produces drastic effects on wildlife, hence the need for less invasive indicators of environmental stress to monitoring the impact of agriculture treatments on biological systems. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), as measure of developmental instability, has recently been proposed as reliable biomarker of populations stress due to environmental disturbance. We investigate femoral pores (FP) and dorsal head shape (HS) traits in populations of the Italian Wall lizard inhabiting agricultural environments to examine whether different pesticide exposures (conventional, organic and control) can cause distinctive degree of FA. High-resolution photographs of FP and HS were taken in the field with a digital camera. The number of FP were counted twice on both sides and HS was analysed using geometric morphometrics with 25 landmarks and 12 semilandmarks. Individuals under conventional management showed higher levels of FA compared to control ones, and females exhibited higher FA levels than males for the FP. However, no significant difference was found for the HS trait. Our study provided evidence that FA may have a real potential as biomarker of population stress in Wall Lizards, highlighting the importance in the choice of the experimental design and the traits adopted for estimating DI.
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Where does diversity come from? Linking geographical patterns of morphological, genetic, and environmental variation in Wall Lizards.
BMC evolutionary biology, 2018Co-Authors: Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou, Catarina Pinho, Fernando Martínez-freiríaAbstract:Background Understanding how phenotypic variation scales from individuals, through populations, up to species, and how it relates to genetic and environmental factors, is essential for deciphering the evolutionary mechanisms that drive biodiversity. We used two species of Podarcis Wall Lizards to test whether phenotypic diversity within and divergence across populations follow concordant patterns, and to examine how phenotypic variation responds to genetic and environmental variability across different hierarchical levels of biological organization, in an explicit geographic framework.
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Where does diversity come from? Linking geographical patterns of morphological, genetic, and environmental variation in Wall Lizards
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2018Co-Authors: Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou, Catarina Pinho, Fernando Martínez-freiríaAbstract:Background Understanding how phenotypic variation scales from individuals, through populations, up to species, and how it relates to genetic and environmental factors, is essential for deciphering the evolutionary mechanisms that drive biodiversity. We used two species of Podarcis Wall Lizards to test whether phenotypic diversity within and divergence across populations follow concordant patterns, and to examine how phenotypic variation responds to genetic and environmental variability across different hierarchical levels of biological organization, in an explicit geographic framework. Results We found a general concordance of phenotypic variation across hierarchical levels (i.e. individuals and populations). However, we also found that within-population diversity does not exhibit a coherent geographic structure for most traits, while among-population divergence does, suggesting that different mechanisms may underlie the generation of diversity at these two levels. Furthermore, the association of phenotypic variation with genetic and environmental factors varied extensively between hierarchical levels and across traits, hampering the identification of simple rules to explain what yields diversity. Conclusions Our results in some cases comply with general ecological and evolutionary predictions, but in others they are difficult to explain in the geographic framework used, suggesting that habitat characteristics and other regulatory mechanisms may have a more substantial contribution in shaping phenotypic diversity.
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where does diversity come from linking geographical patterns of morphological genetic and environmental variation in Wall Lizards
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2018Co-Authors: Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou, Catarina Pinho, Fernando MartinezfreiriaAbstract:Understanding how phenotypic variation scales from individuals, through populations, up to species, and how it relates to genetic and environmental factors, is essential for deciphering the evolutionary mechanisms that drive biodiversity. We used two species of Podarcis Wall Lizards to test whether phenotypic diversity within and divergence across populations follow concordant patterns, and to examine how phenotypic variation responds to genetic and environmental variability across different hierarchical levels of biological organization, in an explicit geographic framework. We found a general concordance of phenotypic variation across hierarchical levels (i.e. individuals and populations). However, we also found that within-population diversity does not exhibit a coherent geographic structure for most traits, while among-population divergence does, suggesting that different mechanisms may underlie the generation of diversity at these two levels. Furthermore, the association of phenotypic variation with genetic and environmental factors varied extensively between hierarchical levels and across traits, hampering the identification of simple rules to explain what yields diversity. Our results in some cases comply with general ecological and evolutionary predictions, but in others they are difficult to explain in the geographic framework used, suggesting that habitat characteristics and other regulatory mechanisms may have a more substantial contribution in shaping phenotypic diversity.
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The relevance of morphology for habitat use and locomotion in two species of Wall Lizards
Acta Oecologica, 2016Co-Authors: Verónica Gomes, Miguel A. Carretero, Antigoni KaliontzopoulouAbstract:Abstract Understanding if morphological differences between organisms that occupy different environments are associated to differences in functional performance can suggest a functional link between environmental and morphological variation. In this study we examined three components of the ecomorphological paradigm – morphology, locomotor performance and habitat use – using two syntopic Wall Lizards endemic to the Iberian Peninsula as a case study to establish whether morphological variation is associated with habitat use and determine the potential relevance of locomotor performance for such an association. Differences in habitat use between both Lizards matched patterns of morphological variation. Indeed, individuals of Podarcis guadarramae lusitanicus , which are more flattened, used more rocky environments, whereas Podarcis bocagei , which have higher heads, used more vegetation than rocks. These patterns translated into a significant association between morphology and habitat use. Nevertheless, the two species were only differentiated in some of the functional traits quantified, and locomotor performance did not exhibit an association with morphological traits. Our results suggest that the link between morphology and habitat use is mediated by refuge use, rather than locomotor performance, in this system, and advise caution when extrapolating morphology-performance-environment associations across organisms.
Catarina Pinho - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Fossil-calibrated time tree of Podarcis Wall Lizards provides limited support for biogeographic calibration models.
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2021Co-Authors: Daniele Salvi, Catarina Pinho, Joana Mendes, D. James HarrisAbstract:Podarcis Wall Lizards are endemic to the Mediterranean Basin where they represent the predominant reptile group. Despite being extensively used as model organisms in evolutionary and ecological studies their phylogeny and historical biogeography are still incompletely resolved. Moreover, molecular clock calibrations used in Wall lizard phylogeography are based on the assumption of vicariant speciation triggered by the abrupt Mediterranean Sea level rise at the end of the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC). However, the validity of this biogeographic calibration remains untested. In this study we inferred a robust time tree based on multilocus data and fossil calibrations using both gene concatenation and species-tree approaches and including models with gene-flow. We found five deeply divergent, geographically coherent, and well-supported clades comprising species from i) Iberian Peninsula and North Africa; ii) Western Mediterranean islands, iii) Sicilian and Maltese islands; and iv-v) Balkan region and Aegean islands. The mitochondrial tree shows some inconsistencies with the species tree that warrant future investigation. Diversification of main clades is estimated in a short time frame during the Middle Miocene and might have been associated with a period of global climate cooling with the establishment of a marked climatic zonation in Europe. Cladogenetic events within the main clades are scattered throughout the time tree, from the Late Miocene to the Early Pleistocene, suggesting that speciation events in Wall Lizards reflect a complex interplay between regional topography, climate and geological history rather than a shared major climatic or paleogeographic event. Our absolute time estimates, as well as a relative dating approach, demonstrate that the assumption of a causal link between sea-level rise at the end of the MSC and the diversification of many island endemics is not justified. This study reinforces the notion that multiple dispersal and vicariant events, at different time frames, are required to explain current allopatric distributions and to account for the historical assembly of Mediterranean biota, and cautions against the use of biogeographic calibrations based on the assumption of vicariance.
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Increase of genetic diversity indicates ecological opportunities in recurrent-fire landscapes for Wall Lizards
Nature Publishing Group, 2019Co-Authors: Diana Ferreira, Catarina Pinho, Jose Carlos Brito, Xavier SantosAbstract:Abstract Socioeconomic and climatic factors are modifying fire regimes with an increase of fire frequency and extension. Unfortunately, the effects of recurrent fires on biological processes that ultimately affect the genetic diversity of animal populations are mostly unknown. We examined genetic patterns of diversity in the Wall lizard Podarcis guadarramae in northern Portugal, one of the European regions with the highest percentage of burnt land. This species is a small saxicolous lizard as it inhabits natural outcrops and artificial stone Walls, likely in recurrent-fire landscapes. We genotyped nine microsatellites from ten populations selected according to a gradient in fire recurrence, and compared genetic diversity indexes and demographic patterns among them. At the population level, we hypothesize that a high level of mortality and population bottlenecks are expected to reduce genetic heterozygosity in sampled localities affected by recurrent fires. Alternatively, genetic signatures are expected to be absent whether fire did not cause high mortality. Regardless of levels of mortality, we expect a gain in genetic diversity whether recurrent fires facilitate lizard dispersal and migration due to the increased quality of the habitat for Wall Lizards. At the regional level, we examine whether a recurrent fire regime may disrupt the spatial structure of populations. Our results showed an increase in genetic diversity in recurrently burnt populations, and a decline in longer-unburnt populations. We did not detect bottleneck effects in repeatedly-burnt populations. High genetic diversity in recurrent fire populations suggests a high dispersion rate between adjacent metapopulations and perhaps immigration from outside the fire boundary. At the regional level, lizard populations show low differentiation and weak genetic structure, suggesting no effects of fire. This study confirms field-based censuses showing that recurrent-fire regimes give ecological opportunities to Wall Lizards that benefit from habitat openness
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Where does diversity come from? Linking geographical patterns of morphological, genetic, and environmental variation in Wall Lizards.
BMC evolutionary biology, 2018Co-Authors: Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou, Catarina Pinho, Fernando Martínez-freiríaAbstract:Background Understanding how phenotypic variation scales from individuals, through populations, up to species, and how it relates to genetic and environmental factors, is essential for deciphering the evolutionary mechanisms that drive biodiversity. We used two species of Podarcis Wall Lizards to test whether phenotypic diversity within and divergence across populations follow concordant patterns, and to examine how phenotypic variation responds to genetic and environmental variability across different hierarchical levels of biological organization, in an explicit geographic framework.
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Where does diversity come from? Linking geographical patterns of morphological, genetic, and environmental variation in Wall Lizards
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2018Co-Authors: Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou, Catarina Pinho, Fernando Martínez-freiríaAbstract:Background Understanding how phenotypic variation scales from individuals, through populations, up to species, and how it relates to genetic and environmental factors, is essential for deciphering the evolutionary mechanisms that drive biodiversity. We used two species of Podarcis Wall Lizards to test whether phenotypic diversity within and divergence across populations follow concordant patterns, and to examine how phenotypic variation responds to genetic and environmental variability across different hierarchical levels of biological organization, in an explicit geographic framework. Results We found a general concordance of phenotypic variation across hierarchical levels (i.e. individuals and populations). However, we also found that within-population diversity does not exhibit a coherent geographic structure for most traits, while among-population divergence does, suggesting that different mechanisms may underlie the generation of diversity at these two levels. Furthermore, the association of phenotypic variation with genetic and environmental factors varied extensively between hierarchical levels and across traits, hampering the identification of simple rules to explain what yields diversity. Conclusions Our results in some cases comply with general ecological and evolutionary predictions, but in others they are difficult to explain in the geographic framework used, suggesting that habitat characteristics and other regulatory mechanisms may have a more substantial contribution in shaping phenotypic diversity.
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where does diversity come from linking geographical patterns of morphological genetic and environmental variation in Wall Lizards
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2018Co-Authors: Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou, Catarina Pinho, Fernando MartinezfreiriaAbstract:Understanding how phenotypic variation scales from individuals, through populations, up to species, and how it relates to genetic and environmental factors, is essential for deciphering the evolutionary mechanisms that drive biodiversity. We used two species of Podarcis Wall Lizards to test whether phenotypic diversity within and divergence across populations follow concordant patterns, and to examine how phenotypic variation responds to genetic and environmental variability across different hierarchical levels of biological organization, in an explicit geographic framework. We found a general concordance of phenotypic variation across hierarchical levels (i.e. individuals and populations). However, we also found that within-population diversity does not exhibit a coherent geographic structure for most traits, while among-population divergence does, suggesting that different mechanisms may underlie the generation of diversity at these two levels. Furthermore, the association of phenotypic variation with genetic and environmental factors varied extensively between hierarchical levels and across traits, hampering the identification of simple rules to explain what yields diversity. Our results in some cases comply with general ecological and evolutionary predictions, but in others they are difficult to explain in the geographic framework used, suggesting that habitat characteristics and other regulatory mechanisms may have a more substantial contribution in shaping phenotypic diversity.
