Habitat light, colour variation, and ultraviolet reflectance in the Grand Cayman anole, Anolis conspersus
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TLDR
Evidence is presented to show how geological, ecological, and physiological factors could have interacted to select for a short wavelength-reflective dewlap from a long wavelength- reflective precursor following the colonization of Grand Cayman from Jamaica by A. grahami between 2 and 3 Mya.Abstract:
Data from a diversity of sources are consistent with the hypothesis that the Grand Cayman anole, Anolis conspersus, is descended directly from Anolis grahami of Jamaica. Although the two species have remained morphologically similar, coloration in A. conspersus has changed considerably from that of its ancestor. The most dramatic difference is seen in dewlap colour, where A. conspersus has evolved a blue and highly UV-reflective dewlap from the ancestral orange-and-yellow colour state. In addition, variation in normal (non-metachrosis) dorsum coloration in A. grahami populations is limited to shades of green (olive, emerald, teal), whereas in A. conspersus dorsum coloration varies from green to blue and to brown. This increased colour variation occurs despite Grand Cayman being a small, relatively featureless island only 35 km in length. Results of this study suggest that ambient light differences associated with precipitation-related vegetation structure may have played an important role in the evolution of A. conspersus body colour variation. Evidence is presented to show how geological, ecological, and physiological factors could have interacted to select for a short wavelength-reflective dewlap from a long wavelength-reflective precursor following the colonization of Grand Cayman from Jamaica by A. grahami between 2 and 3 Mya.read more
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References
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The Jamaican Radiation of Anolis (Sauria: Iguanidae): An Analysis of Relationships and Biogeography Using Sequential Electrophoresis
TL;DR: The relationships of the six native species of Jamaican Anolis and five additional West Indian species were examined by sequential starch gel electrophoresis at 28 loci and protein data support the recognition of three species groups within this series: the grahami group (garmani, graham i, and opalinus), the lineatopus group (lineatopus and reconditus), and the valencienni group
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Comparative study of temporal response properties of the visual system of three species of anoline lizards
TL;DR: Three closely related anoline species from Puerto Rico are explored, finding only minor differences among the responses of the different species and little evidence of among-species evolutionary divergence of the visual system in response to differences in typical habitat light conditions.
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Ultraviolet reflectance of color patches in male Sceloporus undulatus and Anolis carolinensis
Andrew M. Stoehr,Kevin J. McGraw +1 more
TL;DR: The atypical tadpole of the dendrobatid frog, Colostethus chalcopis, from Martinique, French Antilles, is described and the systematics of vertebrate larvae are described.
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Hormones, Reproductive Behavior, and Speciation
David Crews,Ernest E. Williams +1 more
TL;DR: A research plan is outlined which combines two ordinarily separate lines of investigation, namely, the reciprocal interaction between hormones and behavior and the role of behavior in the evolution and maintenance of species, bringing both to bear on outstanding questions in behavioral and evolutionary biology.
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Dynamics of Range Expansion by Three Introduced Species of Anolis Lizards on Bermuda
TL;DR: All three species of Anolis lizards introduced in this century to Bermuda have been able to expand their ranges into areas occupied by other species, but the rate of range expansion has been relatively slow.