On space, time, and phenotypes: investigating distribution patterns and morphological diversity in lizards
Full text
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| Author(s): |
Vinicius Anelli
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | Ribeirão Preto. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC) |
| Defense date: | 2025-05-20 |
| Examining board members: |
Tiana Kohlsdorf;
Adrian Antonio Garda;
Roberta Montanheiro Paolino;
Monique Nouailhetas Simon
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| Advisor: | Tiana Kohlsdorf |
| Abstract | |
The distribution of morphological diversity could reveal biota\'s potential responses to an ever-changing world. Morphological traits influence individual performance, affecting fitness and the establishment of biological lineages in specific localities. To this day, distribution patterns of morphological traits across the geographical space remain uncharacterized for most taxa, including lizards. Lizard lineages exhibit remarkable morphological diversity, and they are distributed worldwide, in association with a myriad of habitats and environmental conditions. In this Thesis, I investigate the distribution patterns of morphological diversity in lizards integrating morphological, phylogenetic, occurrence and environmental data. This Thesis is structured in three Chapters. In Chapter One, I characterize the global distribution of morphological diversity in lizards and evaluate environmental conditions associated with morphologically diverse regions - or, as defined here, \'hotspots of morphological diversity\'. In Chapter Two, I propose the concept of \'phenotypic refugia\' to address the evolution of specific lizard forms associated with the occupation of buffered conditions within potentially extreme climates - as characterized from the diversity patterns observed across the Americas. Finally, in Chapter Three, I investigate the fundamental unit of biogeography - distribution ranges - by evaluating their morphological predictors considering distinct ecological specializations and adaptations. In this Thesis, I contribute to biodiversity research by proposing the combination of morphological, distribution and environmental patterns, arguing for a much-needed integration between ecology and evolution to investigate the diversity of life. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 21/03089-9 - Evolution of morphological diversity in Squamata: relations with environmental gradients and developmental mechanisms in neotropical lizards |
| Grantee: | Vinicius Anelli |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |