Evolutionary drivers of sexual signal variation in Amazon Slender Anoles

Author(s)

Prates, Ivan ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; D'Angiolella, Annelise B. ^[4] ; Rodrigues, Miguel T. ^[5] ; Melo-Sampaio, Paulo R. ^[6] ; de Queiroz, Kevin ^[1] ; Bell, Rayna C. ^{[1, 7]}

Affiliation

^[1] Smithsonian Inst, Dept Vertebrate Zool, Natl Museum Nat Hist, Washington, DC 20560 - USA

^[2] Univ Michigan, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 - USA

^[3] Univ Michigan, Museum Zool, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 - USA

^[4] Univ Fed Rural Amazonia Campus Capitao Poco, Capitao Poco, Para - Brazil

^[5] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[6] Univ Fed Rio De Janeiro, Dept Vertebrados, Museu Nacl, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[7] Calif Acad Sci, Herpetol Dept, San Francisco, CA 94118 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Evolution; v. 75, n. 6, p. 1361-1376, JUN 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Phenotypic variation among populations, as seen in the signaling traits of many species, provides an opportunity to test whether similar factors generate repeated phenotypic patterns in different parts of a species' range. We investigated whether genetic divergence, abiotic gradients, and sympatry with closely related species explain variation in the dewlap colors of Amazon Slender Anoles, Anolis fuscoauratus. To this aim, we characterized dewlap diversity in the field with respect to population genetic structure and evolutionary relationships, assessed whether dewlap phenotypes are associated with climate or landscape variables, and tested for nonrandom associations in the distributions of A. fuscoauratus phenotypes and sympatric Anolis species. We found that dewlap colors vary among but not within sites in A. fuscoauratus. Regional genetic clusters included multiple phenotypes, while populations with similar dewlaps were often distantly related. Phenotypes did not segregate in environmental space, providing no support for optimized signal transmission at a local scale. Instead, we found a negative association between certain phenotypes and sympatric Anolis species with similar dewlap color attributes, suggesting that interactions with closely related species promoted dewlap divergence among A. fuscoauratus populations. Amazon Slender Anoles emerge as a promising system to address questions about parallel trait evolution and the contribution of signaling traits to speciation. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/50146-6 - Comparative phylogeography, phylogeny, paleoclimate modeling, and taxonomy of neotropical reptiles and amphibians
• Grantee: Miguel Trefaut Urbano Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 03/10335-8 - Systematics and evolution of the herpetological fauna from Neotropical areas
• Grantee: Miguel Trefaut Urbano Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/50297-0 - Dimensions US-BIOTA São Paulo: a multidisciplinary framework for biodiversity prediction in the Brazilian Atlantic forest hotspot
• Grantee: Cristina Yumi Miyaki
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants