Hurricanes twist evolution in island lizards

[Judi Lynn]

APRIL 27, 2020

by Washington University in St. Louis



Photos of Anolis scriptus, the Turks and Caicos anole, on Pine Cay. Credit: Colin Donihue, Washington University in St. Louis


Hold that thought: A good grip can mean the difference between life and death for lizards in a hurricane—and as a result, populations hit more frequently by hurricanes have larger toepads.

A new study from Washington University in St. Louis is the first to demonstrate evolutionary response to hurricanes on a wide geographic scale. The research is published the week of April 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Lizard groups that more frequently experience hurricanes evolve larger toepads than those that experience relatively fewer hurricanes, according to a new analysis that spans 12 island populations of Anolis sagrei lizards and, separately, 188 Anolis species with ranges from Florida to Brazil.

Scientists have known for a long time that lizards on the Caribbean islands have larger toepads than those on the mainland. But this physical difference has never been definitively linked to an evolutionary response to hurricanes. Hurricanes happen so infrequently that researchers used to think their effects would be erased by natural selection favoring normal conditions.

More:
https://phys.org/news/2020-04-hurricanes-evolution-island-lizards.html

[Jamastiene]

1. Anoles are my favorite group of species of lizards.

I am more used to the green ones here in the Carolinas. I heard there is a Cuban one. I had no idea there were 188 species of them.

The ones at my house get on my car in the winter (ignoring the big rock garden I made for them to bask on) and I spend half the winter getting them off the car when I need to go somewhere. Half the time, I have to pull over and get them off the car before they fall off. I wish the ones at my house had better toepads, because I hate seeing them fall off the car when I cannot pull over in time to catch them.

I keep a little container in the car for them and bring them back home. My aunt used to call me the lizard chauffeur, because I spent so much time when I went anywhere trying to keep them from falling off the car and getting killed.

Now, I don't have anyone to show them to when I get home, since my aunt died. My cats would kill them. So, I just talk to them incessantly all the way home, then set them free. They turn their heads sideways at me. They probably wish I would STFU at them, lol. I've been doing the social distancing thing forever now, because I am surrounded by Trumplodytes. So, the lizards are better to talk to, even if they turn their heads sideways like they think I'm nuts. I'll take it. It's better conversation than anything with a Trumplodyte.