Amber fossils demonstrate deep-time stability of Caribbean lizard communities

Abstract

Whether the structure of ecological communities can exhibit stability over macroevolutionary timescales has long been debated. The similarity of independently evolved Anolis lizard communities on environmentally similar Greater Antillean islands supports the notion that community evolution is deterministic. However, a dearth of Caribbean Anolis fossils-only three have been described to datehas precluded direct investigation of the stability of anole communities through time. Here we report on an additional 17 fossil anoles in Dominican amber dating to 15-20 My before the present. Using data collected primarily by X-ray microcomputed tomography (X-ray micro-CT), we demonstrate that the main elements of Hispaniolan anole ecomorphological diversity were in place in the Miocene. Phylogenetic analysis yields results consistent with the hypothesis that the ecomorphs that evolved in the Miocene are members of the same ecomorph clades extant today. The primary axes of ecomorphological diversity in the Hispaniolan anole fauna appear to have changed little between the Miocene and the present, providing evidence for the stability of ecological communities over macroevolutionary timescales.adaptive radiation | ecomorph | Hispaniola | Miocene | Anolis

Tempo and mode of performance evolution across multiple independent origins of adhesive toe pads in lizards

“…4,5). Studies of trait evolution can sometimes underestimate ancestral trait diversity (Mitchell 2015), but recent fossil evidence from anoles preserved in amber suggests a model in which anoles rapidly evolved their current phenotypes, with anole ecomorphs having changed little since the Miocene (Sherratt et al 2015). These observed differences in performance and evolutionary tempo and mode mirror anole and gecko macro-and microadhesive morphology, ecology, and the fossil record.…”

“…Our trait modeling results also complement studies of the fossil record. Studies of trait evolution can sometimes underestimate ancestral trait diversity (Mitchell 2015), but recent fossil evidence from anoles preserved in amber suggests a model in which anoles rapidly evolved their current phenotypes, with anole ecomorphs having changed little since the Miocene (Sherratt et al 2015). The gecko fossil record is unfortunately less informative (Daza et al 2014(Daza et al , 2016.…”

Soft‐Bodied Fossils Are Not Simply Rotten Carcasses – Toward a Holistic Understanding of Exceptional Fossil Preservation

“…D) Fossil Anolis lizard preserved in Miocene Dominican amber. [113] Image at left is a photograph of specimen, image at right shows 3D reconstruction using micro CT. E) Haootia quadriformis, a possible medusozoan from the Ediacaran of Newfoundland. F) Pyritised specimens of the trilobite Triarthrus eatoni (ROM 62891), with preserved limbs from the Late Ordovician Beecher's Trilobite Bed, New York, State.…”

Beauty is more than skin deep: a non‐invasive protocol for in vivo anatomical study using micro‐CT

“…; Sherratt et al . ). The application of μCT in ecological and evolutionary studies, however, has greatly lagged behind its use in biomedical studies.…”

“…The production of digital 3D reconstructions with a resolution of <100 lm that can be orientated or sliced to obtain different views of the anatomy of animals holds a great advantage over traditional methodologies, such as X-ray radiography and/or histology (Holdsworth & Thornton 2002). In its simplest application, lCT is preferred if a non-destructive method is warranted, for example to examine fossils or describe the morphology of species for which limited material is available (O'Connor et al 2010;M€ uller et al 2011;Sherratt et al 2015). The application of lCT in ecological and evolutionary studies, however, has greatly lagged behind its use in biomedical studies.…”