Condition- and context-dependent variation of sexual dimorphism across lizard populations at different spatial scales

Muraro, Martina; Sherpa, Stéphanie; Barzaghi, Benedetta; Bombi, Pierluigi; Borgatti, Danilo; Canio, Viola Di; Dalpasso, Andrea; Falaschi, Mattia; Gambioli, Benedetta; Manenti, Raoul; Marta, Silvio; Momigliano, Paolo; Nanni, Veronica; Pardo, Claudio; Parrino, Elia Lo; Scali, Stefano; Storniolo, Federico; Vignoli, Leonardo; Zuffi, Marco Alberto Luca; Sacchi, Roberto; Salvi, Daniele; Ficetola, Gentile Francesco

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-21358-2

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…First, some of these loci may be unrelated to diet. We highlight that Pod Mrčaru and Pod Kopište are tiny islets that probably experience other strongly similar selective pressures (e.g., microclimate, productivity, sexual selection; Donihue et al., 2016 , 2020 ; Muraro et al., 2022 ; Sacchi et al., 2015 ). Second, the large phenotypic differences between the islets could be related to phenotypic plasticity, as might be expected in this generalist species, which occupies a wide niche (Vervust et al., 2010 ; Zuffi & Giannelli, 2013 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Genetic depletion does not prevent rapid evolution in island‐introduced lizards

Sherpa,

Paris,

Silva‐Rocha

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Experimental introductions of species have provided some of the most tractable examples of rapid phenotypic changes, which may reflect plasticity, the impact of stochastic processes, or the action of natural selection. Yet to date, very few studies have investigated the neutral and potentially adaptive genetic impacts of experimental introductions. We dissect the role of these processes in shaping the population differentiation of wall lizards in three Croatian islands (Sušac, Pod Kopište, and Pod Mrčaru), including the islet of Pod Mrčaru, where experimentally introduced lizards underwent rapid (~30 generations) phenotypic changes associated with a shift from an insectivorous to a plant‐based diet. Using a genomic approach (~82,000 ddRAD loci), we confirmed a founder effect during introduction and very low neutral genetic differentiation between the introduced population and its source. However, genetic depletion did not prevent rapid population growth, as the introduced lizards exhibited population genetic signals of expansion and are known to have reached a high density. Our genome‐scan analysis identified just a handful of loci showing large allelic shifts between ecologically divergent populations. This low overall signal of selection suggests that the extreme phenotypic differences observed among populations are determined by a small number of large‐effect loci and/or that phenotypic plasticity plays a major role in phenotypic changes. Nonetheless, functional annotation of the outlier loci revealed some candidate genes relevant to diet‐induced adaptation, in agreement with the hypothesis of directional selection. Our study provides important insights on the evolutionary potential of bottlenecked populations in response to new selective pressures on short ecological timescales.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Genetic depletion does not prevent rapid evolution in island‐introduced lizards

Sherpa,

Paris,

Silva‐Rocha

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Subspecies inflation hampers conservation efforts: a case study on wall lizards

Berrilli,

Gambioli,

Bombi

et al. 2024

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The common practice of using subspecies as conservation targets raises the question of whether efforts are focused on preserving conspicuous components of the species’ phenotypic variability rather than evolutionarily significant units. To address this question, in this study we performed a comprehensive morphological and genetic assessment on all the subspecies of wall lizard described for the Aeolian Archipelago (Italy) to determine whether they represent distinct evolutionary lineages and/or discrete phenotypic partitions. Further, we applied a monophyly test to 70 subspecies belonging to seven wall lizard species occurring in Italy, based on our results and on previous phylogeographic studies. We found that none of the Aeolian subspecies represents a distinct evolutionary lineage, despite some morphological differentiation of island populations across the archipelago, suggesting a very recent origin of island populations and of the observed phenotype variation. Across seven wall lizard species, tests revealed that lizard subspecies rarely (< 9% of cases) match evolutionary units. This study demonstrates that intraspecific taxonomy of wall lizards is a poor predictor of phylogeographic partitions and evolutionary units, and therefore of limited use (if not dangerous) for defining conservation and management units. A better approach would be relying on the integration of genomic and phenotypic data to assess the evolutionary significance and conservation value of phenotypic and genetic units within species.

show abstract

Species-Specific Spatial Patterns of Variation in Sexual Dimorphism by Two Lizards Settled in the Same Geographic Context

Sacchi

Scali²,

Storniolo

et al. 2023

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The evolution of sexual dimorphism (SD) results from intricate interactions between sexual and natural selections. Sexually selected traits are expected to depend on individual condition, while natural selected traits should not be. Islands offer an ideal context to test how these drivers interact with one another, as the size is a reliable proxy for resource availability. Here, we analysed SD in body size (snout-vent length) and head shape (assessed by geometric morphometric) in two species of lizards (Podarcis muralis and P. siculus) inhabiting the Tuscan archipelago (Central Italy). We found a strong SD variation among islands in both species. Furthermore, in P. muralis emerged some significant correlations between SD and island size, supporting the occurrence of possible effects of individual condition on SD. By contrast, SD in P. siculus followed opposite trajectories than in P. muralis, suggesting that in this species, natural selection could play a major role as a driver of SD. Our findings show that natural and sexual selection can interact in complex ways, and the responses are species-specific. Therefore, spatial patterns of variation in SD may strongly differ among species, even when they settle in the same geographic contest.

show abstract

Condition- and context-dependent variation of sexual dimorphism across lizard populations at different spatial scales

Cited by 4 publications

References 55 publications

Genetic depletion does not prevent rapid evolution in island‐introduced lizards

Genetic depletion does not prevent rapid evolution in island‐introduced lizards

Subspecies inflation hampers conservation efforts: a case study on wall lizards

Species-Specific Spatial Patterns of Variation in Sexual Dimorphism by Two Lizards Settled in the Same Geographic Context

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About