Trade-Offs Between Sprinting and Clinging Ability in Kenyan Chameleons

Losos, Jonathan B.; Walton, B. Michael; Bennett, Albert A.

doi:10.2307/2390206

Cited by 95 publications

(115 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…For example, in lizards, selection on burst locomotion capacity has been shown to occur at the expense of endurance capacity , as the demands on the locomotor muscles are conflicting in the expression of either fast-or slow-muscle fibre types (Bonine et al, 2005). Previous studies on chameleon locomotion have demonstrated a trade-off between running and clinging performance, with faster species being poorer clingers (Losos et al, 1993). This trade-off was suggested to reside in differences in design requirements for sprinting versus clinging.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This trade-off was suggested to reside in differences in design requirements for sprinting versus clinging. Specifically, it was proposed that differences in the insertion of the limb flexors between species may give an advantage in generating torque at the expense of producing more rapid movements in the arboreal species (Losos et al, 1993). Moreover, it was suggested that the arboreal species possessed a greater proportion of slow, yet strong, tonic fibers in its limb muscles (Abu-Ghalyun et al, 1988;Mutungi, 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Slow but tenacious: an analysis of running and gripping performance in chameleons.

Herrel

Tolley

Measey

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYChameleons are highly specialized and mostly arboreal lizards characterized by a suite of derived characters. The grasping feet and tail are thought to be related to the arboreal lifestyle of chameleons, yet specializations for grasping are thought to exhibit a trade-off with running ability. Indeed, previous studies have demonstrated a trade-off between running and clinging performance, with faster species being poorer clingers. Here we investigate the presence of trade-offs by measuring running and grasping performance in four species of chameleon belonging to two different clades (Chamaeleo and Bradypodion). Within each clade we selected a largely terrestrial species and a more arboreal species to test whether morphology and performance are related to habitat use. Our results show that habitat drives the evolution of morphology and performance but that some of these effects are specific to each clade. Terrestrial species in both clades show poorer grasping performance than more arboreal species and have smaller hands. Moreover, hand size best predicts gripping performance, suggesting that habitat use drives the evolution of hand morphology through its effects on performance. Arboreal species also had longer tails and better tail gripping performance. No differences in sprint speed were observed between the two Chamaeleo species. Within Bradypodion, differences in sprint speed were significant after correcting for body size, yet the arboreal species were both better sprinters and had greater clinging strength. These results suggest that previously documented trade-offs may have been caused by differences between clades (i.e. a phylogenetic effect) rather than by design conflicts between running and gripping per se.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Slow but tenacious: an analysis of running and gripping performance in chameleons.

Herrel

Tolley

Measey

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Chameleons are highly specialized among lizards and share the following traits with other arboreal tetrapods, such as mammals, that are linked to small-branch locomotion: (1) high mobility in the shoulder girdle, (2) a clear functional regionalization of the trunk, (3) the use of a compliant gait, (4) a functional parasagittalization of forelimbs and hindlimbs, at least for parts of the stride, (5) diagonal coupling of footfall events and (6) prehensile extremities/tail (with primates and some marsupials) (Peterson, 1984;Losos et al, 1993;Fischer et al, 2010). To gain more insight into the dynamics of small-branch locomotion in tetrapods, we studied the veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus, Chamaeleonidae, Squamata; Dumeríl and Bibron 1851) moving on small perches differing in slope from horizontal (0deg) to shallow and steep inclines (30deg/60deg) and declines (-30deg/-60deg).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study of grasping forces in chameleons revealed that the prehensile tail can hold the body and, therefore, is an important safety device when moving in an arboreal habitat (Herrel et al, 2012;Losos et al, 1993). So far no studies exist that address the use of the tail during chameleon locomotion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodynamics of climbing: effects of substrate orientation on the locomotion of a highly arboreal lizard (Chamaeleo calyptratus)

Krause

Fischer

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYArboreal substrates differ not only in diameter, but also in continuity and orientation. To gain more insight into the dynamics of small-branch locomotion in tetrapods we studied the veiled chameleon walking on inclined and declined perches of up to 60deg slope. We found that forelimbs and hindlimbs contribute equally to the bodyʼs progression along inclines and declines. The higher-positioned limbʼs vertical impulses decreased with slope. And although vertical impulses in the lower-positioned limb increased with substrate slope, peak vertical forces decreased. The decrease in peak vertical forces in the lower-positioned limb can be explained by a considerable increase of tensile forces in the higher-positioned limb as the slope increases. In addition, limbs were more crouched on slopes whereas no changes in forward and backward reach were observed. Mediolateral impulses were the smallest amongst the force components, and lateral impulses (medially directed limb forces) exceeded medial impulses (laterally directed limb forces). On inclines and declines, limb placement was more variable than on level substrates. The tail never contacted the substrate during level locomotion; however, on inclines and declines, the tail was held closer to the substrate, with short substrate contacts in one-third of the analyzed trials. Regardless of substrate orientation the tail was always held straight above the branch; therefore, rotational moments induced by the tail were minimized. Supplementary material available online at

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“…A. mustelina suffers 98% natural mortality during the first 4 yr of life, reaching maturity in 5 to 7 yr, and must reproduce for 12 yr to achieve replacement (Hadfield & Miller 1989). Another factor that renders A. mustelina particularly vulnerable to chameleons is 121 Endang Species Res 24: 115-123, 2014 that fact that both species are exclusively arboreal (USFWS 1993, Losos et al 1993) and thus they occupy shared habitat. Jackson's chame leons are cruise foragers capable of actively searching for food (Hagey et al 2010), which translates into a potential increased possibility of an encounter with the sedentary tree snails.…”

Section: Threat Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of an invasive predatory lizard on the endangered Hawaiian tree snail Achatinella mustelina: a threat assessment

Chiaverano¹,

Holland²

2014

Endang. Species. Res.

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All 41 species of the Hawaiian tree snail genus Achatinella were listed as endangered in the early 1980s, primarily due to predation by invasive species. Today, only 9 species are estimated to remain. The recent discovery of A. mustelina in gut contents of Jackson's chameleons Trioceros jacksonii xantholophus, a predatory arboreal African lizard introduced to Hawaii (USA) in 1972, was the first documentation of environmental impact by any reptile on native Hawaiian taxa. In this study, we assessed the predatory threat posed by chameleons to A. mustelina by (1) determining shell digestion and passage rates in daily fed and fasting individuals and (2) using these data to estimate time of ingestion of snails found in guts of field-collected chameleons. Our results indicate that daily food intake increases passage rate. Well fed chameleons passed largely intact A. mustelina shells in ~4 to 5 d, whereas starved individuals retained shells in their stomachs until complete digestion in ~8 d. Shell mass was digested at ~12.5% d Given the low growth and reproductive rates of Hawaiian tree snails, this level of impact is probably unsustainable even over the short term, and immediate control action is warranted. KEY WORDS: Jackson's chameleon · Trioceros jacksonii xantholopus · Endemic invertebrate conservation · Resource management · Invasive species control Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherEndang Species Res 24: [115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122][123] 2014 in restricted forest patches, in very low numbers (US-FWS 1993). Recent surveys continue to reveal a deteriorating scenario (Holland & Hadfield 2007, D. Sischo pers. comm.), and currently we estimate that only 9 Achatinella species remain (B. Holland pers. obs.).Primary threats to Hawaiian tree snails come from invasive predators, including rats (Rattus spp.), the wolf snail Euglandina rosea, the flatworm P. manokwari, and, based on a recent revelation, Jackson's chameleon Trioceros jacksonii xantholophus (Holland et al. 2010). Jackson's chameleons are native to montane habitats of Kenya and Tanzania (Spawls & Rotich 1997, Necas 1999). In 1972, several dozen individuals of this subspecies, the largest of 3, were imported and released on the Hawaiian island of Oahu via the pet trade (McKeown 1991, Waring 1997. In addition to this well-documented release, it has been reported that hundreds of chameleons born in pet stores loca ted on the west coast of the USA were also imported and released at numerous localities in Hawaii by a number of individuals in the early 1970s, with the intention of establishing a stock of animals to be exported for the pet trade . As a result of subsequent decades of humanmediated transport and distribution of specimens among islands, as well as ongoing releases into the wild, T. j. xantholophus spread rapidly throughout most of the state, becoming established in multiple areas on all major Hawaiian Islands (with the possible exception of Kauai) by the mid 1990s (McKeown 1991. Alt...

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Trade-Offs Between Sprinting and Clinging Ability in Kenyan Chameleons

Cited by 95 publications

References 17 publications

Slow but tenacious: an analysis of running and gripping performance in chameleons.

Slow but tenacious: an analysis of running and gripping performance in chameleons.

Biodynamics of climbing: effects of substrate orientation on the locomotion of a highly arboreal lizard (Chamaeleo calyptratus)

Impact of an invasive predatory lizard on the endangered Hawaiian tree snail Achatinella mustelina: a threat assessment

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