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Thermoregulatory Behavior Simultaneously Promotes and Forestalls Evolution in a Tropical Lizard
The American Naturalist
|December 16, 2017
Summary
Behavioral shifts in Anolis lizards simultaneously drive and impede evolution by altering niche dimensions. This study reveals how behavior influences both niche conservatism and divergence across traits and scales.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Ecology
- Behavioral ecology
Background:
- The role of behavior in evolution is debated, with theories of behavioral drive (promoting evolution) and behavioral inertia (inhibiting evolution).
- Previous discussions often focused on behavior's effect along a single niche axis, neglecting its multidimensional influence on selection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how behavior simultaneously drives and impedes evolution across multiple niche dimensions.
- To examine the interplay between behavioral shifts, niche conservatism, and niche lability in Anolis lizards.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of evolutionary change along structural and thermal niche axes in Hispaniolan Anolis lizards.
- Comparison of microclimatic niches at high and low elevations to assess niche conservatism and divergence.
Main Results:
- A behavioral shift to boulder microhabitats at high altitudes facilitates thermoregulation, slowing physiological evolution despite colder conditions.
- This same behavioral shift concurrently drives evolutionary adaptations in skull and limb morphology for boulder use.
- Lizards exhibit niche conservatism in microclimate due to thermoregulatory behavior but niche divergence in macroclimate across elevations.
Conclusions:
- Behavior exerts multidimensional effects on evolution, simultaneously driving and impeding adaptive change.
- Niche conservatism and niche lability can coexist, influenced by behavioral strategies.
- Behavior connects patterns of niche divergence and conservatism across different geographic scales and among various traits.
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