| evidence for habitat partitioning based on adaptation to environmental light in a pair of sympatric lizard species. | terrestrial habitats exhibit a variety of light environments. if species exhibit evolutionary adaptations of their visual system or signals to habitat light conditions, then these conditions can directly influence the structure of communities. we evaluated habitat light characteristics and visual-signal design in a pair of sympatric species of lizards: anolis cooki and anolis cristatellus. we found that each species occupies a distinct microhabitat with respect to light intensity and spectral qu ... | 2002 | 11886622 |
| colonization history and genetic diversity: adaptive potential in early stage invasions. | the introduction of anolis cristatellus from the multiple species anole community of puerto rico in the greater antilles to the island of dominica in the lesser antilles, with its solitary endemic anole, provides an example of a very recent, timed, single colonization. we investigate the geographic origin and adaptive potential of the dominican population using a range of methods including mtdna phylogeography, nuclear microsatellite variation and multiple paternity studies, as well as heritabil ... | 2010 | 20584131 |
| differences in visual signal design and detectability between allopatric populations of anolis lizards. | we tested the prediction of the sensory drive hypothesis using four allopatric populations of the lizard anolis cristatellus from two distinct environments (i.e., mesic and xeric conditions). for each population, we measured habitat light characteristics and quantified signal design by measuring the spectral and total reflectance and transmittance of the dewlap. we used these data to calculate dewlap detectability using an empirically based model of signal detection probability. we found that po ... | 2004 | 14767834 |
| behavioral drive versus behavioral inertia in evolution: a null model approach. | some biologists embrace the classical view that changes in behavior inevitably initiate or drive evolutionary changes in other traits, yet others note that behavior sometimes inhibits evolutionary changes. here we develop a null model that quantifies the impact of regulatory behaviors (specifically, thermoregulatory behaviors) on body temperature and on performance of ectotherms. we apply the model to data on a lizard (anolis cristatellus) and show that thermoregulatory behaviors likely inhibit ... | 2003 | 12699218 |