| reconstructing an island radiation using ancient and recent dna: the extinct and living day geckos (phelsuma) of the mascarene islands. | mitochondrial (12srrna and cyt b, 1086 bp) and nuclear (c-mos, 374 bp) dna sequences were used to investigate relationships and biogeography of 24 living and extinct taxa of phelsuma geckos. monophyly of phelsuma and sister relationship to the sw african rhoptropella is corroborated. phelsuma originated on madagascar and made multiple long-distance invasions of oceanic islands including the mascarenes, aldabra, comores, seychelles, andamans, and perhaps pemba. the mascarenes were probably coloni ... | 2004 | 15019612 |
| patterns of coccidial prevalence in lizards of mauritius. | this paper reports prevalence of coccidial oocysts in fecal samples from 6 endemic and 2 introduced lizard species on mauritius, an island nation in the indian ocean. total coccidian prevalence was 54% (n = 341) for the endemic 'ornate day gecko,' phelsuma ornata; 48% (n = 159) for the endemic 'durrell's night gecko,' nactus durrelli; 53% (n = 15) for the endemic 'serpent island night gecko,' n. serpensinsula; and 78% (n = 248) for the introduced gecko, hemidactylus frenatus. these high prevalen ... | 2005 | 16419754 |
| multivariate phenotypic evolution among island and mainland populations of the ornate day gecko, phelsuma ornata. | interpopulation variation in morphology, such as that among small island populations, plays a key role in speciation and diversification. there are two approaches to investigating evolution of morphological characters: comparing patterns of trait variances and covariances within and among populations, and testing particular adaptive scenarios. here, we combine both approaches to infer the role of natural selection in shaping morphological variation in body size, head color pattern, and body shap ... | 2006 | 17263121 |
| mauritian coloured nectar no longer a mystery: a visual signal for lizard pollinators. | most floral nectars are clear as water, and the enigmatic coloured nectar in three endemic plant species in mauritius has puzzled scientists studying it. one hypothesis about the possible ecological function of coloured nectar is that it serves as a visual signal for pollinators. recent studies have shown that at least two of the three mauritian plant species with coloured nectar are visited and pollinated by endemic phelsuma geckos. we here provide experimental evidence for the visual signal hy ... | 2006 | 17148354 |
| reptiles in space missions: results and perspectives. | reptiles are a rare model object for space research. however, some reptile species demonstrate effective adaptation to spaceflight conditions. the main scope of this review is a comparative analysis of reptile experimental exposure in weightlessness, demonstrating the advantages and shortcomings of this model. the description of the known reptile experiments using turtles and geckos in the space and parabolic flight experiments is provided. behavior, skeletal bones (morphology, histology, and x- ... | 2019 | 31226840 |