Adaptive radiation versus intraspecific differentiation: Morphological variation in Caribbean Anolis lizards

A. K. Knox, J. B. Losos, C. J. Schneider

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Lizards in the genus Anolis have experienced adaptive radiation in the Greater Antilles, producing a suite of species morphologically adapted to use different parts of the environment. In the Lesser Antilles, adaptive radiation has not occurred, but on some islands, interpopulational variation is high and represents adaptation to different habitats. We compared the extent of morphological differentiation among Greater Antillean habitat specialists with that exhibited among populations of two species. Anolis marmoratus and A. oculatus, from the Lesser Antillean islands of Guadeloupe and Dominica. Although extensive, intraspecific divergence in the Lesser Antilles is substantially less in magnitude than the differences among habitat specialists in the Greater Antilles. All populations of A. marmoratus are most similar to Greater Antillean trunk-crown habitat specialists, but populations of A. oculatus differ in their affinities: some are similar to trunk-crown anoles, but others are more similar to trunk-ground habitat specialists.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)904-909
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Evolutionary Biology
Volume14
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001

Keywords

  • Adaptive radiation
  • Anolis
  • Caribbean
  • Lesser Antilles
  • Lizard

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