Parallel increases in grip strength in two species of Anolis lizards after a major hurricane on Dominica

A recent study showed that hurricanes can act as selective agents affecting the phenotype of anole populations subjected to these extreme climatic events. Specifically, Anolis lizards that survived hurricanes were shown to have larger toepads than those that did not. To test whether hurricanes more generally impact populations of Anolis lizards, we collected data on toepad size, lamella number and grip strength for two species of Anolis on the island of Dominica in 2018 and compared them with data collected in 2016 before Hurricane Maria devastated the island. Our results show that populations of both species showed higher clinging forces in 2018, consistent with our predictions that lizards that are better clingers would be more likely to survive hurricanes. Unexpectedly, the increase in clinging force was not accompanied by an increase in toepad size or lamella number, suggesting that the increase in clinging strength is more likely driven by changes at the level of the setae microstructure. While the mechanism driving this pattern cannot be determined until future before/after hurricane comparisons are made, our data provide further evidence that hurricanes may be a previously overlooked driver of form and function in Anolis lizards.