Comparative evolution of an archetypal adaptive radiation: Innovation and opportunity in Anolis lizards

Steven Poe*, Adrián Nieto Montes de Oca, Omar Torres-Carvajal, Kevin de Queiroz, Julián A. Velasco, Brad Truett, Levi N. Gray, Mason J. Ryan, Gunther Köhler, Fernando Ayala-Varela, Ian Latella

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Adaptive radiation is a widely recognized pattern of evolution wherein substantial phenotypic change accompanies rapid speciation. Adaptive radiation may be triggered by environmental opportunities resulting from dispersal to new areas or via the evolution of traits, called key innovations, that allow for invasion of new niches. Species sampling is a known source of bias in many comparative analyses, yet classic adaptive radiations have not been studied comparatively with comprehensively sampled phylogenies. In this study, we use unprecedented comprehensive phylogenetic sampling of Anolis lizard species to examine comparative evolution in this well-studied adaptive radiation. We compare adaptive radiation models within Anolis and in the Anolis clade and a potential sister lineage, the Corytophanidae. We find evidence for island (i.e., opportunity) effects and no evidence for trait (i.e., key innovation) effects causing accelerated body size evolution within Anolis. However, island effects are scale dependent: when Anolis and Corytophanidae are analyzed together, no island effect is evident. We find no evidence for an island effect on speciation rate and tenuous evidence for greater speciation rate due to trait effects. These results suggest the need for precision in treatments of classic adaptive radiations such as Anolis and further refinement of the concept of adaptive radiation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)E185-E194
JournalAmerican Naturalist
Volume191
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jun 2018

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 by The University of Chicago.

Funding

For help in the field and/or the lab we thank Eric Schaad, Norma L. Manríquez-Morán, Uri O. García-Vázquez, Heather MacInnes, Julian Davis, Jenny Hollis, Erik Hulebak, Carlos Vásquez Almazán, Sofia Nuñez, Gustavo Cruz, Federico Bo-laños, Roberto Ibañez, Martha Calderon, Andrew Crawford, Andrés Quintero-Angel, Juan Carlos Chaparro, Christian Yañez-Miranda, Carlos Pavón, Devon Graham, Julie Ray, Alvaro Aguilar, James Aparicio, and Liliana Jaramillo. For loan of specimens, we thank Jose Rosado (MCZ), Jonathan Losos (MCZ), Joe Martinez (MCZ), Alan Resetar (FMNH), Chris Phillips (INHS), Dan Wylie (INHS), Nefti Camacho (LACM), Greg Pauly (LACM), Toby Hibbits (TCWC), Lee Fitzgerald (TCWC), Rafe Brown (KU), Rob Wilson (USNM), Darrel Frost (AMNH), Margaret Arnold (AMNH), David Kizirian (AMNH), James McCranie, QCAZ, and MSB. We also thank Juan Diego Palacio Mejia and Instituto Alexander von Humboldt and Andrew Crawford and the University of the Andes for use of space and laboratory equipment to conduct molecular work in Colombia. Permits were provided by the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Dirección General de Vida Silvestre (Mexico); Instituto Na-cional de Conservación y Desarrolo Forestal, Áreas Protegi-das y Vida Silvestre (Honduras); Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía (Costa Rica); Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (Panama); Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales (Peru); Mi-nisterio de Ambiente (Ecuador); Corporación Autónoma Regional de Risaralda (CARDER; Colombia). Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation (DEB-0844624 to S.P.); SENESCYT and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (to O.T.-C. and F.A.-V.); DGAPA, UNAM (PAPIIT 224009) and CONACYT (154093; to A.N.-M.d.O.).

FundersFunder number
National Science FoundationDEB-0844624
Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación
Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador

    Keywords

    • Diversification
    • Key innovation
    • Opportunity
    • Phylogeny
    • Rates

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