Why Are There So Many Types of Lizards
Spreading through the Americas, one lizard group, the anoles, evolved like Darwin’s finches, adapting to different islands and different habitats on the mainland. Today there are more than 400 species.
Constructing a family tree for three lizard species collected in Panama at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and a fourth from the southeastern U.S., scientists at Arizona State University compared lizard genomes — their entire DNA code — to those of other animals.
Anolis frenatus is one of the anole lizard species studied in this research project. The scientists with this study estimate that there are 40 species of anolid lizards living in Panama, compared with only one in the U.S. A team from ASU collected three species with permission from the Ministry of the Environment.
Photo by Kenro Kusumi
“While some reptiles such as tortoises changed remarkably little over millions of years, anole lizards evolved quickly, generating a diversity of shapes and behaviors,” said Kenro Kusumi, corresponding author and professor at ASU School of Life Sciences. “Now that sequencing entire genomes is cheaper and easier, we discovered molecular genetic evidence for rapid evolution that may account for striking differences between bodies of animals living in different environments.”
Kusumi’s lab, working with colleagues at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, is especially interested in how reptiles’ genomes shape their ability to regenerate and to develop a diversity of body forms.
Elizabeth Hutchins, an ASU co-author of the study, holds an anole lizard found in Panama.
Photo by Kenro Kusumi
“This is the first time the complete genetic code–the genome–of any vertebrate species from Panama has been sequenced and analyzed,” said Oris Sanjur, co-author and Associate Director for Science Administration at STRI. “Information from these three species is an important contribution to our understanding of biodiversity and the evolution of new species.”
Scientists estimate that there are 40 species of anolid lizards living in Panama, compared to only one in the U.S. A team from ASU collected three species with permission from the Ministry of the Environment, MiAmbiente: the Central American giant anole, Anolis frenatus, lives high on tree trunks; the grass anole, A. auratus, perches on bushes or on grassy vegetation and the slender anole, A. apletophallus, found only in Panama, hangs out lower on tree trunks or on the ground.
Researchers at ASU’s School of Life Sciences lined up the DNA sequences of the lizards with the DNA sequences of 31 other animals: the lobe-finned fish and the four-legged animal groups that evolved from them. They also took a careful look at genes that code for proteins: more than 22,000 genes in the green anole, A. carolinensis, versus approximately 20,000 identified each in A. auratus and A. frenatus and 13,000 in A. apletophallus.
Anolis apletophallus, another lizard species found in Panama.
Photo by Kenro Kusumi
One obvious explanation for a faster rate of evolution is the anole lizards’ faster rate of reproduction. Anoles typically mate in their first year of life, while other reptiles take much longer to reach sexual maturity. They also breed with many other individuals so mutations that make it difficult for individuals to survive are eliminated fairly quickly.
Anolis auratus.
“By comparing these four anole lizard genomes, we’re beginning to understand how one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates regenerate, develop and diversify,” he added.
Contacts and sources:
Sandra Leander
Arizona State University
Source: http://www.ineffableisland.com/2018/02/why-are-there-so-many-types-of-lizards.html
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