Meeting Abstract
P2.118 Saturday, Jan. 5 Comparative appendicular osteology and evolutionary genetics of Panamanian anoles with divergent locomotor strategies MAAYAN, I.*; RITZMAN, T.B.; HUTCHINS, E.D.; STAPLEY, J.; LASKU, E.; ECKALBAR, W.L.; WILSON-RAWLS, J.; HUENTELMAN, M.J.; BERMINGHAM, E.; HSIEH, S.T.; FISHER, R.E.; KUSUMI, K.; Arizona State Univ.; Arizona State Univ.; Arizona State Univ.; Smithsonian Tropical Res. Inst.; Arizona State Univ.; Arizona State Univ.; Arizona State Univ.; Translational Genomics Res. Inst.; Smithsonian Tropical Res. Inst.; Temple Univ.; Univ. Arizona College Med.-Phoenix; Arizona State Univ. kenro.kusumi@asu.edu
Across the Neotropics, anole lizards have repeatedly diversified and evolved to fill open niche spaces, as evidenced by their abundance and variety. Recurrent convergence upon a set of relatively conserved body plans among anole radiations in the Greater Antilles suggests a significant correlation between habitat and morphology. Specifically, species with smaller fore-to-hindlimb length ratio will use jumping more frequently, whereas those that predominantly run will exhibit a larger fore-to-hindlimb length ratio. To test for similar patterns in mainland species, we analyzed the predator avoidance strategies and appendicular osteology of Anolis apletophallus, A. auratus and A. poecilopus, three Panamanian anole species occupying different microhabitats. We also collected measurements of body size and limb lengths to investigate whether features of appendicular morphology are associated with locomotor patterns observed in the field. These findings were compared with the limb osteology of the green anole, A. carolinensis, and with that of the invasive brown anole, A. sagrei, two well-studied island species from separate phylogenetic radiations. With genome sequencing near completion for A. apletophallus, comparisons with A. carolinensis can be made for genes regulating limb patterning, including pitx1, tbx4, and tbx5. This study will help to define the divergent morphological and locomotor features of the mainland anoles and the evolutionary genetic basis of changes in appendicular development.
