Meeting Abstract
18.2 Tuesday, Jan. 4 Good As New? Morphological and Biochemical Analyses Reveal Variation Between Original and Regenerated Lizard Tails BOOZALIS, T.*; LASALLE, L.; DAVIS, J.; Rhodes College; Rhodes College; Rhodes College boots@rhodes.edu
Tail autonomy is a common and effective method of predator evasion in many lizard species. However, because the tail contributes to a multitude of functions such as mobility, energy storage, and social interactions, there are often costs associated with autonomy. Furthermore, key morphological differences may exist between the original and regenerated tail that could alter the biochemistry and energetics. We tested the hypotheses that lizard tail biochemistry or morphology or both differ after regeneration. We compared the protein and lipid content of proximal, medial, and distal tail regions for original and regenerated tails across four lizard species. We used Adobe Photoshop to analyze digital micrographs of stained sections of each tail region in order to make morphological comparisons of the relative proportions of muscle, lipid, and bone / cartilage in original and regenerated tails. We compared biochemical and morphological results among species and tail sections for both original and regenerated tails. We observed a decrease in protein content in the regenerated tails of all three gecko species tested, coupled with an increase in lipid content, which is in accordance with others’ data. Possible explanations of this observation include the relative ease of lipid synthesis, as well as the loss of muscle attachment sites that occurs when the regenerated tail produces a cartilaginous rod in place of vertebrae. We observed the opposite trends in protein and lipid content for the fourth species tested, which was a skink. This may reflect differences in caudal usage between the two families of lizard. Results of this study provide further insight into potential energetic costs of tail autonomy in lizards and may reveal additional significance of protein and lipid content to caudal function in four lizard species.
