Meeting Abstract
Intraspecific divergence spurred by differing ecological conditions can provide insights into early stages of speciation. Anoles are a model clade for studying habitat-based divergence and speciation. Anolis conspersus (the Grand Cayman blue-throated anole) is endemic to a Caribbean small island and has body coloration patterns that are spatially arranged despite a lack of wider environmental gradients. I examined ecological, morphological, and genetic variation among and within A. conspersus populations to evaluate potential divergence along a small scale. I evaluated morphological and habitat-use characteristics of anoles at 19 sites across the native range, recorded body coloration, took tissue samples for sequencing, and analyzed the data with multivariate hierarchical Bayesian modeling. Our findings have the potential to provide insight into early stages of speciation on small islands and inform conservation management of a poorly studied island endemic.
