Meeting Abstract
Sperm morphology is highly variable among species, but less is known about its variation among individuals and populations. Anolis lizards are native throughout the Caribbean and Central America, but several species have recently been introduced in southern Florida, providing an opportunity to compare native and introduced populations of multiple species. We collected sperm samples from three populations each of Anolis sagrei and A. distichus, and two populations of A. cristatellus, comprising of both native and introduced populations. We found that multiple aspects of sperm morphology differed consistently in mean and variance between native and introduced populations, despite introductions occurring within the last 100 years for each species. In all three species, lizards from introduced populations had sperm with shorter tails and larger midpieces than those of lizards from native populations. These data suggest that sperm morphology is highly plastic and/or capable of rapid evolution in response to environmental changes. Though these changes may be predictable, their underlying causes require further study.
