Evolutionary Plasticity in Insular Lizard, Adapting over Reproduction, Metabolism, and Color Variation.

ABSTRACT: The Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) living on islets exhibits a melanic skin coloration and a suite of adaptive traits lacking in nearby mainland populations. On islets, the unpredictable environmental conditions and highly fluctuating population densities are believed to have produced reversed island syndrome (RIS). Several physiological, behavioral, and life-history changes based on the RIS could result from positive selection on increased activity of melanocortins. We hypothesize that phenotypes on islets are the product of a plastic variation depending on the regulation of specific genes. Focusing on control systems that determine the insular-adapted phenotype, we demonstrated that reproductive markers, involved in the hypothalamus-hypophysis-gonadal axis, and metabolism

SUBMITTER: Fulgione D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10740616 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature