Lizard polymorphic throat colors are distinguishable by conspecifics and predators across variable light environments.

ABSTRACT: Color polymorphisms, or distinct color variants within a population, provide tractable study systems for studying the generation, maintenance, and loss of phenotypic diversity in nature because biologists can easily observe changes in the number and frequency of discrete variants over time. However, many color polymorphisms are studied in the context of the human visual system and do not consider how conspecifics or potential predators view morph variation. The visual systems of predators and conspecifics may be sensitive to different aspects of coloration, which can influence the evolution and maintenance of morph diversity and phenotypic variation within and between populations. The Aegean wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii) is a color polymorphic lizard that exhibits co-occurring orange, wh

SUBMITTER: BeVier GT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12530538 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature