Semicircular canals in Anolis lizards: ecomorphological convergence and ecomorph affinities of fossil species.

ABSTRACT: Anolis lizards are a model system for the study of adaptive radiation and convergent evolution. Greater Antillean anoles have repeatedly evolved six similar forms or ecomorphs: crown-giant, grass-bush, twig, trunk, trunk-crown and trunk-ground. Members of each ecomorph category possess a specific set of morphological, ecological and behavioural characteristics which have been acquired convergently. Here we test whether the semicircular canal system-the organ of balance during movement-is also convergent among ecomorphs, reflecting the shared sensory requirements of their ecological niches. As semicircular canal shape has been shown to reflect different locomotor strategies, we hypothesized that each Anolis ecomorph would have a unique canal morphology. Using three-dimensional

SUBMITTER: Dickson BV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5666239 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature