Gomes Verónica, Carretero Miguel A, Kaliontzopoulou Antigoni
CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, N° 7, 4485-661, Vairao, Vila do Conde, Portugal.
Departamento de Biologia da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Naturwissenschaften. 2018 Jan 2;105(1-2):9. doi: 10.1007/s00114-017-1537-6.
A central issue in evolutionary biology is how morphology, performance, and habitat use coevolve. If morphological variation is tightly associated with habitat use, then differences in morphology should affect fitness through their effect on performance within specific habitats. In this study, we investigate how evolutionary forces mold morphological traits and performance differently given the surrounding environment, at the intraspecific level. For this purpose, we selected populations of the lizard Podarcis bocagei from two different habitat types, agricultural walls and dunes, which we expected to reflect saxicolous vs ground-dwelling habits. In the laboratory, we recorded morphological traits as well as performance traits by measuring sprint speed, climbing capacity, maneuverability, and bite force. Our results revealed fast-evolving ecomorphological variation among populations of P. bocagei, where a direct association existed between head morphology and bite performance. However, we could not establish links between limb morphology and locomotor performance at the individual level. Lizards from walls were better climbers than those from dunes, suggesting a very fast evolutionary response. Interestingly, a significant interaction between habitat and sex was detected in climbing performance. In addition, lizards from dunes bit harder than those from walls, although sexual differentiation was definitely the main factor driving variation in head functional morphology. Taking into account all the results, we found a complex interaction between natural and sexual selection on whole-organism performance, which are, in some cases, reflected in morphological variation.
进化生物学中的一个核心问题是形态、性能和栖息地利用如何共同进化。如果形态变异与栖息地利用紧密相关，那么形态差异应该通过其对特定栖息地内性能的影响来影响适合度。在本研究中，我们在种内水平上研究了进化力量如何根据周围环境以不同方式塑造形态特征和性能。为此，我们从两种不同的栖息地类型——农墙和沙丘中选取了博氏壁蜥种群，我们预期这两种栖息地分别反映了石栖与地栖习性。在实验室中，我们通过测量短跑速度、攀爬能力、机动性和咬合力来记录形态特征以及性能特征。我们的结果揭示了博氏壁蜥种群间快速进化的生态形态变异，其中头部形态与咬合力性能之间存在直接关联。然而，我们无法在个体水平上建立肢体形态与运动性能之间的联系。来自墙壁的蜥蜴比来自沙丘的蜥蜴攀爬能力更强，这表明了一种非常快速的进化响应。有趣的是，在攀爬性能方面检测到栖息地与性别之间存在显著的相互作用。此外，来自沙丘的蜥蜴咬合力比来自墙壁的蜥蜴更强，尽管性别分化无疑是驱动头部功能形态变异的主要因素。综合所有结果，我们发现自然选择和性选择对整个生物体性能存在复杂的相互作用，在某些情况下，这种相互作用反映在形态变异上。
