Publication Date
2008
Journal or Book Title
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Abstract
Although rapid adaptive changes in morphology on ecological time scales are now well documented in natural populations, the effects of such changes on whole-organism performance capacity and the consequences on ecological dynamics at the population level are often unclear. Here we show how lizards have rapidly evolved differences in head morphology, bite strength, and digestive tract structure after experimental introduction into a novel environment. Despite the short time scale (≈36 years) since this introduction, these changes in morphology and performance parallel those typically documented among species and even families of lizards in both the type and extent of their specialization. Moreover, these changes have occurred side-by-side with dramatic changes in population density and social structure, providing a compelling example of how the invasion of a novel habitat can evolutionarily drive multiple aspects of the phenotype.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0711998105
Pages
4792-4795
Volume
105
Issue
12
Recommended Citation
Herrel, Anthony; Huyghe, Katleen; Vanhooydonck, Bieke; Backeljau, Thierry; Breugelmans, Karin; Grbac, Irena; Van Damme, Raoul; and Irschick, Duncan J., "Rapid large-scale evolutionary divergence in morphology and performance associated with exploitation of a different dietary resource" (2008). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 193.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0711998105