Sexual dimorphism and adaptive radiation in Anolis lizards

Marguerite A. Butler (), Stanley A. Sawyer and Jonathan B. Losos
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Marguerite A. Butler: University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2538 McCarthy Mall, Edmonson 152, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
Stanley A. Sawyer: Campus Box 1146
Jonathan B. Losos: Campus Box 1137, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri 63130, USA

Nature, 2007, vol. 447, issue 7141, 202-205

Abstract: Split the difference A major task in biology is explaining patterns of biodiversity. Sexual differences in form are pervasive, yet factors promoting sexual dimorphism are rarely considered in studies of species diversity. Similarly, ecological and evolutionary factors governing community-level diversity are rarely invoked to explain the degree to which the sexes can differ. A study of the Anolis lizard, a classic example of adaptive radiation, with colonies on the islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, now shows that sexual differences are major contributors to morphological diversification in adaptive radiation. This suggests a model of how sexual dimorphism and adaptive radiation interact, a model that can be put to the test by observations of the native and introduced anoles in Florida.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature05774

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