Analysis of Morphological Change during a Co-invading Assemblage of Lizards in the Hawaiian Islands

Abstract

Phenotypic change plays diverse roles in species’ colonization, but most invasion studies target single species. To compare ecomorphological changes among co-invading species with overlapping niches, we examined three lizards on the island of O‘ahu (Anolis carolinensis, A. sagrei, Phelsuma laticauda). Using specimens from three decades of unfolding invasions obtained through museum collections and contemporary field work, we quantified shifts in three traits: snout vent length (SVL), forelimb-, and hindlimb-length (limb lengths relative to SVL). We hypothesized that competition among these three species has led to ecological shifts that will be detectable through morphological change. Overall, we found that unique patterns of phenotypic change were both species-specific and sex-specific within species: (1) male A. sagrei, female A. carolinensis, and male P. laticauda increased in SVL and (2) relative hindlimb length increased in female A. carolinensis since the 1980s. The observed changes involve traits that may be consequential to invasion dynamics. This study illustrates how museum- and field-based research can be integrated to document nuanced temporal patterns in the phenotypes of co-invading species that share similar niches in native ranges, raising questions about the underlying process(es) driving species- and sex-specific change in co-invaded systems.